Notes from the Field: Increases in Imported Malaria Cases - Three Southern U.S. Border Jurisdictions, 2023.

Malaria is a severe and potentially fatal mosquitoborne disease caused by infection with Plasmodium spp. parasites. Although malaria is no longer endemic in the United States, imported infections are reported annually; the primary risk group has been U.S. residents traveling to areas where malaria is endemic (1). In 2023, sporadic locally acquired mosquito-transmitted malaria cases were reported in several U.S. states (2,3). This report describes increases in imported malaria cases in 2023 compared with 2022 in three public health jurisdictions along the U.S. southern border.

Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injury in professional and amateur golfers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and incidence of musculoskeletal injury in amateur and professional golfers, and to identify common injury sites and factors associated with increased injury frequency. DESIGN: Systematic epidemiological review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: PubMed (Medline), Embase, the Cochrane Library and SPORTDiscus were searched in September 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies published in the English language reporting the incidence or prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in golfers at all anatomical sites. RESULTS: 20 studies (9221 golfers, 71.9% male, 28.1% female) were included, with mean age 46.8 years. Lifetime injury prevalence was significantly greater in professional golfers (73.5% (95% CI: 47.3% to 93.0%)) than amateur golfers (56.6% (95% CI: 47.4% to 65.5%); relative risk (RR)=1.50, p<0.001). Professional golfers had a significantly greater lifetime prevalence of hand and wrist (RR=3.33, p<0.001) and lower back injury (RR=3.05, p<0.001). Soft tissue injuries were most common, and diagnoses were typically non-specific. Injury frequency was not associated with age or sex. Two studies reported a greater injury risk in amateur golfers playing more than three and four rounds per week. CONCLUSION: Over half of golfers are at risk of sustaining a musculoskeletal injury during their lifetime. Risks and patterns of injury differ between professional and amateur golfers, with professionals significantly more likely to develop lower back, and hand and wrist injuries. A recent international consensus statement on the reporting of injury and illness in golf should aid consistency in future research assessing the epidemiology of specific diagnoses, informing golf injury prevention and management strategies. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023408738.

Access to Urgent Care Practices Improves Understanding and Management of Endemic Coccidioidomycosis: Maricopa County, Arizona, 2018-2023.

BACKGROUND: Coccidioidomycosis within endemic regions is often undiagnosed because appropriate testing is not performed. A dashboard was developed to provide information about the prevalence of coccidioidomycosis throughout the year. METHODS: Banner Urgent Care Service has many clinics within Maricopa County, Arizona, a highly endemic region for coccidioidomycosis. All clinic visits and subset analyses for patients with International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes for pneumonia (J18.*) or erythema nodosum (L52) during 2018-2024 were included. Tabulated were daily frequencies of visits, pneumonia and erythema nodosum coding, coccidioidal testing, and test results. Banner Urgent Care Services' counts of monthly coccidioidomycosis diagnoses were compared with those of confirmed coccidioidomycosis cases reported to Maricopa County Department of Public Health. RESULTS: Monthly frequencies of urgent care coccidioidomycosis diagnoses strongly correlated with public health coccidioidomycosis case counts (r = 0.86). Testing frequency for coccidioidomycosis correlated with overall pneumonia frequency (r = 0.52). The proportion of pneumonia due to coccidioidomycosis varied between <5% and >45% within and between years. Coccidioidomycosis was a common cause of erythema nodosum (65%; 95% confidence interval, 45%-67%) and independent of pneumonia. Over half of Banner Urgent Care Services' coccidioidomycosis diagnoses were coded for neither pneumonia nor erythema nodosum. CONCLUSION: Data provided by the coccidioidomycosis dashboard can assist urgent care practitioners in knowing when coccidioidomycosis is prevalent in the community. Patients with exposure to endemic coccidioidomycosis who develop erythema nodosum or pneumonia should routinely be tested for coccidioidomycosis. Data from private health care organizations can augment surveillance of diseases important to public health.