Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Measles Cases Reported In Midwest While Outbreak Grows In Florida
Chicago public health officials on Thursday said they had identified the first case of measles in the city since 2019 and urged city residents to make sure they were vaccinated against the disease. Illinois saw five measles cases in 2023, public health officials said. (Kubzansky, 3/7)
Three new measles cases and hundreds of potential exposure have been reported in Michigan, one of the latest states impacted by the spread of the infection across the U.S. (Walrath-Holdridge and Jordan Shamus, 3/7)
Multiple people in Houston have been infected with a severe bacterial disease that triggered a statewide health advisory last month, according to the Houston Health Department. Between November and February, four adults and three children in Houston were infected with meningococcal disease. This highly infectious but vaccine-preventable illness can lead to meningitis, or inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes. (Gill, 3/7)
On RSV and covid —
A new monoclonal antibody product to protect against respiratory syncytial virus was 90% effective at preventing little children from being hospitalized with RSV, according to new data from the first season it was in use. (Branswell, 3/7)
COVID-19Â affects men and women differently, with men having greater increases in skin temperature, breathing rate, and heart rate, concludes a study published yesterday in PLOS One. (Van Beusekom, 3/7)
A new study by a prominent team of researchers from the Yale School of Medicine and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has found that women with long Covid had significantly lower levels of testosterone compared to those who had recovered from their infection. (Jarvis, 3/7)
Free COVID tests are over, for now. So are guidelines for infected people to isolate. Half of the country thinks the pandemic is finished. But, in reality, COVID-19 is still with us. Though the official trappings of the crisis keep fading away and it's increasingly being treated like the flu, the virus remains an ever-present threat that's killing hundreds of Americans every week and consuming health care dollars and resources. (Goldman, 3/8)
