This article originally appeared at Your Local Epidemiologist New York. Sign up for the YLE NY newsletter here. Public health, explained: Sign up to receive Healthbeat’s free New York City newsletter here.
I hope you all had a restful Memorial Day weekend. For those honoring loved ones lost in service, my heart is with you, and I’m deeply grateful.
Let’s get into this week’s dose of New York public health news, what you can do, and why it matters.
Cucumber recall affecting New York
A multistate Salmonella outbreak has been traced to cucumbers grown in Florida. As of Friday, 26 people across 15 states — including New York— have fallen ill, with nine hospitalized.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a nationwide recall of cucumbers grown by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales.
The affected cucumbers were:
- Sold between April 29 and May 19.
- Distributed to various retailers, restaurants, and food service providers. In New York these include Albertsons, Walmart, and other grocery stores.
- Added to sushi rolls, salads, and other veggie mixes.
What this means for you
If you have cucumbers, or cucumber-containing premade salads or sushi at home that was purchased between April 29 and May 19, it’s safest to throw them out. Sanitize any surfaces that may have come into contact with the cucumbers. If you are eating out, consider asking the restaurant if they’re aware of the recall before ordering foods with cucumbers.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, which typically appear 12 to 72 hours after consumption. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an average of 420 Salmonella-related deaths annually in the United States. Children under 5 years old, adults over age 65, and people with weakened immune systems are at highest risk for severe illness.
Measles exposures in New Jersey
New Jersey has reported two possible measles exposures in the past week: one at Newark Airport and one at the MetLife Shakira concert. Anyone who visited the following locations during the specified times may have been exposed. Potentially exposed people should contact a health care provider if they develop any measles symptoms, which usually start like a cold and progress to a rash.
- Newark Liberty International Airport, Terminal B. May 12, 12:30-4 p.m. Monitor for symptoms until Monday.
- MetLife Stadium at the Shakira concert. May 15, 7:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Monitor for symptoms until June 6.
So far, no cases have been identified following these two exposure events. If you do develop symptoms, it’s important to call your doctor or clinic before you visit in person so special precautions can be taken to prevent further spread.
With measles continuing to spread in Texas and other states — and more than 1,060 cases reported nationwide — it’s not entirely surprising to see exposures at large events like the Shakira concert. Around 55,000 people attended (and as a Shakira fan, I’m a little jealous).
What this means for you
If you went to the concert or were at Newark Airport during the exposure period, monitor your symptoms over the next two weeks. If you are vaccinated, you likely have little to worry about. Fortunately, the Shakira concert mostly had adults in attendance, and most adults are vaccinated against measles, which helps limit the risk of an outbreak.
Being fully vaccinated is still the best way to prevent getting measles. Here are common FAQs on the vaccine from YLE National.
Tuberculosis in Suffolk County
A tuberculosis case was reported at Sachem High School East in Suffolk County, Long Island. On May 15, more than 120 students and staff were notified via letter about potential exposure to an individual diagnosed with TB.
TB is an infectious disease that’s transmitted mainly through the air. It primarily affects the lungs and can be serious if untreated. Symptoms include persistent cough, fatigue, fever, and weight loss. Public health officials take any TB exposure seriously because the disease is relatively rare in the United States, and infections can cause serious illness.
The Suffolk County Department of Health is offering free testing to those with prolonged contact with the infected person. For TB, prolonged contact means several hours in close proximity, not just passing them in the hallway. Unlike measles and other pathogens, TB infection generally requires a longer period of exposure. So it’s common to only test people who have had prolonged close contact. In college, I was tested for TB after spending several hours near someone in my dorm who was later diagnosed. (I tested negative.)
In 2024, there were 250 confirmed TB cases in New York state, a 19% increase from 2023. Suffolk County reported 52 TB cases in 2024, the highest in New York.
What this means for you
TB is treatable if identified, and it’s much better to get it treated before symptoms start. So if you got a letter from the county health department, getting tested is a good idea. This TB FAQ from the New York Health Department is helpful.
Update on Medicaid cuts
Last week, the House of Representatives passed multiple health care revisions as part of the budget reconciliation bill. According to analysis done by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, these bills have two significant implications for health care in New York:
- A potential annual loss of nearly $13.5 billion for New Yorkers’ health care sector, and
- Nearly 1.5 million New Yorkers could lose Medicaid coverage and become uninsured
The bills would cut over $7.5 billion in federal funding from the Essential Plan (New York’s Medicaid expansion) and shift almost $3 billion of other costs to New York state. This means that the state would have to take on those costs or reduce funding for health care. We cover this in more detail in our recent Medicaid deep dive here.
Another major change included in the bill is a new work requirement: Starting in 2029, adults without children who are not disabled need to prove they’re working at least 80 hours per month to qualify for Medicaid. Community service, work training programs, and going to school also qualify.
Work requirements for Medicaid are being proposed to reduce federal spending — by shrinking the number of people who qualify — and to encourage employment. There are a couple of important issues with this:
- Administrative difficulties would reduce access. When work requirements for Medicaid eligibility were tested in Arkansas, over 18,000 people lost coverage, and 60% delayed medical treatment due to costs, without increasing employment in the state. The study found that most of those who lost coverage were working and still eligible for Medicaid, but struggled with new reporting requirements, paperwork, and red tape.
- The health insurance-work feedback loop. Research shows that having health insurance improves someone’s ability to find and maintain work, while poor health is associated with job loss. Taking away someone’s health insurance could leave them without health resources, making finding or keeping a job harder.
From my perspective, no matter how you slice it, reducing Medicaid funding and adding work requirements will result in millions losing health care coverage. When people lose access to health care, they are more likely to wait until they are sicker to get care, and often depend on emergency rooms. This will increase health care costs for people.
What happens next?
The bills will move on to the Senate for debate and approval. Congress will vote on them later this summer. You can call your representatives to let them know how you feel about the budget proposals. Here are some tips. Find their contact information here. If you’re a Medicaid recipient, it will be important to keep up to date with the latest information and reporting requirements as this evolves, so your coverage doesn’t fall through the cracks.
Changes to Covid-19 vaccine availability
Big changes may be coming to Covid-19 vaccine access in the United States, including here in New York. Last week, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and his new adviser, Vinay Prasad, proposed limiting new Covid vaccine access to only people over 65 or those with chronic conditions. That means if you’re generally healthy and under 65, you may not be eligible for a booster this fall, or your insurance may not cover the shot. For more details, see YLE National’s deep dive.
If the proposed FDA policy goes through, the eligible chronic conditions are as follows:
Judging from the New York State Department of Health estimates of chronic disease rates and our age demographics, only about half of New Yorkers may still qualify for Covid vaccines if the proposed changes go through. But nothing is final yet. The decision also depends on what specific vaccine the FDA recommends, who the CDC recommends should get it, and if a new formula is needed if a new variant comes onto the scene.
We’ll be watching closely and providing updates. This could impact millions of New Yorkers — and your ability to stay protected this respiratory season.
Bottom line
You’re all caught up! See you next week. 🙂
Love,
Your NY Epi
Dr. Marisa Donnelly, PhD, is an epidemiologist, science communicator, and public health advocate. She specializes in infectious diseases, outbreak response, and emerging health threats. She has led multiple outbreak investigations at the California Department of Public Health and served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Donnelly is also an epidemiologist at Biobot Analytics, where she works at the forefront of wastewater-based disease surveillance.
