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Hundreds of treatable genetic diseases go unnoticed for years — not because they cannot be diagnosed, but because newborn screening for them is not routine in the United States. If biomedical breakthroughs are to benefit the millions of children afflicted with rare diseases, genetic testing of babies needs to expand. (Bina Venkataraman, 7/26)

The human body can barely cope with weather this hot. In Phoenix, where the asphalt can hit 180F (82C), emergency-room doctors are zipping heat-stroke victims into body bags full of ice. Tens of thousands worldwide die from overheating each year, a toll that’s set to worsen. Global cities must prepare to deal with extreme heat as a matter of public health. (7/26)

Next-generation vaccines and treatments are needed if we are to break the cycle of responding to new variants as they appear: we need tools that can improve our bodies’ ability to stop infections, reduce transmission, build longer-lasting immunity, and target parts of the virus that are less likely to evolve. (Xavier Becerra, J.D. and Ashish Jha, M.D., M.P.H., 7/26)

Among the many problems facing U.S. public health authorities during the Covid pandemic, none was more damaging than the absence of reliable, timely, and accurate data on the distribution of the disease and the availability of resources to combat it. (David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P. and Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H., 7/27)

Colon cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the United States. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that in 2023 over 153,000 individuals will be diagnosed with colon cancer and 52,550 won’t survive. This is why UnitedHealthcare’s proposed decision to require prior authorization for most colonoscopies and endoscopies on commercial plans was so shocking. (Mark Green, 7/26)

New breast cancer screening guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force give the impression that the decades-long debate over when women should start getting mammograms is settled. The agency now recommends beginning at age 40, reversing the age-50 guideline that had been in place since 2009. This change aligns it with other expert organizations such as the American College of Radiology (though the two still differ on whether women should get mammograms annually or every two years). Despite this apparent new consensus, the “mammography wars” are not over. (Asia Friedman, 7/27)

On May 31, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) quietly authorized the removal of a resource page for LGBTQ+ youths on the Virginia Department of Health website following an inquiry from the conservative news outlet the Daily Wire. (7/27)