Hantavirus outbreak grows to 11 cases, 9 confirmed

Key Points:

• Marty Makary, MD, MPH, resigned as FDA commissioner amid speculation of imminent firing by President Trump, reportedly due to disagreements over fruit-flavored e-cigarette authorizations; Kyle Diamantas, JD, will serve as acting commissioner.
• Makary's tenure was marked by controversy, including opposition to policies appealing to children and mixed stances on COVID-19 vaccine approvals, drawing criticism from various stakeholders in health policy.
• The FDA cleared an AI-based sepsis detection system developed by Johns Hopkins and Bayesian Health, which can identify sepsis up to 48 hours before clinical suspicion, potentially reducing mortality by 18% when acted upon.
• Sepsis remains a critical health issue with high mortality, and early detection is challenging; the new AI tool addresses this "needle-in-a-haystack" problem by integrating electronic health records and advanced analytics.
• A study from Houston Methodist Hospital found that candidemia incidence and 30-day mortality have increased in the US since 2015, with a notable rise during the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing prevalence of multidrug-resistant Candida auris, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.