CDC Studying 3 US Cases Of Melioidosis, Usually Tropical

The Washington Post: CDC Probes How People Contracted Dangerous Infection Found In Tropics Without Leaving U.S. 
When a 63-year-old Texas man who had not left the United States in 30 years sought treatment for a fever, chest pain and difficulty breathing in November 2018, doctors discovered a surprising culprit: a bacteria that is endemic to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Nearly three years later, doctors and researchers remained flummoxed by the man’s melioidosis diagnosis, because nothing in his medical or personal history suggested that he had been exposed to soil or water infected with the disease-causing bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei. (Shepherd, 7/1)

CIDRAP: CDC Issues Alert About 3 US Melioidosis Cases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday warned health providers about three melioidosis cases involving patients in three states that appear to be linked, though investigators are still looking for the source. In a Health Advisory Network (HAN) notice, the CDC said the patients affected by the rare infections don't have a foreign travel history. They are from Kansas, Texas, and Missouri. Two are adults, and one is a child. The first illness was identified in March, and the patient—who had underlying risk factors—died. Two others were identified in May, and one is still hospitalized, while the other was discharged to a rehabilitation facility. (7/1)

In other public health news —

NPR: Pinterest Bans All Weight Loss Ads
Pinterest is saying goodbye to weight loss ads. It's banning them altogether, becoming the first major social platform to do so. The National Eating Disorders Association guided Pinterest in updating its policy as searches for healthy eating, healthy lifestyle and fitness tips grew within the past year. "A lot of people are facing challenges related to body image and mental health, particularly as we're emerging from COVID restrictions," says Sarah Bromma, the company's head of policy. "People are now feeling added pressure to rejoin their social circles in person for the first time in a year." (Sicurella, 7/1)

NPR: Boy Scouts Of America Reaches Historic Settlement With Sexual Abuse Survivors
The Boy Scouts of America has reached an $850 million settlement with more than 60,000 men who sued the iconic institution over alleged sexual abuse by adults in scouting over several decades. The agreement, announced on Thursday, is the first legal settlement in a long list of lawsuits against the Boy Scouts, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2020. (Romo, 7/2)

The New York Times: Teenager In ‘Slender Man’ Stabbing Is Ordered Released From Mental Hospital 
A Wisconsin judge on Thursday ordered a 19-year-old woman released from a psychiatric hospital where she has been held for more than three years for her role in the nearly fatal stabbing of a friend, a crime she said was carried out to gain the favor of a sinister fictional character called Slender Man. The 2014 attack, involving a pair of 12-year-old girls from Waukesha, Wis., who lured a 12-year-old friend to a park and stabbed her 19 times, shocked parents in the upper-middle-class suburb of Milwaukee. (Paybarah, 7/1)

AP: Report: Fatal Assisted Living Fire Linked To Cleaning Ritual 
A father and son charged in a deadly fire at a suburban New York assisted living facility had been performing a pre-Passover cleaning ritual that involves heating kitchen utensils to burn off traces of forbidden food, the Journal News reported. It remains unclear what specific role Rabbi Nathaniel Sommer of Monsey and his son, Aaron Sommer, allegedly played in the March 23 fire at Evergreen Court Home for Adults in Spring Valley that killed a resident and a firefighter, the newspaper reported. (7/1)

NBC News: Florida's Ban On Vaccination Proof Requirements Complicates U.S. Cruise Line Comeback
Despite the law, two of the biggest cruise lines, Carnival and Norwegian have decided to impose proof-of-vaccination requirements, according to information published on their websites. Violations of the Florida law come with a maximum $5,000 penalty per violation. “No corporation is above the law,” DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said in an email. “A couple of the biggest cruise lines have revised their policies, and we expect others to follow their example.” (Siemaszko, Watkins and Morris-Guity, 7/1)

Also —

The Advocate: Reports: LSU's Sha'Carri Richardson Tests Positive For Marijuana, Might Not Run 100 At Tokyo Olympics
U.S. track and field star Sha'Carri Richardson, a former runner at LSU, failed a drug test and could miss the Olympic Games this month in Tokyo, according to multiple media reports. The news broke Thursday and was first reported by the Jamaica Gleaner, a leading newspaper in that country. It was later confirmed by Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Tyler Dragon. Quoting a source, Dragon reported that Richardson did not test positive for a performance-enhancing drug but for marijuana. (Dragon, 7/1)