Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
About 5% Of People With Measles Had All Or Some Vaccine Protection
CBS News: At Least 3% Of Measles Cases This Year Were In People Who Were Fully Vaccinated, CDC Says
At least 3% of measles cases confirmed so far this year have been in people who received two doses of the measles vaccine, meaning they were fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. About three dozen of the nearly 1,200 measles infections in 2025 have been in people with two vaccine doses, the agency said Friday in its weekly update on cases. An additional 2% of cases were in people who received at least one dose of the measles vaccine. (Tin, 6/17)
More health and wellness news —
AP: Older Adults Are Dying More From Unintentional Falls In The Last 20 Years
Older U.S. adults are increasingly dying from unintentional falls, according to a new federal report published Wednesday, with white people accounting for the vast majority of the deaths. From 2003 to 2023, death rates from falls rose more than 70% for adults ages 65 to 74, the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The rate increased more than 75% for people 75 to 84, and more than doubled for seniors 85 and older. (Stobbe, 6/18)
CBS News: Cannabis Use Linked To A Doubled Risk Of Heart Disease Death, New Study Finds
With growing marijuana use across the country, studies have looked at the link between cannabis use and cardiovascular problems — but new research is showing the magnitude of such risk. In the study, published Tuesday in the journal Heart, researchers found cannabis use is linked to a doubled risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a 29% higher risk for acute coronary syndrome and 20% higher risk for stroke. The authors analyzed data from 24 studies published from 2016 to 2023. (Moniuszko, 6/17)
CNN: Health Harms Linked To Living Near Highly Microplastic-Polluted US Coastlines, Study Finds
Living near heavily microplastic-polluted waters along the United States coastline may significantly raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease, a condition in which plaque blocks the blood vessels feeding the heart, a new study found. (LaMotte, 6/18)
CIDRAP: Poor Sleep And Long COVID Linked In UK Study
Having a history of poor sleep quality prior to COVID-19 infection may increase the likelihood of developing post-COVID condition, or long COVID, according to data from the COVIDENCE UK study recently published in BLJ Open Respiratory Research. The research was based on information from non-hospitalized participants with evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study authors assessed sleep quality via participant answers to a subset of questions from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Long COVID was defined as unresolved symptoms at least 12 weeks after infection. (Soucheray, 6/17)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: Inadequate communications infrastructure is harming the health of rural Americans, and ministroke symptoms may look mild but need medical treatment. (6/17)
In obituaries —
The New York Times: Amanda Feilding, Eccentric Countess Who Backed Psychedelic Meds, Dies at 82
Amanda Feilding, the Countess of Wemyss and March, who was a pivotal and eccentric figure in the movement to legitimize the study of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic purposes, died on May 22 at Beckley Park, her 16th-century estate near Oxford, England. She was 82. Her death, from liver cancer, was announced by the Beckley Foundation, the organization she started in a cowshed on her moated property to fund scientific studies of LSD, magic mushrooms and Ecstasy, all of which she adored. Ms. Feilding, who was known as Lady Mindbender and the Crackpot Countess, once drilled a tiny hole in her skull to increase blood flow, a medieval practice called trepanning. She believed that psychedelic drugs could be used to treat depression and other maladies, now a promising area of scientific study. (Rosenwald, 6/12)
