Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: New Advanced Tests Needed To Track Contagions; RFK Jr. Unqualified To Work In Public Health
This summer, the World Health Organization (WHO)聽declared聽the rapid spread of mpox in Africa a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO has reported over 46,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths this year alone. Only聽37%聽of suspected mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been confirmed with lab-based testing.聽Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to express concern about the H5N1 bird flu virus circulating in American dairy cows, with 46 human cases reported so far. In both outbreaks, public health authorities worry we鈥檙e missing many unreported cases because of insufficient testing. (Janika Schmitt and Jacob Swett, 11/12)
Through his support for Operation Warp Speed, Donald Trump helped oversee one of the great scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century. He should be celebrating that achievement, not undermining it. The best decision of his second term might be removing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from his list of administration hopefuls. (Former NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, 11/12)
In the days before the election, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is expected to play a key role overseeing federal health agencies in the second Trump administration, alarmed many health officials by calling for the removal of fluoride from public drinking water. This would overturn decades of public health doctrine and is already incurring the wrath of some influential clinicians. (Leana S. Wen, 11/12)
Is it safe to drink alcohol while taking antidepressant medications? What about using weed? What will happen if I skip a dose of my medicine so I can drink at a party? Are any over-the-counter meds off-limits if I get sick? As a family physician focused on college health, I get asked these questions all the time. (Dr. Jill Grimes, 11/11)
Imagine a mind that鈥檚 constantly buzzing, leaping from one thought to the next, struggling to filter out the noise of a world that feels perpetually turned up to 11. That鈥檚 the experience of living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a reality I know intimately. It has profoundly shaped my journey as a scientist, from the setbacks of my early years to the discoveries I鈥檝e made in my laboratory. (Jeff Karp, 11/12)