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Objectives: The risk for mpox virus (MPXV) transmission in most workplaces has not been thoroughly assessed in the context of the 2022 global mpox outbreak. Our objectives were to describe mpox case patients who worked while infectious and the subsequent workplace contact tracing efforts, risk assessments, and outcomes., Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested information from health departments in the United States in September 2022 to identify people with confirmed or probable mpox who worked outside the home while infectious, either before or after diagnosis, from June 1 through August 31, 2022. We collected and summarized data on demographic, clinical, and workplace characteristics of case patients and workplace contact investigations. We stratified data by industry and occupation categories., Results: In total, 102 case patients were reported by 6 jurisdictions. The most common industries were accommodation and food services (19.8%) and professional business, management, and technical services (17.0%). Contact investigations identified 178 total contacts; 54 cases (52.9%) had no contacts identified. Of 178 contacts, 54 (30.3%) were recommended to receive postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and 18 (10.1%) received PEP. None of the contacts developed a rash or were tested for orthopox or mpox, and none were reported to have confirmed or probable mpox., Conclusion: Data from 6 jurisdictions suggest that the risk of MPXV transmission from workers to others in workplace settings in many industries is low. These findings might support future updates to exposure risk classifications and work activity recommendations for patients. These findings also demonstrate the importance of collecting and analyzing occupation and industry data in case reports to better understand risks in workplaces., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Rates of syphilis in the United States have more than doubled over the last several decades, largely among men who have sex with men (MSM). Our study characterizes a cluster of neurosyphilis cases among people with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) in Vermont in 2017-2018., Methods: Vermont Department of Health disease intervention specialists conduct interviews with newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases and pursue sexual networking analyses. Phylogenetic and network analyses of available Vermont HIV-1 polymerase (pol) sequences identified clusters of infection. Fishers-exact and independent t-tests were used to compare people with HIV-1 within or outside an identified cluster., Results: Between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018, 38 residents were diagnosed with HIV-1 infection. The mean age was 35.5 years, 79% were male and 82% were White. Risk factors for HIV-1 included MSM status (79%) and methamphetamine use (21%). Eighteen cases (49%) had HIV-1 viral loads (VLs) >100 000 copies/mL and 47% had CD4 cell counts <200/mm3. Eleven of the 38 (29%) had positive syphilis serology, including four (36%) with neurosyphilis. Sexual networking analysis revealed a ten-person cluster with higher VLs at diagnosis (90% with VLs > 100 000 copies/mL vs 33%, P = 0.015). Phylogenetic analysis of pol sequences showed a cluster of 14 cases with sequences that shared 98%-100% HIV-1 nucleotide identity., Conclusions: This investigation of newly infected HIV-1 cases in Vermont led to identification of a cluster that appeared more likely to have advanced HIV-1 disease and neurosyphilis, supported by phylogenetic and network analyses., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Partner notification services (PNS) are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a public health intervention for addressing the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Barriers and facilitators to the partner notification process from a public health perspective have not been well described., Methods: In 2015, a coalition of New England public health STD directors and investigators formed to address the increasing STD prevalence across the region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) and to promote communication between state STD programs. To evaluate barriers and facilitators of PNS programs, a survey was administered to representatives from each state to describe PNS processes and approaches., Results: Of the six PNS programs, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire had combined HIV and STD PNS programs; Rhode Island's programs were integrated but employed separate disease intervention specialists (DIS). All states performed PNS for HIV and syphilis. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont performed services for all gonorrhea cases. Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts performed limited partner notification for gonorrhea due to lack of resources. None of the six states routinely provided services for chlamydia, though Maine and Vermont did so for high-priority populations such as HIV co-infected or pregnant individuals. Across all programs, clients received risk reduction counseling and general STD education as a component of PNS, in addition to referrals for HIV/STD care at locations ranging from Planned Parenthood to community- or hospital-based clinics. Notable barriers to successful partner notification across all states included anonymous partners and index cases who did not feel comfortable sharing partners' names with DIS. Other common barriers included insufficient staff, inability of DIS to identify and contact partners, and index cases declining to speak with DIS staff., Conclusions: In New England, state health departments use different strategies to implement PNS programs and referral to STD care. Despite this, similar challenges exist across settings, including difficulty with anonymous partners and limited state resources.

Objective: Necrotizing fasciitis is an infection of the soft tissue that is characterized by rapidly spreading inflammation and subsequent necrosis. It is a rare complication of peripheral nerve blocks. We report a rare case of necrotizing fasciitis after placement of a peripheral nerve catheter., Case Report: A 58-year-old woman presented for an elective right second metatarsal resection and received a sciatic nerve catheter for postoperative pain control. On postoperative day 7, clinical examination and imaging supported the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis., Conclusions: Multiple reports have been published of necrotizing fasciitis after single-shot peripheral nerve block injections, neuraxial anesthesia, and intramuscular injections. This case highlights the potential for the rare complication of necrotizing fasciitis after peripheral nerve catheter placement.