Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chicago Concertgoers Urged To Seek Medical Care After Bat Exposure
NBC News: Chicago Concertgoers Possibly Exposed To Potentially Rabid Bats, Health Officials Say
The Chicago Department of Public Health issued a warning that attendees of a recent outdoor concert at the popular Salt Shed music venue may have been exposed to rabies-carrying bats. According to the CDPH, the “possible” exposure took place between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sept. 12 during the outdoor Goose concert at the venue, located at 1357 N. Elston Ave. The CDPH noted in a release that bats in and around the Chicago area have been found to carry rabies, though not all of them do. (10/7)
FOX 10 Phoenix: Bats Infest Arizona Dorm; Student's Parent Says The Real Issue Is How The School Responded
A Northern Arizona University freshman dorm infested with bats is causing students to pack up their belongings and move to another building. Now a parent of an NAU student says they are frustrated the school did not address the problem sooner. In early September, NAU says a bat was captured in one of NAU's dorms: Mountain View Hall, and it tested positive for rabies. (Ragas, 10/4)
On the spread of Marburg —
NBC News: CDC To Begin Testing Travelers From Rwanda For Deadly Marburg Virus
U.S. health officials are preparing to screen passengers flying in from Rwanda for symptoms of Marburg virus, a severe infection similar to Ebola. “Starting mid-October, airline passengers who have been in Rwanda in the last 21 days will have their travel to the United States rerouted” to one of three airports: Chicago O’Hare, JFK in New York and Washington Dulles in suburban Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Monday. (Edwards, 10/7)
On covid and RSV —
HealthDay: Damage To Brainstem Could Be Driving Long COVID
Damage to the brainstem could be behind the physical and psychological effects of Long COVID, a new study suggests. Brain scans of 30 Long COVID patients found they had damage to the region of the brainstem associated with breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety, researchers reported Oct. 7 in the journal Brain. (Thompson, 10/8)
CIDRAP: Study Shows Fatigue Prominent Feature Of Long COVID
Results from an online survey in Denmark describe fatigue and post-exertional malaise as prominent features 2 to 18 months after COVID-19 infections for both mild and severe cases. The study appeared today JAMA Network Open. (Soucheray, 10/7)
San Francisco Chronicle: Vaccine Skepticism Takes Root In Republican Party Led By Donald Trump
More than four years ago, former President Donald Trump’s administration accelerated the development and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. The project, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, likely saved millions of lives. But a substantial number of Republican voters now identify as vaccine skeptics — and Trump rarely mentions what’s considered one of the great public health accomplishments in recent memory. ... Instead, on at least 17 occasions this year, Trump has promised to cut funding to schools that mandate vaccines. (Tahir, 10/7)
Reuters: Pfizer Wins Bid To Invalidate GSK's Patents Over RSV Vaccine
Pfizer on Monday won a bid in a London court to invalidate two of GSK's patents relating to a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. The two pharmaceutical giants are among a number of companies in competition for a vaccine for RSV, which typically causes cold-like symptoms but is also a leading cause of pneumonia in toddlers and older adults. (10/7)
