Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Blood Tests May Give Patients A 'Clock' For Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease, Study Finds
Scientists showed in a new study published Thursday that they could use blood draws to build a 鈥渃lock鈥 for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease that could roughly predict when symptoms will develop, findings that could eventually transform how the illness is diagnosed and treated. A simple blood test can help diagnose Alzheimer鈥檚, but the study in the journal Nature Medicine shows how these kinds of tests could one day play a greater role in preventing the insidious, memory-robbing illness. In the new study, researchers built a model that could use blood test results to forecast symptom onset within a margin of three to four years. (Johnson, 2/19)
On social media and mental health 鈥
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday was grilled for past statements about his company's role in child safety and knowledge of alleged harms. This is the first time Zuckerberg has faced a jury in a courtroom alongside families who say that Meta's products harmed their children. (Curi, 2/18)
A judge said TikTok Inc. should have to face California鈥檚 claims that the platform鈥檚 features are addictive and harmful to kids. In a tentative ruling Wednesday, the judge said the company isn鈥檛 immune from the state鈥檚 allegations that the platform preys on young people through algorithms that keep them scrolling to maximize profits. (Burnson, 2/19)
In public health news from around the globe 鈥
Bill Gates has pulled out of a keynote address at the AI Impact Summit in India as he continues to face questions over his relationship with the deceased child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The billionaire Microsoft co-founder travelled to India, where his foundation works with the government on delivering AI for social good, earlier this week and was advertised as speaking at the international summit shortly after the country鈥檚 prime minister, Narendra Modi. (Booth, 2/19)
New data from European health and food safety agencies show that resistance to commonly used antibiotics continues to rise in foodborne bacteria, threatening treatments for foodborne illness. Published in a joint report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the data show that a high proportion of Salmonella and Campylobacter isolates collected from humans and food-producing animals (cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys) in 2023-24 were resistant to commonly used antibiotics, including ampicillin, tetracycline, and sulfonamides. Salmonella and Campylobacter are two leading causes of foodborne illness. (Dall, 2/18)
Tens of thousands of those injured in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war require reconstructive surgery immediately and in years to come, a new study published Thursday finds. Researchers from Duke University, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London and Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza found that about 116,000 injuries in Gaza have been sustained between Oct. 7, 2023, and May 1, 2025. Of those injuries, they estimate up to 46,000 require reconstructive surgery. (Kekatos, 2/18)
