Allen Siegler is one of Healthbeat’s local reporters in Atlanta. Before joining Healthbeat, Allen was the public health reporter at Mountain State Spotlight, a nonprofit investigative newsroom covering issues in West Virginia. In that role, he covered issues like occupational safety, gun violence and the overdose epidemic. He earned his Master of Public Health degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2022.
Infectious disease specialists throughout Georgia have worked rapidly over the past few weeks to respond to a measles outbreak in the metro Atlanta area, according to the Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale Public Health Departments.
At a health expo in Clarkston, workers offering services expressed pride in their efforts to contribute to metro Atlanta’s well-being. But many worried whether moves by newly elected President Donald Trump could hamper their mission.
Georgia hospitalizations for the three most common U.S. respiratory diseases have continued to decline, but updates from COVID-19 and influenza data sources suggest that might change in the coming weeks.
While the Georgia Department of Public Health recorded the first influenza deaths of the winter this month, many data indicate that flu and other respiratory illnesses are continuing to decline.
