Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Is First Proof That Covid Sets Off Reaction That Leads To MIS-C
When exposed to a virus, the human body marshals the immune system to fend off the intruder. Sometimes, the defense goes awry, and the body mistakenly turns against itself instead of the attacker. This sort of friendly fire drives multi-inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, a mysterious condition that in rare cases strikes children who have had a severe bout of Covid-19, according to a new study. (Mandavilli, 8/7)
More on the spread of covid —
A summer covid wave — and the accompanying fevers, coughs and general misery — continues to wash over the Americas and parts of Asia and Europe, including the Paris Olympics, offering the latest evidence that the coronavirus moves in ways distinct from other respiratory ailments. The World Health Organization said this week that the virus is increasing in at least 84 countries despite perceptions that the pathogen is a remnant of the past. Disease trackers sounded alarms that diminished testing and low vaccination rates could provide fertile terrain for more dangerous viral variants to take hold. (Malhi, Ortega and Keating, 8/7)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an updated map highlighting which states have been the hardest hit. (Dwan, 8/7)
As the number of COVID-19 cases rises in Florida, vaccination rates lag behind, and that is concerning health experts. In 2021, the first full year a COVID-19 vaccine was available, 15 million Floridians received a vaccine. But this year, a little over 400,000 have received a booster, despite the virus's summer spike. (Pedersen, 8/7)
After two pandemic-disrupted Olympics, most teams haven’t given Covid a second thought in Paris. The one from the Netherlands is the exception. (Smith, Minsberg and Vrentas, 8/8)
In other outbreaks and health threats —
The Department of Health has confirmed a travel-related case of the dengue virus in Hana, Maui. Officials say vector control teams are responding after highly dense populations of mosquitoes were found around the home and surrounding area. This is Hawaii’s 10th case this year; all patients had traveled to Central or South America or Asia. (8/6)
Cases of a deadlier strain of mpox have been confirmed in four countries in Africa, raising alarm among health officials around the world. (Davis, 8/7)
Chronic wasting disease, a fatal prion disease found in cervids, can be detected by dogs trained to identify the scent, according to a new study published today in PLoS One. The dogs were able to identify infected deer through feces samples. Six dogs were trained using scent boxes and fecal samples from both farmed and wild white-tail deer (WTD). (Soucheray, 8/7)
