• California: Apple is planning to expand its healthcare services with a revamped Health app and a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered health coach. The initiative, named "Project Mulberry," will analyze health data collected from iPhones, Apple Watches, and third-party devices to provide consumers with personalized health recommendations. According to Becker's Health IT, Apple is working with in-house physicians and external health experts to train its AI model. The experts will also create educational videos to help users understand different health conditions and lifestyle modifications. To support this project, Apple is planning to open a facility near Oakland, California, where physicians can record video content for the platform. The company is also currently searching for a prominent physician to serve as the face of its AI health service. Development of the project is ongoing, and the service could debut alongside iOS 19.4, which is scheduled for release in spring or summer 2026. (Diaz, Becker's Health IT, 3/31)
• Georgia: CDC is warning clinicians to be on the lookout for murine typhus, a flea-borne disease that was once largely eradicated from the United States but is now making a resurgence. Murine typhus is a flea-borne rickettsiosis, and infection usually occurs after making contact with the feces of fleas, usually after being scratched into the skin. Symptoms usually start around 11 days after contact with infected fleas, and people who have close contact with feral cats and rodents have the greatest risk of illness. Some symptoms of murine typhus include headache, fever, chills, and myalgia. Although murine typhus was common in the 1930s and 1940s, it was largely believed to be eradicated from the United States until recently. Currently, two states, California and Texas, have reported a rise in murine typhus cases, but the disease may also be spreading undetected in other states. Historically, most murine typhus cases occurred in the Southeast, particularly in states along the Gulf coast. Murine typhus "is clearly returning, and our understanding of the current burden is almost certainly underestimated," said Johanna Salzer, a veterinary medical officer and lead of the epidemiology team for CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. (Fiore, MedPage Today, 3/27)
• Texas: Last month, Oracle reported that hackers had accessed its computer systems and stole patient data to try and extort several U.S. medical providers. According to Oracle, the hackers accessed older servers from EHR company Cerner, which Oracle acquired in 2022. The data on the Cerner servers had not yet been transferred to Oracle's cloud storage service. "Available evidence suggests the threat actor illegally accessed the environment by using stolen customer credentials," the company said. In a notice to customers, Oracle said the stolen data may have included patient information from electronic medical records, though the number of patient records affected is unknown. Currently, FBI is investigating the data breach, as well as any attempts from cyber attackers to extort medical companies for ransoms. Oracle has also said that it will "support your organization in its review of information to identify impacted patients." (Bleiberg et al., Bloomberg/Modern Healthcare, 3/31)

Over time, climate change has caused several disease-carrying species to become more widespread in the United States, significantly increasing the risk of certain diseases, such as West Nile virus and Lyme disease. However, experts say the United States isn't prepared for future outbreaks, Sara Van Note writes for STAT.