During 2024, a dengue outbreak occurred in the US Virgin Islands (USVI). To guide response efforts, we assessed health care providers’ practices, experiences, and needs related to dengue diagnostics, clinical management, and reporting during the ongoing outbreak. A rapid needs assessment was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 9 clinicians across the USVI. Interview data were coded into predefined topic areas and analyzed to identify key gaps and actionable opportunities for support. Outcomes revealed gaps in clinical training, diagnostic support, and clinician–community engagement. Providers reported limited confidence in recognizing warning signs and expressed a need for additional training and decision-making tools. Findings indicated that clinicians often relied on clinical judgment for diagnosis but faced challenges related to diagnostic testing, including cost, long turnaround times, and uncertainty about test selection. Gaps in community awareness and misconceptions about dengue transmission were also identified. The rapid needs assessment was led by the Virgin Islands Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and results informed rapid implementation of targeted interventions, including clinician training resources, expanded diagnostic testing pathways, and enhanced community outreach efforts, such as streamlined diagnostic testing processes and community outreach. This case study highlights the value of rapid assessments in guiding timely public health responses during outbreaks through provider-centered feedback.
As youth engage with digital media and technologies, parents face evolving challenges in balancing their benefits and risks. Despite recommendations to support parents in promoting teens’ healthy digital habits, research suggests that parents’ perceptions of teens’ online activities often differ from teens’ own reports. Using data from 522 parent–teen pairs, this study examined discrepancies in parent versus teen reports of parental digital mediation practices and parental knowledge of teens’ online activities. Weighted prevalence estimates and measures of parent–teen discordance were calculated, accounting for the complex survey design. Findings revealed consistent discrepancies, with parents generally overestimating their knowledge of teens’ online activities; however, discordance was lowest when parents engaged in digital monitoring strategies. These findings may inform approaches that help parents develop a more accurate understanding of teens’ online activities and risk exposure while supporting teens’ digital safety and autonomy.
The ongoing 2026 Ebola outbreak is growing faster than any previous outbreak of Ebola disease. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated an emergency response on May 17, 2026, to help respond to this outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Incorporating CDC’s principles for public health emergency response, a science agenda was developed during May through July to detail scientific priorities and key questions guiding agency response activities. The science agenda identifies 7 priority areas for CDC: epidemiology, surveillance, and modeling; laboratory diagnostics and genomics; risk communication and community engagement; prevention and mitigation strategies; medical countermeasures; transmission, natural history, and ecology; and situational awareness and preparedness. For each of these priority areas, the agenda provides brief contextual information and articulates scientific questions and considerations. This agenda is intended to shape expectations about where CDC scientific expertise and activities could make impactful public health contributions to the control of this outbreak. Science questions are prioritized for this initial stage of the outbreak and focus on evidence needed for guiding outbreak control activities. Future iterations could incorporate external partner feedback.
