Bipartisan House Group Aims To Halt Chinese Supply Sources For Fentanyl
They will seek to boost sanctions, target money launderers, and explore trade reforms to cut off supply from China in an attempt to impact the opioid epidemic. Also in the news: limited military health care on Guam, a rise of streptococcal toxic shock in Japan, and more.
Axios:
U.S. House Targets China Over Fentanyl Trade In Opioid Crackdown
House members from both parties are forming a new group to crack down on China's role in the U.S. fentanyl epidemic as part of a more aggressive push to cut off illicit supply of the lethal drug. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids kill tens of thousands of Americans every year, tearing apart families while fracturing communities and disrupting the labor market. (Saric, 6/20)
Military.com:
The Military On Guam Has No Intensive Care Unit For Newborns In Critical Condition. Some Don't Make It.
In late 2022, a baby born to an active-duty U.S. military family on Guam needed immediate, advanced medical care for a life-threatening pulmonary condition. With no neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, on the island that meets U.S. standards, a specialty neonatal team was dispatched from U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan, to provide care. The team arrived 24 hours later, but the newborn was too ill to move. (Kime, 6/18)
The Washington Post:
A Deadly Bacterial Infection Is On The Rise In Japan. What Is STSS?
A record number of cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) in Japan this year has focused attention on the rare and potentially deadly bacterial infection. There have been 1,019 cases of STSS in the first six months of 2024, surpassing the total number recorded last year in the country. Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases warned of a rise in cases in March, after 77 deaths from the illness were recorded. The majority of the cases at that time were of people above the age of 50. (Masih and Vinall, 6/19)
Reuters:
Vaccine Group Gavi Seeks $11.9 Billion To Immunize World's Poorest Children
The global vaccine organization Gavi is likely to seek around $11.9 billion from governments and foundations on Thursday to fund immunization efforts in the world’s poorest countries over five years, board documents reviewed by Reuters showed. The amount will be finalized at a meeting on Thursday in Paris, where donors will make pledges for the organization’s plan for 2026-2030. A separately funded $1 billion scheme to boost vaccine production in Africa, the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, will also launch on Thursday. (Rigby, 6/20)
