CDC issues guidance on reporting monkeypox test results; investigating listeria outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention June 30 released guidance for all laboratories that perform diagnostics testing for monkeypox. The guidance covers what and how to report the patient’s test results to the health department where the patient resides.

In other news, the CDC alerted health care providers to a listeria outbreak that has infected at least 23 people since last January, including one death and 22 hospitalizations. Nearly all of the patients live in or traveled to Florida about one month before they got sick. The source of the outbreak has not yet been identified. CDC advises people at higher risk for severe listeria infection, such as pregnant people and those with weakened immune symptoms, to talk to their health care provider if they develop symptoms, especially if they recently traveled to Florida. Health care providers should report listeriosis illnesses to their health department.