Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospital Encounters Conflict When Traditional Medicine Clashes With Alternative Views
In the span of a few days, the anti-vaccine screed of a Cleveland Clinic doctor prompted a social media firestorm, an apparent retraction from the physician, and promises of disciplinary action by administrators of his prestigious hospital system. But those reactions will not entirely contain the damage caused by the rant, which has already been picked up by anti-vaccine organizations, or address a more fundamental question: Why do hospitals that espouse evidence-based medical care operate alternative medicine institutes that offer treatments with little foundation in science? (Ross and Boodman, 1/9)
The most vexing thing about the annual flu vaccination is that it鈥檚 annual.You have to get it every year, and many people don鈥檛 do so. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that only 2 out of 5 Americans have received the shot so far this flu season. Wouldn鈥檛 it be easier if a flu shot were a once-in-a-lifetime event, or even once or twice in a decade? Public health officials see that as a potential game-changer. (Cimons, 1/7)
The cancer death rate in the United States has dropped by 25 percent since its 1991 peak, resulting in 2 million fewer cancer deaths than if the rate had stayed the same, the American Cancer Society said Thursday in a new report. The group attributed the decrease largely to reductions in smoking and improvements in the early detection and treatment of cancer. But there remains a significant gender gap: The cancer death rate is 40 percent higher for men than women, and the incidence of cancer is 20 percent higher in men. (McGinley, 1/6)
A Canadian doctor who is opposed to a widely used drug for morning sickness has fired another volley. Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, Dr. Navindra Persaud in the department of family and community medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, notes that an unpublished study that supported use of the drug, conducted in the 1970s, is seriously flawed. (Harris, 1/6)
When I told my coworker that I was participating in a study that involved fasting, she laughed until she nearly cried. My boyfriend, ever supportive, asked hesitantly, "Are you sure you want to try this?" Note the use of "try" instead of "do." When I told my father over the phone, the line went silent for a moment. Then he let out a long, "Welllllll," wished me luck, and chuckled. Turns out, luck might not be enough. (Jefferson, 1/8)
Because of a severe shortage caused by a slump in donations over the holidays, the American Red Cross has issued a nationwide emergency call for blood and platelet donors. In November and December, 37,000 fewer donations than expected were given nationwide because of busy holiday schedules, fewer blood drives, severe weather and donors coming down with colds and flu, said Rodney J. Wilson, a Red Cross spokesman in Columbus. Contributing to the number was the cancellation of about 100 December blood drives that would have collected 3,100 pints of blood. (Viviano, 1/8)
Before the virus overwhelmed Puerto Rico, Zika already lurked in Keishla Mojica鈥檚 home. First her partner, John Rodr铆guez, 23, became infected. His face swelled and a red, itchy rash covered his body. Doctors at the time diagnosed it as an allergy. Two months later, Mojica, 23, had the same symptoms. Medics administered shots of Benadryl to soothe the rash and inflammation. She didn鈥檛 give it much more thought. (Heredia Rodriguez, 1/9)
