Top Infectious Disease News Stories Week of March 1 - March 7

CDC: Too Few Older, At-Risk Adults Receive Antiviral for COVID-19

Antivirals are underutilized for COVID-19 in older adults and those with comorbidities despite their increased risk for hospitalization, according to a report¹ from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Despite the proven benefit of COVID-19 antivirals (eg, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, remdesivir, or molnupiravir) in preventing severe outcomes, data suggest that their use is low among older adults," observe lead author Julia Raykin, PhD, Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, CDC, Atlanta, GA, and colleagues.

Measles Update: March 6, 2026

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported there were 1,281* cases of measles in the US as of March 5, 2026. Week-over week, that is an additional 145 cases and a 12.76% increase. Last week, the federal agency reported there was 1,136* confirmed cases.¹ This marks a slight decrease in the number of cases from the previous week that saw a 15.7% increase in cases the week ending (February 27).

The Evolving Childhood Vaccine Schedule: Identifying Significant Policy Shifts

This roundtable series discusses the ongoing recommendation changes being made to the pediatric vaccine schedule and how this is affecting US public health, especially in children.

Undoubtedly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has been at the center of the massive changes to the childhood vaccine schedule over the past several months.

Some of the committee’s biggest changes in vaccine guidance and recommendations include shared clinical decision-making for some vaccines and moving some of the vaccines that were in the recommended-for-all category to high-risk groups. This new federal guidance now recommends childhood vaccines for 11 diseases, downsizing immunization protection from the previous list of 18 diseases.

Analysis Favors Ceftolozane-Tazobactam Over Aminoglycosides/Polymyxins for Resistant P aeruginosa

Ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) was associated with a higher clinical cure rate for multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections and lower all-cause mortality than aminoglycosides/polymyxins but was not distinguished from ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) in a network meta-analysis¹ (NMA) funded by C/T’s manufacturer, Merck.

Lead author Hannah Collings, MS, director of Adelphi Values in Bollington, United Kingdom, and colleagues explained that they conducted the systematic literature review and NMA to assess real-world effectiveness of C/T in the absence of head-to-head trials and in view of the variability in comparative effectiveness study designs and methodology.

Review of the Risk Assessment and Treatment of Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Pharyngitis

Pharyngitis is one of the most common indications for pursuing treatment in the outpatient setting.¹ Although most sore throats are viral and resolve on their own without treatment, pharyngitis is one of the most common diagnoses associated with an antibiotic prescription.¹ Pharyngitis caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) is more commonly known as strep throat.² It is the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis.³

It is estimated that strep throat accounts for 5.2 million outpatient visits each year among those younger than 65 years.⁴ Although most sore throats are caused by viruses and do not require antibiotics, strep throat occurs in approximately 10% of adults and 30% of children.⁵ Despite the prevalence of viral sore throat, 72% of adults and 56% of children with pharyngitis receive antibiotics.⁶ Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of GAS pharyngitis are important to prevent complications, minimize transmission, and return to everyday activities.³