RSV is a respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Healthy people typically recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious for infants or older adults. RSV is most common in the fall and winter months.
People with RSV usually show symptoms 4 to 6 days after getting infected. Common RSV symptoms include:
The Maine CDC has scheduled an upgrade of its data integration engine (Rhapsody) to begin at noon, Friday, October 24, 2025. During this downtime, Rhapsody will be temporarily offline, and the Maine CDC will be unable to route electronic messages, including electronic laboratory reports and electronic case reports, to the appropriate reporting system. All messages will be temporarily stored and then routed once the upgrade is complete, which is expected to be by noon, Saturday, October 25.
The fall tick season in Maine is ramping up as adult deer ticks come out to feed. So far in 2025, case numbers of some human tickborne illnesses have surpassed incidence rates of earlier years. The purpose of this advisory is to remind health care providers to consider testing patients presenting with possible tickborne disease at any time of the year, including this fall and winter when deer ticks are active.
Pertussis is a respiratory illness commonly known as whooping cough and caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough can be very serious, especially in infants.
Whooping cough is a very contagious disease only found in humans and spreads easily from person-to-person. When a person with whooping cough sneezes or coughs, they release small particles with the bacteria in them. Other people can then breathe in the bacteria.
Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. Some people are at higher risk of serious complications due to influenza. There are two main types of influenza viruses: A and B. The influenza A and B viruses that routinely spread in people (human influenza viruses) are responsible for seasonal epidemics each year.
Please review this information and clinical guidance from the U.S. CDC on the Ebola outbreak caused by Zaire virus (Orthoebolavirus zairense) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of September 29, 2025, there are no known cases of Ebola in Maine or elsewhere in the United States.
Any patients in Maine with suspected Ebola must be reported immediately to the Maine CDC by phone at 1-800-821-5821.
Please review this information from the U.S. CDC on the resurgence of New World Screwworm (NWS) in the Americas. It outlines key actions that clinicians can take to recognize, treat, and report cases of NWS myiasis. As of September 17, 2025, there are no confirmed cases of locally-acquired NWS myiasis in Maine or elsewhere in the United States. One state has reported an imported case in a returning traveler. Clinicians should consider NWS in the differential for cases of myiasis in a person who has traveled to an area where the NWS fly is endemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to provide immunization recommendations based on guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) following the September 18 to 19 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to provide COVID-19 immunization recommendations for 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine products (Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax). Vaccination remains the best defense against severe COVID-19 disease.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported an Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) case in a Maine resident. This is the first human EEE case reported in Maine in 2025 and the fourth documented case of EEE in a Maine resident since 2001. The state is elevating the risk level of mosquito-borne diseases across the state to high.
