Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Brazil's Deadly Yellow Fever Outbreak Could Spread To U.S., Experts Say
Los Angeles Times: An Outbreak In Brazil Has U.S. Health Experts Wondering If Yellow Fever Could Be The Next Zika
Yellow fever has broken out in the jungles outside Brazil’s most densely-populated cities, raising a frightening but still remote possibility: an epidemic that could decimate that country’s population and spread throughout the Americas, including the United States. (Healy, 3/8)
The Washington Post: Yellow Fever Outbreak In Brazil Worries U.S. Officials
Top infectious disease experts are warning about a rapidly spreading outbreak of deadly yellow fever in Brazil that could hit parts of the United States. The danger would be most acute if the virus starts spreading by the same mosquito that transmits Zika. (Sun, 3/8)
The Associated Press: FDA Issues Warning About Risky Vein Opening Procedure
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday again warned patients and doctors to avoid a risky, experimental procedure promoted as a treatment for several nervous system disorders, including multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The procedure involves inflating a tiny balloon in narrowed veins, usually in the neck, to widen them and improve blood flow. (Johnson, 3/8)
Politico: Obesity's Hefty Price Tag
Memphis may be the heaviest city in the country, but it isn’t much of an outlier. From the trimmest state, Colorado, to the most obese, Mississippi, the entire nation has been on a perilous—and costly—upward track when it comes to extreme weight gain. Severe obesity (a BMI of 40 or more)—the kind most harmful to individual well-being and expensive to society—is rising at an alarming rate and may affect 11 percent of U.S. adults by 2030. (Baker, 3/8)
