Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cases Of Tick-Borne Babesiosis Rising Fast In Northeastern States
The New York Times: Babesiosis, A Tick-Borne Disease, Is On The Rise In The Northeast, C.D.C. Reports
Cases of a tick-borne disease, called babesiosis, more than doubled in some Northeastern states between 2011 and 2019, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday. Although many people with babesiosis are asymptomatic, others develop flulike symptoms, including fevers, chills, sweats and muscle aches. The disease can be severe or even fatal in people who have compromised immune systems or other risk factors. (Anthes, 3/16)
In other health and wellness news —
The Washington Post: Lunchables In School Cafeterias Have Child Nutrition Experts Concerned
Kraft Heinz, the company that makes them, has developed two styles of Lunchables that meet the federal nutritional guidelines set out for the National School Lunch Program, which provides meals to nearly 30 million kids across the country. The company says the two offerings — turkey and cheese, as well as pizza — are distinct from the products sold in grocery stores, retooled to increase the serving size and reduce saturated fats and sodium. (Heil, 3/16)
NBC News: Having A Pet May Take A Toll On Your Sleep, Study Suggests
Your beloved pet may be hurting your sleep, research published Thursday finds. Though pets can have many positive effects on health, pet ownership was linked with poorer sleep, according to the study published in the journal Human-Animal Interactions. (Sullivan, 3/16)
The Washington Post: 5-Minute Breathing Exercises Can Improve Your Mood And Reduce Anxiety
A study in Cell Reports Medicine showed that just five minutes of breathwork each day for about a month could improve mood and reduce anxiety — and these benefits may be larger than from mindfulness meditation for the same amount of time. (Sima, 3/16)
The Washington Post: Here Are The Worst Cities In The U.S. For Allergies
A report released Wednesday by the nonprofit Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America revealed last year’s U.S. “allergy capitals.” These were the most challenging places to live for those with pollen allergies. The rankings were based on pollen counts and took into account use of over-the-counter medication and the number of allergy physicians in the area. ... The most difficult spot to live with allergies last year was Wichita, according to the report, followed by Dallas; Scranton, Pa.; Oklahoma City; and Tulsa to round out the Top 5 locations. Seven cities in the Top 20 were in Florida. (Patel, 3/16)
Fox News: 'Silent Pandemic' Warning From WHO: Bacteria Killing Too Many People Due To Antimicrobial Resistance
The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of a "silent pandemic" of antimicrobial resistance from infections caused by deadly pathogens that doctors are not able to cure because of a lack of novel agents. That’s according to an early release of special presentations by Dr. Valeria Gigante and Professor Venkatasubramanian Ramasubramanian of an online "pre-meeting" of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases on April 15 to 18 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Sudhakar, 3/16)
And an update on mpox cases —
CIDRAP: WHO Reports Mpox Decline In Most Regions, But More Deaths
In an update covering the past 2 weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that it has received reports of 323 new mpox cases and 11 more deaths. Cases are slowly declining in most regions but with no clear downward trend in Africa, where the virus spreads with a mixed pattern of both human-to-human and zoonotic spillovers. Outside of Africa, countries continue to report sporadic cases and small clusters. (Schnirring, 3/16)
