Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cancer Patients With COVID Dying At Higher Rate Than Others, Studies Find
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Having Cancer And Coronavirus Is A Dangerous Combination, Studies Show
Cancer patients with coronavirus infections are dying at a much higher rate than the general population, according to new studies, and researchers pointed to both the toll cancer takes on the body as well as the impact of some cancer treatments as potentially adding to patients' risks. (Woodruff, 8/6)
CIDRAP: First US Case Of Resistant Bacterial Meningitis Noted
A new study in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society describes what is believed to be the first case of bacterial meningitis caused by beta-lactamase–producing, ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria meningitidis in the United States. The case occurred this January in a previously healthy 5-month-old Maryland boy who was treated in the emergency department at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. Although the boy was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and released after 7 days in the hospital, susceptibility testing of bacterial samples from the boy revealed resistance to five antibiotics—including penicillin and ciprofloxacin, which are typically used for treatment of people with confirmed N meningitidis infections and for prevention in those who've been in close contact with infected patients. (Dall, 8/6)
GMA: Parents Of AFM Survivors Share 5 Things Parents Should Know As CDC Warns Of Outbreak
Rachel Scott's son Braden was 5 years old when he was diagnosed in 2016 with acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, a rare, rapid-onset neurological disease affecting the spinal cord leading to paralysis. Josh and Gretchen Trimble's youngest daughter, Opal, was just 4 months old when she was diagnosed with AFM, one of the youngest patients ever to be diagnosed with the disease. (Kindelan, 8/7)
The New York Times: Is Your Child An Orchid, A Tulip Or A Dandelion?
The new mother from a rural area near Burlington, Vt., noticed that her toddler’s behavior didn’t seem to fit the descriptions in the child-rearing books she was reading. Her daughter would burst into tears when she heard a loud bird call or a person singing out of tune, or if she wore scratchy clothes. And she always demanded to be carried by her mother and never left alone. These constant demands were exhausting. (Schiffman, 8/6)
