Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
7th Person Dies From Fungal Meningitis Linked To Mexican Clinics
The Washington Post: Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Kills 7 People; CDC Urges Testing
A total of seven people have died after a fungal meningitis outbreak linked to two clinics in Matamoros, Mexico, according to an updated advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday. The patients were exposed to the fungus after receiving epidural anesthesia at one of two clinics, River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3. (Malhi, 6/29)
ABC News: Mom Battles Fungal Meningitis After Cosmetic Surgery At Mexico Clinic Linked To Deadly Outbreak
An Arizona woman is fighting for her life after contracting fungal meningitis following a plastic surgery procedure at a private clinic in Matamoros, Mexico. Alondra Lomas is one of nine confirmed cases of the life-threatening infection in an outbreak the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is tied to cosmetic surgery clinics in the Mexican city that borders Brownsville, Texas. So far, at least seven women have died – one in Mexico and six Americans, according to the CDC. (Weintraub, 6/29)
On malaria and mosquitoes —
CBS News: Malaria Confirmed In Florida Mosquitoes After Several Human Cases
Multiple mosquitoes gathered by authorities in Florida's Sarasota County have tested positive for malaria at a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab, as the response has ramped up to stamp out further spread of the illness. Four locally-acquired cases of malaria were recently reported in Florida, along with one in Texas — the first known instances of the mosquito-borne illness being transmitted within the U.S. since 2003. (Tin, 6/29)
Houston Chronicle: Expert: Malaria Spread In U.S. Rare Due To Public Health Measures
While local spread in the U.S. is extremely uncommon, there’s always been some level of risk that it could happen, said Dr. Jill Weatherhead, an assistant professor of tropical medicine and infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. The disease was eradicated from the U.S. in 1951, but it was common into the 20th century. The hot and humid temperatures in Florida and Texas are similar to those seen in areas where malaria thrives. The U.S. also has Anopheles mosquitos, which can spread malaria. (MacDonald, 6/29)
AP: Drone Deployed To Fight Mosquitoes In Southern California
A drone flies over a peaceful Southern California marsh and unleashes a rain of larvae-killing bacterial spore pellets. Its target: a surging population of mosquitoes that can spread diseases to humans. The drone is the latest technology deployed by the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District to attack mosquito development in marshes, large ponds and parks. (Garcia, 6/29)
In other health and wellness news —
CIDRAP: Some US Foodborne Illnesses Met Or Topped Prepandemic Levels In 2022
In 2022, US rates of some foodborne illnesses surpassed or returned to prepandemic levels, finds a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-led study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Van Beusekom, 6/29)
CIDRAP: Cryptosporidiosis Outbreak Linked To College Swimming Pool
A collegiate swim meet was the setting for an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis after infected swimmers shared a pool while experiencing symptoms such as diarrhea, according to a study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Details from the outbreak highlight the transmissibility of Cryptosporidium parasites even in chlorinated pools. The investigation started when a Massachusetts college notified the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) that 19 of 50 members (38%) of the men's and women's swim teams had experienced diarrhea beginning 3 days after their return from a training trip to Puerto Rico earlier this year. (Soucheray, 6/29)
Press Association: Being Lonely 'May Increase Risk Of Heart Disease In Diabetes Patients'
Being lonely may the increase risk of heart disease in diabetes patients, research suggests. Scientists have found loneliness to be a bigger risk factor for coronary heart disease - a condition where the blood vessels supplying the heart are narrowed or blocked - than diet, exercise, smoking and depression. (Marshall, 6/29)
The Washington Post: A Year After Congress Passed A Landmark Gun Bill, Is It Working?
The 80-page bill known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed into law on June 25, 2022. ... At the one-year mark of its passage, we ask lawmakers what impact the bill has had so far and what could be next on the issue of guns. (Colvin, 6/29)
KFF Health News: As Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Hit The Market, Anti-Smoking Groups Press For Wider Standard
The idea seems simple enough. Preserve all the rituals of smoking: Light up a cigarette, inhale the smoke, including the nasty stuff that can kill you, and exhale. But remove most of the nicotine, the chemical that makes tobacco so darn hard to quit, to help smokers smoke less. The Food and Drug Administration has been contemplating that strategy for at least six years as one way to make it easier for smokers to cut back, if not quit entirely. Less than two years ago, it authorized 22nd Century Group, a publicly traded plant biotech company based in Buffalo, New York, to advertise its proprietary low-nicotine cigarettes as modified-risk tobacco products. (Thompson, 6/30)
