ASCLS eNewsBytes

• Exclusive: FDA Warnings Persisted As UTIs Turned Deadly in Menopause September 28, 2026
  As doctors stopped prescribing hormone replacement during menopause, an uptick in fatal UTIs began. Why did FDA warnings against estrogen persist for decades?
• COVID-19 Associated With Increased Risk of Incident Autoimmune Disease September 28, 2026
  A systematic review of eight studies spanning millions of people found a consistent link between COVID-19 and an increased risk of subsequent new-onset autoimmune disease, researchers reported online in Cureus.
• Pennsylvania Measles Outbreak Grows to 890 Cases With 55 New Infections: Officials September 28, 2026
  The measles outbreak in Pennsylvania is continuing to grow with 55 new cases confirmed since Wednesday, according to an update from the state health department.
• How Clean Is Clean? BEMI Aims To Put a Number on Surface Contamination September 28, 2026
  A surface can look clean and still carry significant bioload. The new Bioload Exposure Metric Indexaims to standardize ATP sampling and move surface hygiene toward a measurable cleanliness score. If we can't measure clean, how do we know we've achieved it?
• Africa Wrestles With Increasing Deaths From Non-Communicable Diseases September 28, 2026
  A new study from the Lancet out this week finds that non-communicable diseases accounted for nearly 5 million deaths across Africa in 2023, representing 45% of all deaths in Africa.