Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Warns Mpox May Surge Again, Urges Vaccination
With Pride events scheduled worldwide over the coming weeks, U.S. officials are bracing for a return of mpox, the infectious disease formerly called monkeypox that struck tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men worldwide in 2022. A combination of behavioral changes and vaccination quelled that outbreak, but a majority of those at risk have not yet been immunized. (Mandavilli, 5/16)
About 1 in 15 unvaccinated adults who visited a New York City sexual health clinic for testing had antibodies to mpox despite no history of vaccination or infection during the peak of the city's 2022 outbreak, suggesting that asymptomatic infections contributed to transmission, according to a new report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 5/16)
On other public health developments —
Military attack jets may be harming the health of up to 74,000 people in Washington state, a study has found. The research, published by University of Washington (UW) scientists, focused on how noise emitted from the Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft flying from the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is affecting the area's entire population. (White, 5/16)
Nearly 900,000 tea bags by the organic tea brand Yogi are being recalled due to a detectable amount of pesticide on the product, according to an enforcement report posted on the US Food and Drug Administration’s website. (Hassan, 5/16)
Obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure among other metabolic issues now lead to almost 50% more years of healthy life lost to either disease or premature death than in 2000, a major international study showed on Thursday. Over the same period, the number of years lost due to factors associated with undernutrition for mothers and children, such as stunting or wasting, dropped by 71.5%. (Rigby, 5/16)
Serious food poisoning from contaminated fish, drug-resistant bacteria emerging from melting permafrost and reindeer populations decimated by anthrax — these are just some of the looming threats to Europe as the continent's waters warm, the European Environment Agency said in a report released Wednesday. (Cater, 5/16)
Also —
Laboratory tests by the US Department of Agriculture haven’t found any H5N1 bird flu virus in raw beef, but they are a good reminder why eating rare hamburgers can be risky. (Goodman, 5/16)
No bird flu virus was found after cooking ground beef to medium to well done, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a briefing on Thursday after conducting a study as it addresses concerns over an outbreak of the disease in dairy cattle. The findings, in which scientists injected high levels of an H5N1 bird flu virus surrogate into ground beef, indicate that properly cooking hamburgers to a temperature of about 145 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (63 to 71 degrees Celsius) keeps them safe for consumers. (Polansek and Steenhuysen, 5/16)
Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Bird Flu Lands As The Next Public Health Challenge
Public health authorities are closely watching an unusual strain of bird flu that has infected dairy cows in nine states and at least one dairy worker. Meanwhile, another major health system suffered a cyberattack, and Congress is moving to extend the availability of telehealth services. (Rovner, 5/16)