Perspectives: Should The Flu Shot Be Mandated?; Congenital CMV Should Be Added To Newborn Blood Screening

The Baltimore Sun: Don’t Stop At A COVID Vaccine Mandate; Flu Shot Should Be Required, Too 
Is it time to have flu vaccination mandates? We certainly think so. As two emergency medicine physicians whose young careers have been defined by the race to develop lifesaving vaccines to thwart a pandemic, we can both attest to the importance of vaccinations. With flu season well underway, we believe that the annual flu vaccine deserves the same level of focus as the coronavirus pandemic. (Gregory Jasani and Shruti Gujaran, 1/17)

The Star Tribune: A Needed Push To Protect State's Infants 
Minnesota is admirably poised to take a pioneering step forward to help babies born with an underrecognized virus get the medical care they need. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm should heed the recent guidance from a key advisory committee and add congenital cytomegalovirus to the list of disorders screened for in a spot of blood taken from newborns' heels. (1/16)

Stat: U.S. Needs A Domestic Supply Chain For This And Future Pandemics 
At what point do the benefits of local production of medical supplies outweigh the potentially higher cost? The sudden and near-overwhelming demand for Covid-19 testing during the Omicron phase of the pandemic means that the U.S. is now at a critical point where we need better — and quicker — access to testing supplies via a domestic supply chain. Over the last three decades, the world’s economy has become increasingly globalized, resulting in lower inflation-adjusted prices for goods and products and improved standards of living around the world. The Covid-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to once again debate the United States’ reliance on inexpensive overseas manufacturing, and reconsider the value of high-quality domestic production. (Jeff Fischer, 1/18)

CNN: Why This Modified Pig Heart Transplant Is A Huge Deal 
The news last week that David Bennett, a 57-year-old Maryland man, nearing death, had undergone cardiac transplant surgery with a genetically modified pig heart sent shock waves through the medical community and was hailed as a breakthrough in bioengineering, potentially ushering in a new era in solid organ transplantation. While our experience with this technology is still developing and much more research needs to be done, the operation and bravura science that made it possible provide a breathtaking glimpse into a future where patients will potentially spend days rather than months or years on a transplant list. (Jonathan Reiner, 1/15)

Modern Healthcare: It's Long Past Due To Provide Relief For ‘Double-Duty' Caregivers
For months from our respective vantage points in the healthcare system, we have pondered the cause of front-line workers leaving their jobs. According to a study published in October, 1 out of 5 healthcare workers has resigned or retired—and another 20% are considering leaving healthcare altogether. Early into a new year, we think it's time to do something about it. (Alexandra Drane and Carladenise Edwards, 1/14)

Stat: Big Biopharma Companies Should Rethink Federal Funding For R&D 
I have been negotiating with representatives of the federal government on behalf of biopharmaceutical companies since starting in private practice 15 years ago. It is often slow-going and complex. Covid-19 changed that: Never have I been so impressed by the government’s willingness to get deals done as I have been during the pandemic. In my experience, major pharmaceutical companies tend to resist federal funding for research and development, in part due to concerns around intellectual property (IP) and other rights the government would expect to receive in return. (Kristen Riemenschneider, 1/18)

The CT Mirror: Declaring Racism A Public Health Crisis: A Symbol That’s More Than Symbolic
“I have to tell you that as a person of color who has actually, firsthand received racism as normal [thing], – we would be remiss to say that things in this state are not racist,” said State Rep. Geraldo Reyes in his support of the recently passed House Bill 6662 declaring racism a public health crisis in Connecticut. Many of us agree that structural racism shapes the persistent healthcare disparity in contemporary America, yet some may speculate that the mere declaration of this fact is another political performance, a symbolic recognition of our social ill that will probably remain unsolved. In a skeptic’s enervated exasperation, they ask, “what good could a symbol do? As an aspiring public health professional, I, in my earnest hope and sincerest aspiration, strive to bring to light the significance of the successful passage of this bill. (Mary Peng, 1/18)