Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Covid Rises, Off-Season Surge In RSV Is Landing Children In Hospitals
Bloomberg: Lung Virus Fills U.S. Children’s Hospitals As Isolation Ends
Oklahoma and Louisiana health officials said that a surge in cases of a virus more frequently seen in winter is filling hospital pediatric wards as children emerge from Covid isolation. Respiratory syncytial virus usually causes mild coldlike symptoms and most people recover in weeks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include runny nose, loss of appetite, fever and wheezing. Infants and older adults are at heightened risk of severe disease from the pathogen. (Maglione and Tozzi, 7/29)
CIDRAP: Prepackaged Salad Recall Expands In 3-State Salmonella Outbreak
Bright Farms yesterday expanded its recall of packaged salad greens that have been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has now sickened 11 people in 3 states, according to federal health officials. The recall involves products packaged at its Rochelle, Ill., facility and were sold in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a recall update. In addition to several products that were subject to a Jul 15 recall, the expansion yesterday includes baby spinach that was sold in 4- and 8-ounce packages. The product is past its expiration date. The expiration date for the previously recalled products is today. (7/29)
Axios: Urban Landscaping To Blame In Prolonged, Crippling Allergy Season
Allergy season in North America has been the lengthiest and the most severe in decades, and experts say the millions of disproportionately male trees planted in urban areas are partly to blame for high pollen counts. Prolonged exposure to pollen is disrupting the lives of an increasing number of people who are developing allergies that can lead to lifelong treatments for respiratory problems. (Fernandez, 7/29)
The Washington Post: Coffee Doesn't Increase Risk Of Arrhythmia, Study Finds
If you’ve been told to avoid coffee because it might make your heart beat irregularly, recent research suggests it may be time to rethink that recommendation. “There’s this quite pervasive conventional wisdom” that people who have or are at risk of arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, should avoid caffeine, said Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. Many patients who come to see him have already been told by other doctors to steer clear of caffeinated products, such as coffee, he said. (Chiu, 7/29)
The New York Times: Fourth Suicide At The Vessel Leads To Calls For Higher Barriers
Just two months after the Vessel, a honeycomb-like spiral of staircases in Hudson Yards, reopened with design changes meant to lower the risk of suicides, a 14-year-old boy died by suicide there on Thursday afternoon, the police said. The death, which was the fourth suicide at the tourist attraction in a year and a half, angered community members who have repeatedly called on developers to build higher barriers on the walkways and raised questions about the effectiveness of the structure’s suicide-prevention methods. (Wong and Gold, 7/29)
