Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arizonan Dies Of Pneumonic Plague
A resident of Coconino County, Ariz., died from pneumonic plague, the first such death in the county in almost two decades, officials announced on Friday. The resident went to Flagstaff Medical Center recently and died the same day despite attempts to provide 鈥渓ifesaving resuscitation,鈥 according to a statement on Friday from Northern Arizona Healthcare, which runs the hospital. (Fahy, 7/12)
Pneumonic plague is the only form that can be spread from person to person, rather than animal to person, through airborne droplets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But this has not been documented in the United States since 1924. Slightly more common is airborne infection from sick animals. The pneumonic form is also the deadliest: It is always fatal when left untreated, according to the World Health Organization. The bubonic plague, the most common type, has a fatality rate of 30 to 60 percent. (Vinall, 7/12)
Measles updates 鈥
A second case of measles has been confirmed in Wyoming. The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) said the source of exposure for the unvaccinated child in Niobrara County is unknown. There鈥檚 no known connection to the case in Natrona County reported earlier this month. (Ouellet, 7/11)
Three states have reported new measles cases over the past few days, including Kansas, with four more cases, all linked to an outbreak in the southwestern part of the state.聽(Schnirring, 7/11)
As national cases of measles soar and federal health officials engage in vaccine skepticism, Illinois so far this year has seen only one small outbreak of the highly infectious disease that health officials say was quickly brought under control. (Olander, 7/13)
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately declare a public health emergency for measles, blaming the senior Trump administration official for failing to respond to the rapid resurgence of the disease. Schumer accused Kennedy in a bluntly worded letter Friday of walking 鈥渙ur country into the nation鈥檚 largest measles outbreak in 33 years, leading cases to hit a record high a full 25 years after this country eliminated the disease.鈥 (Bolton, 7/11)
麻豆女优 Health News: Journalists Tally State And Local Health Care Implications Of GOP Megabill
C茅line Gounder, 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 editor-at-large for public health,聽discussed measles cases on CBS News鈥 鈥淐BS News 24/7鈥 on July 9. Gounder also discussed the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in medical facilities on CBS News鈥 鈥淐BS Mornings Plus鈥 on July 8. (7/12)
Regarding covid, flu, RSV, and HIV 鈥
Cases of COVID-19 are now likely growing in 25 states, according to estimates published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, as this year's summer wave of the virus appears to be getting underway. The agency's modeling suggests that the uptick is in "many" Southeast, Southern and West Coast states, the CDC said in its weekly update. COVID-19 activity nationwide, however, is still considered "low," based on data from wastewater samples, although that is up from "very low" the week before. (Tin, 7/11)
Amid the sultry summer months, a few signs of fall become apparent, such as the appearance of school supplies on stores shelves after the Fourth of July. Another is doses of flu vaccine on the move, and three of the companies that supply doses for the US market announced this week that shipments have begun. Meanwhile, the 2024-25 season is still in the rearview mirror, a period that marked the first high-severity season since 2017-18. Hospitalizations for flu were the highest since the 2010-11 season, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Schnirring, 7/11)
Two new studies demonstrate the impact of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in different populations, with one showing that聽children with chronic medical conditions (CMCs) affecting multiple body systems have the highest rate of RSV hospitalization, and a second showing that more than 8 in 10 adults have had RSV exposure. (Wappes, 7/11)
The World Health Organization is now recommending that countries include an HIV drug newly approved for prevention, lenacapavir, as a tool in their efforts to fight HIV infections 鈥 especially for groups most at risk and in areas where the burden of HIV remains high. (Howard, 7/14)
Health threats 鈥
Walmart is recalling about 850,000 stainless steel water bottles because the lid can 鈥渇orcefully eject鈥 and unexpectedly strike consumers 鈥 resulting in permanent vision loss for two people to date. The recall covers Walmart鈥檚 鈥淥zark Trail 64 oz Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottles,鈥 which have been sold at the chain鈥檚 stores across the country since 2017. According to a notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday, these products pose 鈥渟erious impact and laceration hazards.鈥 (7/11)
Nicotine pouches like Zyn have exploded in popularity in the U.S. With that growth comes a steep increase in the risk of young children accidentally eating the pouches, with potentially serious consequences, according to a new study. (Todd, 7/14)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)聽yesterday declared its investigation into a multistate Salmonella outbreak tied to organic and cage-free brown eggs over after 134 people fell ill and 1 died. The outbreak has grown by 55 cases and three affected states since the CDC first reported the event on June 6. Ten states have confirmed cases. The death, in a patient from California, is also new. (Wappes, 7/11)