Latest KFF Health News Stories
Drugmakers Set Self-Standards To Curb Antibiotic Waste Discharge
Amid concerns about growing antibiotic resistance among the general population, a coalition of pharmaceutical companies set new guidelines to better control the release of antibiotic waste into the environment.
McConnell Gives Nod To Bipartisan Gun Deal
Attempts to tighten federal gun laws gained momentum Tuesday after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell lent support to the deal publicly, though negotiations are ongoing and leading Republicans signaled they would examine the final law in detail. Other gun violence news is also reported.
WHO: Monkeypox To Get New, Destigmatizing Name
News outlets report the World Health Organization is convening its emergency committee next week to decide if monkeypox is a globally-concerning public health issue. It will also rename monkeypox to minimize stigma and racism. The WHO is also reportedly discouraging mass vaccination.
Potentially Game-Changing Test Can Detect Your Covid Immunity
NBC News reports on a new blood test that measures a body’s long-term immune response to covid, gauging protection levels. The test works no matter a person’s vaccine status, and could benefit the immunocompromised. Separately, the White House is readying future biological threat defenses.
Paxlovid Doesn’t Cut Severe Covid Effects For Standard-Risk Patients
A study by the drugmaker Pfizer finds that the rates of hospitalizations and deaths among patients with standard risk of developing severe illness is not reduced by the pill, which has been authorized for use in high-risk patients. Also in covid drug news, an FDA advisory panel has recommended that the agency authorize a Moderna vaccine for children over the age of 6.
Abortion Rates Rose For First Time In Decades
The Guttmacher Institute reports that abortions rose between 2017 and 2020, reversing trends from the previous 3 decades. In 2020, 1 of 5 pregnancies were terminated and medication abortion accounted for 54%.
With Abortion Ruling Wait On, House Passes Supreme Court Security Bill
Immediate family members of Supreme Court justices would get police protection under the legislation that next goes to President Joe Biden to sign. It comes at a time when several inflammatory court decisions are expected, including one that could roll back Roe v. Wade. Other abortion news is reported from the states.
Study Finds Possible Link Between Long Covid And Child Hepatitis
Experts caution that the results don’t fully explain the medical mystery behind the global child hepatitis surge. Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that child hepatitis rates in the U.S. aren’t necessarily higher than before the pandemic.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Rebound Fears Shouldn’t Prevent Patients Taking Paxlovid; Covid Has Changed Hospitals
Opinion writers tackle covid and abortion issues.
Different Takes: How Valid Is The DSM In Making A Diagnosis?; FDA Must Revamp Blood Donation Rules
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.
Sizzling Temps, High Ozone Levels Threaten Health Of Millions Today
All of Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana are under excessive-heat warnings, as well as parts of more than a dozen other states. Oppressive humidity levels will make it feel up to 15 degrees hotter than what the thermometer says.
Fatal Overdoses Soar In Kentucky In 2021, Most Of Them Involving Fentanyl
The powerful synthetic opioid was identified in nearly 73% of the deaths, a recent report reveals. “We’ve never seen one drug this prevalent in the toxicology reports of overdose fatalities,” said Van Ingram, executive director of the state Office of Drug Control Policy.
Ohio Makes It Easier For Teachers To Carry Guns In Schools
Previously school staff needed 700 hours of training in order to carry weapons on campus. A law just signed by Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, reduces that number to 24 hours. Meanwhile, senators continue to negotiate details of its limited gun deal, and Hollywood questions how firearms are represented in entertainment.
‘The Need Is Huge’: FDA Approves First-Ever Drug For Alopecia
In clinical trials, Eli Lilly’s once-daily pill, known as Olumiant, helped treated patients regrow much of their lost hair. And in Canada, health authorities approved Amylyx’s new drug, Albrioza, for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, although the U.S. government says it needs more testing.
Following Covid Problems, AMA To Fight Medical Disinformation
The American Medical Association voted to support a variety of efforts, including improving access to evidence-based data, mobilizing health care workers to fact-check social media claims. and giving licensing boards the authority to penalize providers who disseminate disinformation. Also: news on health care data breaches and unnecessary medical tests.
NY Law Shields Abortion Providers Serving Out-Of-State Residents
Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, signed a law that protects medical professionals who provide abortion from arrest, extradition, and legal proceedings in other states that might outlaw abortion by forbidding New York state and local courts and law enforcement agencies from cooperating in most scenarios.
Colds, Flu, RSV Used To Be Predictable On The Calendar. Covid Upended That
Doctors say they are now seeing adenovirus, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, influenza, parainfluenza, and more at unusual times of the year. Health precautions taken during the height of the pandemic, as well as eliminating those precautions now, are likely to blame. “All of these decisions have consequences,” said one infection-control expert.
Study: Safety Of MRNA Vaccines Good, With Moderna Slightly Topping Pfizer
JAMA Internal Medicine publishes results from an observational study of U.S. veterans that finds very low risks with both covid vaccines. Meanwhile, news outlets look ahead to a pending decision on vaccine authorization for the littlest kids.
Biden Not Deemed Close Contact To Becerra, Trudeau Covid Cases
The White House says President Joe Biden is not believed to be a close contact of either Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who both announced positive covid tests shortly after attending the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. Other lawmakers and entertainers also contract the virus in this latest surge.