Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Warns Against Mushroom Foraging After Deadly Poisoning
AP: California Officials Warn Foragers After Wild Mushroom Poisoning Outbreak
California officials are warning foragers after an outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms that has killed one adult and caused severe liver damage in several patients, including children. The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms, the health department said Friday. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste. (12/6)
AP: State Court Hears Massachusetts Lawsuit Against Meta For Profiting From Addictive Platforms
Massachusetts’ highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state’s lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. (Casey, 12/5)
The New York Times: A Small Illinois City At The Center Of A Seismic Shift In Abortion Access
Carbondale, Ill., a liberal enclave within driving distance of 10 states with abortion bans, has become a hub for the procedure. Last year there were nearly 11,000 abortions in this city of 21,000. (Williamson, 12/7)
The 74: Students Of Color Have Been Denied Dyslexia Diagnosis And Intervention
When Clarice Jackson raised concerns in 2000 about her adopted daughter’s inability to read two or three letter words by the fourth grade, she was told by Nebraska school officials it was because of the child’s early home life and her misbehavior in class. (Harkay, 12/5)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Dig Into Maine HIV Outbreak And Ever-Closer End To Enhanced ACA Subsidies
KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed Maine’s largest HIV outbreak to date, including the challenges in tracking transmission and treating people with the virus, on The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Public Health On Call on Dec. 1. (12/6)
