14 Psychiatric Disorders Have Genetic Similarities, Large Study Finds
The new study suggests that many disorders may not need to be treated as distinct illnesses, as they involve similar genes. Scientists believe this could lead to better treatment for millions of psychiatric patients. Other news discusses Lyme disease, measles, avian flu, and more.
The Washington Post:
Science Shows Very Different Psychiatric Disorders Might Have The Same Cause
A sweeping new study of psychiatric and genetic records has the potential to change treatment for millions of psychiatric patients. (Johnson, 1/16)
Study links long covid to a family history of cancer —
CIDRAP:
Family History Of Cancer Linked To Increased Risk Of Long COVID
A new study suggests that US adults with a family history of cancer may face a higher risk of developing long COVID, even if they have never had cancer themselves. (Bergeson, 1/15)
In other public health news —
Verite News New Orleans:
Parents Worried That Proposed CO2 Pipeline Could Have 'Catastrophic' Effects On Nearby School, Neighborhood
As a resident of heavily industrial Ascension Parish, Kheri Monks is no stranger to living near petrochemical facilities. Monks has been living in Gonzales for more than a decade. In that time, she had three children. All of them have asthma and were born prematurely. Monks thinks that exposure to pollutants might have led to their health concerns. “I just can’t help but think, ‘Should I have not given birth here in Louisiana? You know, with all of the environmental concerns that we have?”’ Monks said. “I can’t believe I’m living, like literally living in Cancer Alley.” (Syed and Tesfaye, 1/15)
CIDRAP:
Lyme Disease Costs Up To $1 Billion Annually In US, Study Estimates
Lyme disease (LD) carries a substantial financial burden for both patients and the health care system, suggests a new retrospective cohort study, with costs driven largely by cases that progress beyond early-stage infection. (Bergeson, 1/15)
North Carolina Health News and The Charlotte Ledger:
10 Things To Know About Measles As Cases Rise In North Carolina
Measles, once considered eliminated in the U.S., is back in a big way. Driven by declining vaccine rates and growing vaccine hesitancy, the United States experienced its largest number of measles cases in decades in 2025, with 2,242 cases reported across the country and outbreaks in Texas, New Mexico, Utah and South Carolina. (Crouch, 1/16)
AP:
Wastewater Testing Helps Public Health Officials Detect Measles Early
Wastewater testing can alert public health officials to measles infections days to months before cases are confirmed by doctors, researchers said in two studies published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorado health officials were able to get ahead of the highly contagious virus by tracking its presence in sewer systems, researchers wrote. And Oregon researchers found wastewater could have warned them of an outbreak more than two months before the first person tested positive. (Shastri, 1/15)
CIDRAP:
Delaware, Georgia See Major Commercial Avian Flu Outbreaks
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) this week noted several commercial poultry outbreaks of avian flu, including an event in Kent County, Delaware, involving 147,900 birds that were part of a commercial broiler operation. Walker County, Georgia had the second-largest detection this week, affecting 71,300 birds at a commercial broiler breeder facility. (Soucheray, 1/15)
