Several Fall Ill In Las Vegas Airbnb, An Alleged Bio Lab Linked To Federal Case
Police found a “possible biological laboratory,” including “refrigerators with vials containing unknown liquids.” Two people became very ill after being exposed to the area. The federal case involves the alleged manufacturing and distributing of misbranded medical devices at a warehouse in California. More news is from Idaho, Utah, Texas, Louisiana, and New York.
The Hill:
Illegal Bio Lab In Las Vegas Home Raises Health Concerns
Several people became sick from an alleged bio lab running out of a Las Vegas home that also served as an Airbnb, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators at Nexstar’s KLAS obtained Tuesday. Metro police and the FBI searched the Sunrise Manor home on Saturday, Jan. 31, finding a “possible biological laboratory,” including “refrigerators with vials containing unknown liquids,” police said. (Charns, 2/4)
Health news from Idaho, Utah, Texas, and Louisiana —
ProPublica:
Idaho Aims To Improve Coroner System, Boost Child Autopsy Rates
Idaho is taking steps to bolster its antiquated coroner system following stories by ProPublica that documented how lawmakers have repeatedly failed to fix problems that harm grieving families. An advisory panel created last year at the request of Gov. Brad Little is developing legislation to require autopsies in a variety of circumstances, including the unexplained death of a child. It would help coroners pay for those autopsies as long as they get a national certification that proves they can meet certain standards. (Dutton, 2/4)
The Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah Lawmakers Sweep Their Own Study On Care For Trans Kids Under The Rug As They Push To Ban It
Few Utahns have witnessed the effects of withdrawing transgender kids’ access to care as Collin Kuhn, a clinical child and adolescent psychologist who specializes in helping their clients navigate challenges and questions related to gender. The difference between receiving care and not receiving care, they said, is “night and day.” (Stern, 2/4)
The Texas Tribune:
Despite Court Win, Texas Dementia Fund Still Paused
A Travis County judge on Wednesday ruled against two voters trying to challenge a new $3 billion dementia research fund, which still can’t go into effect despite Texas voters overwhelmingly approving it last November. (Langford, 2/4)
KFF Health News:
Poison At Play: Unsafe Levels Of Lead Found In Half Of New Orleans Playgrounds
Sarah Hess started taking her toddler, Josie, to Mickey Markey Playground in 2010 because she thought it would offer a refuge from lead. After a routine doctor visit revealed Josie had lead poisoning, Hess quickly traced the source to the crumbling paint in her family’s century-old home in the Bayou St. John neighborhood. While it underwent lead remediation, the family stayed in a newer, lead-free house near Markey. “Everyone was telling us the safest place to play was outside at playgrounds, so that’s where we went,” Hess said. Josie became a Markey regular, playing on the swings and slides. (Baurick and Parker, 2/5)
From California —
San Francisco Chronicle:
New California Measles Cases Tied To Disneyland Exposure
A cluster of new measles cases reported across California has been linked to a visit to Disneyland late last month, with public health officials warning that thousands of people may have been exposed. Four measles cases have been reported in California in the past five days, and three of the infected people visited Disneyland around Jan. 28, according to a notice issued Tuesday by Plumas County Public Health. (Vaziri, 2/4)
KFF Health News:
Newsom Walks Thin Line On Immigrant Health As He Eyes Presidential Bid
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is eyeing a presidential bid, has incensed both Democrats and Republicans over immigrant health care in his home state, underscoring the delicate political path ahead. For a second year, the Democrat has asked state lawmakers to roll back coverage for some immigrants in the face of federal Medicaid spending cuts and a roughly $3 billion budget deficit that analysts warn could worsen if the artificial intelligence bubble bursts. (Mai-Duc, 2/5)
From New York —
The New York Times:
New York City Partners With W.H.O. As U.S. Withdraws From Global Effort
Two weeks after the Trump administration formally withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization, the New York City Health Department joined a W.H.O. network aimed at countering new pathogens and emerging outbreaks. (Goldstein, 2/4)
Politico:
New York Poised To Legalize Medical Aid In Dying
In six months, terminally ill New Yorkers will have the ability to request life-ending medication, as a decade-long fight to pass the measure comes to a close. New York will become the fourteenth state in the country to legalize Medicaid Aid in Dying for terminally ill patients expected to have less than six months to live. Illinois and Delaware legalized similar measures late last year. (Cordero, 2/4)
Bloomberg:
NYC Outdoor Death Toll Hits 17 As Frigid Temperatures Linger
Seventeen people have died outside in New York City since Jan. 19, as the region experiences an unusually long stretch of ultra-cold temperatures. At least 13 of the deaths were likely caused by hypothermia, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Wednesday. Three fatalities appear to be overdoses while the cause of one is unknown, he said. Since the middle of January, the city placed 1,100 people into shelter beds and has involuntarily transported 20 people “who were determined to be a danger either to themselves or to those around them” to city health-care facilities, according to Mamdani. (Nahmias, 2/4)
