The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to share information and notify clinicians, public health authorities, and the public about recent New World screwworm (NWS) animal cases in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which shares a border with the U.S. state of Texas. No NWS infestations related to this outbreak have been identified in people or animals in the United States as of January 20, 2026. However, given the potential for geographic spread, CDC is issuing this Health Advisory to increase awareness of the outbreak and to summarize CDC recommendations for clinicians and health departments in the United States on case identification and reporting, specimen collection, diagnosis, and treatment of NWS, as well as guidance for the public.

Full Advisory: New World Screwworm: Outbreak Moves into Northern Mexico | HAN | CDC

Key Messages

• Kratom has a complex pharmacological profile with the potential for sedative, stimulant, and opioid effects. 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH, is a potent opioid that usually makes up a very small percentage of the kratom leaf, but can be concentrated and added to products to increase their activity.
• Because they affect the body's opioid receptors, both whole-leaf kratom products and 7-OH have a high potential for addiction, particularly among people with substance use disorders.
• Concentrated 7-OH products, in particular, have been implicated in multiple fatal overdoses. Overdose risk is substantially elevated when 7-OH is taken alongside other intoxicants, particularly alcohol, benzodiazepines, and/or unregulated street drugs.
• Other side effects of these products may include constipation, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness/sedation, dry mouth, weight loss, anxiety, hallucination, itching, fatigue, insomnia, tremors, vomiting, liver damage, high blood pressure, and seizures.
• Although kratom and 7-OH products are widely available and advertised, they are illegal to sell and manufacture for consumption.​​

Background

Kratom is the common name for the leaf of a tropical tree, Mitragyna speciosa. Kratom has a complex pharmacological profile with the potential for sedative, stimulant, and opioid effects due principally to the presence of mitragynine, which is metabolized to 7-hydroxymitragynine, (commonly known as 7-OH), a potent opioid. 7-OH and other kratom derivatives may lead to addiction, serious harm, overdose, and/or death. The use of 7-OH was linked to six recent fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County. More info...

Key messages: 

• The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is issuing an update to its December 5 health advisory as an outbreak of amatoxin poisoning continues across California.
• This outbreak is linked to the consumption of wild foraged mushrooms and has caused severe liver damage in children and adults.
• As of January 6, 35 cases, including three adult fatalities and three liver transplants, have been linked to the ongoing outbreak.
• Recent rain contributed to widespread growth of Death Cap mushrooms in California. CDPH is again urging Californians not to pick or eat wild mushrooms as the risk of potentially deadly amatoxin poisoning is high.
• Since Death Cap mushrooms are easily confused for safe-to-eat, lookalike mushrooms, all mushroom foraging should be avoided. 

More info...

What You Need​​ to Know: West Coast Health Alliance continues to recommend vaccination in alignment with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.

On January 5, 2026, the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed a decision memorand​um (PDF) to revise the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and significantly reduce the number of vaccinations routinely recommended for all U.S. children. This decision did not follow established procedure for vaccine policy recommendations and threatens an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases in children nationwide. Children getting sick from the diseases prevented by recommended immunizations leads to missed school for children, missed work for parents, and even hospitalization and death in some children.

The current American Academy of Pediatrics Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule (PDF) is based on established vaccine safety and effectiveness evidence​. AAP recommendations consider:

• When children are most vulnerable to diseases;
• When vaccines work best with children’s immune systems;
• The safety of vaccinations being recommended;
• The risk of diseases in the United States;
• Our current access to health care and immunizations: and
• Cost effectiveness of implementing national recommendations for a particular vaccination.

While the first three concerns are similar across countries, the last three concerns may differ considerably between countries. The AAP recommended immunization schedule serves as a starting point for discussions between families and their providers, as it always has. Parents should continue to make informed decisions about the vaccines that their children receive based on discussions with their child’s health care provider.  

Prior to 2025, AAP had endorsed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, based on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which followed a rigorous review of data on risk of disease and safety of vaccination in the United States. Changes in the newly released recommended immunization schedule are not based on changes in vaccine safety and effectiveness data. The changes were based on a comparison of the number of routine vaccinations recommended in the United States versus select other countries. It did not consider the different conditions in each country. These changes were also not vetted by experts from medical and public health organizations, health care providers, or the public before they were published. ​

We do not expect these changes to affect insurance coverage for vaccines for this plan year. All child and adolescent immunizations recommended as of December 31, 2025 will remain available and covered by public and private insurers however the changes create confusion and will put more children at risk of preventable diseases.  ​

The West Coast Health Alliance will continue to review available vaccine science and ensure continued access to recommended vaccines. Each state is examining the impact of these federal changes on vaccine access in our respective states. WCHA and AAP continue to support these longstanding recommendations including informed parental decisions for the best protection of their children. ​

Press Release: West Coast Health Alliance Recommends American Academy of Pediatrics Vaccine Schedule