Asia’s Bird Flu Putting Global Health Officials On High Alert
The flu worries many scientists as they see it as the virus most likely to start a pandemic that kills millions, as the 1918 Spanish flu did. In other public health news: vaccines, blood pressure, cigarette ads, standing desks, napping on the job and more.
The New York Times:
Bird Flu Is Spreading In Asia, Experts (Quietly) Warn
While trying to avoid alarmism, global health agencies are steadily ratcheting up concern about bird flu in Asia. Bird viruses that can infect humans — particularly those of the H7N9 strain — continue to spread to new cities there. Since October 2016, China has seen a “fifth wave” of H7N9 infections. Nearly 1,600 people have tested positive, almost 40 percent of whom have died. (McNeil, 11/17)
Stat:
A Plan To Develop A Zika Vaccine Runs Into Controversy, As Questions Swirl About Price And Conflicts Of Interest
Yet another battle may erupt over a Zika virus vaccine and the extent to which drug makers should be allowed to benefit from products that are developed — at least in part — with taxpayer funds. There is an added twist in this case, however, in the form of potential conflicts of interest. Let’s start at the top: Last month, the National Institutes of Health announced plans to issue an exclusive license to a privately held company called PaxVax to develop a Zika vaccine. Few details were disclosed, but the move is now prompting demands from advocacy groups that the federal government should not award an exclusive license or, if it does, should ensure that any vaccine is priced so it is accessible to Americans. (Silverman, 11/17)
Stat:
Merck Will Miss Long-Promised Target For Filing Ebola Vaccine License With FDA
The world is going to have to wait a little longer for the Merck Ebola vaccine. Though Merck had repeatedly said it would file its licensure application with the Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2017, the company will not meet that self-imposed target, the team leader for the Ebola vaccine project told STAT on Friday. (Branswell, 11/17)
NPR:
Odds Are They're Taking Your Blood Pressure All Wrong
When was the last time you were asked to sit without saying a word for five minutes before your blood pressure was measured? If your answer was "I never remember doing that," you're in good company. Yet that is one of the many rules that medical professionals are supposed to follow when measuring your blood pressure. (Harris, 11/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
Cigarette Makers Must Advertise Their Dangers, But Will Millennials Get The Message?
For decades, cigarette-makers misled the public about the benefits of smoking while concealing information about its dangers. Now, the companies must run court-mandated corrective ads acknowledging that smoking and nicotine are highly addictive; cigarettes are designed to create and sustain addiction; and smoking causes cancer and other diseases. (McGinty, 11/17)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Tobacco Industry Starts Major Ad Campaign - Against Its Own Deadly Products
Next Sunday, more than 11 years after a federal court ordered it, tobacco companies will begin running frank ads on TV and in newspapers including the Inquirer to admit their products are deadly. “More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol combined,” says one of the statements the companies are compelled to use. The settlement on the “corrective statement” ads was reached last month by the tobacco companies, the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and four other public health groups. (McCullough, 11/20)
The Washington Post:
A Standing Desk Isn’t Going To Help You Lose A Lot Of Weight
From the Apple Watch to standing desks, a number of products attempt to get users to stand more and sit less. But how many more calories do you burn, and can this help you lose weight? A new study set out to answer these questions by analyzing data from nearly 50 previous studies on the topic. The studies included more than 1,100 people in total. All of these earlier studies measured the difference between calories burned while sitting vs. standing. (Rettner, 11/19)
The Washington Post:
Napping On The Job May Turn Out To Be A Very Good Idea For A Sleep-Deprived Nation
President Trump prides himself on getting by with just four or five hours of sleep at night, which leaves him plenty of time early in the morning to scan cable TV news and tweet before going to work. During last year’s rough-and-tumble campaign, he scoffed at “low-energy” rivals Republican Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton for carving out nap time. “No naps for Trump! I don’t nap,” the 71-year-old Trump bellowed during one campaign stop. “We don’t have time.” (Pianin, 11/19)
NPR:
Young Men, Frequent Drivers Most Likely To Get Distracted While Driving
If you're reading this on your phone while driving, stop it. Especially if you're a young neurotic extroverted guy who drives a lot. Two seconds of attention to the insistent beeping and blinking of our mobile phones or simply changing the radio station accounts for at least 12 percent of car accidents worldwide and 14 percent of them in the U.S., according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. (Fulton, 11/17)
Stat:
Motorcycle Crashes Are Alarmingly Common — And Incredibly Costly
Motorcycle crashes are alarmingly common — and incredibly costly, according to a new study. Researchers pulled data from adults treated for motorcycle and car crash injuries at hospitals in Ontario, Canada between 2007 and 2013. The toll: Nearly 282,000 adults injured in car accidents and nearly 27,000 in motorcycle crashes during that time frame. (Thielking, 11/20)
Kaiser Health News:
Shingles: Don’t Let It Get You The Way It Got Me
Shingles tried to kill me. Like an insidious invading army, the virus that more commonly causes chickenpox in children attacked the right side of my head, leaving me permanently deaf in my right ear. Shingles almost destroyed my voice box, too, and it caused my right eyelid and lower lip to temporarily droop. (Horovitz, 11/20)
