MMWR News Synopsis for April 7, 2016

Sleep Duration and Injury-Related Risk Behaviors among High School Students — United States, 2007–2013

CDC Media Relations
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Most high school students do not get sufficient sleep, which may put them at increased risk for unintentional injuries. Among 50,370 U.S. high school students, the likelihood of each of five injury-related risk behaviors was significantly higher for students sleeping ≤7 hours on an average school night. Three of these risk behaviors –infrequent seatbelt use, riding with a drinking driver, and drinking and driving – were also more likely for students sleeping ≥10 hours compared to 9 hours on an average school night. Although insufficient sleep directly contributes to injury risk, these results suggest that some of the increased risk associated with insufficient sleep might be due to engaging in injury-related risk behaviors. Intervention efforts aimed at these behaviors might help reduce injuries resulting from sleepiness and provide opportunities for increasing awareness of the importance of sleep.

Varying Estimates of Sepsis Mortality using Death Certificates and Administrative Codes — United States, 1999–2013

CDC Media Relations
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A reliable sepsis tracking definition based on objective clinical data is needed to better track this complex, clinical syndrome. Sepsis is a life-threatening complication of the body’s response to infection. Sepsis is difficult to predict, diagnose, and treat and can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Patients who develop sepsis have an increased risk of complications and death and face higher healthcare costs and longer treatment. But it is challenging to understand the true burden of deaths related to sepsis because current estimates are based on multiple sources, and various sepsis definitions show large variations in death estimates. A reliable sepsis tracking definition based on objective clinical data is needed to better track this complex, clinical syndrome. CDC is working to increase sepsis awareness and improve treatment and prevention among the public, healthcare providers, and healthcare facilities.

Surveillance Systems to Track Progress Toward Polio Eradication — Worldwide, 2014–2015

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286 

Continued efforts are needed to strengthen the detection of suspected polio cases in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region to ensure timely certification of polio-free status. The removal of Nigeria from WHO’s list of polio-endemic countries in 2015 is an important milestone towards polio eradication. However, continued efforts to strengthen detection of suspected polio cases is critical to ensure timely polio-free certification of the WHO African Region. Despite the success in Nigeria, half of the WHO African Region countries examined in the report did not meet one or both national indicators used to monitor how well countries can detect and diagnose polio cases, including countries heavily affected by the recent Ebola virus disease outbreak. Of particular importance is the need to improve transport of specimens collected from suspected polio cases to WHO-accredited laboratories for testing. Sensitive and timely detection of suspected polio cases everywhere is key to eradicating polio.

Notes from the Field:

• Thyrotoxicosis After Consumption of Dietary Supplements Purchased Through the Internet — Staten Island, New York, 2015
• Mycobacterium abscessus Infections Among Patients of a Pediatric Dentistry Practice — Georgia, 2015

QuickStats:

• Percentage Distribution of Deaths, by Place of Death — United States, 2000–2014

 

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES