Viewpoints: Measles Is On Its Way To Epidemic Status; Eerie Parallel Between Abortion Bans And Fugitive Slave Act
Editorial writers share their thoughts on these public health issues.
The New York Times:
I Study Measles. I’m Terrified We’re Headed For An Epidemic.
We used to think of measles outbreaks in the United States as isolated events: short-lived and confined to close-knit communities with low vaccination rates. A flare here, a bubble there. But as those bubbles grow and converge, the United States could be at risk for tens of thousands of cases. (Michael Mina, 4/2)
Chicago Tribune:
Crackdown On Abortion Providers And Seekers Is Reminiscent Of The Fugitive Slave Act
After the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision discarding the constitutional right to abortion, Louisiana was among the first states to ban nearly all abortions. Some residents get around the law by traveling to other states where the procedure remains legal. Some turn to out-of-state providers for pills to end their pregnancies. (Nationally, medication abortions now account for 63% of terminations.) (Steve Chapman, 4/2)
Bloomberg:
RFK Jr. And HHS Layoffs Should Worry Big Pharma
Over the last two months, the pharmaceutical industry has remained on the sidelines as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have taken a hatchet to our nation’s public health agencies. Executives likely believed that nothing good would come from speaking up — and that their most immediate concern, the parts of the Food and Drug Administration that biotech and pharma companies rely on to review new drugs, would survive unscathed. (Lisa Jarvis, 4/1)
Stat:
Alarming CDC Cuts Will Leave Americans Sicker
The CDC cuts announced Tuesday threaten America’s health, safety, and economy. Despite claims of efficiency, these cuts target proven programs that prevent disease and save lives — and as a result, Americans will be sicker and face increased health care costs. The government’s goal should not be to hit an arbitrary number of jobs eliminated, but to focus on the number of illnesses and premature deaths prevented. (Tom Frieden, 4/1)
Stat:
The High Cost Of Outsourcing Doctors’ Notes To AI
Every doctor is a writer, or that’s what I used to believe. From the first days of medical school, my classmates and I learned how to write, albeit for a particular purpose and according to strict rules — a type of writing that wasn’t necessarily beautiful, or even particularly interesting. But it was writing. (Christine Henneberg, 4/2)
