Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Child Hepatitis Case Reported In North Dakota
AP: Mysterious Case Of Hepatitis Diagnosed In North Dakota Child
North Dakota has become the latest in a growing number of states that is investigating a mysterious case of hepatitis in a child where all the usual causes have been ruled out. The child from Grand Forks County is recovering at home after a brief stay in the hospital, North Dakota Health Department officials said Thursday. (5/5)
The Washington Post: Unusual Cases Of Hepatitis In Children: Your Questions, Answered
The Alabama children’s symptoms ranged from gastrointestinal problems like vomiting and diarrhea to upper respiratory symptoms, according to the CDC. Eight showed yellowing of the whites of their eyes. Seven had enlarged livers and one had encephalopathy, or evidence of impact on the brain, the CDC said. Three of the children suffered liver failure, and two needed liver transplants. All have either recovered or are recovering. (Stead Sellers, 5/5)
In news about meningitis —
WFSU: Leon County Confirms Three Cases Of Meningitis-Causing Disease
A potentially deadly disease that can cause meningitis is now in Tallahassee after health officials warned of a statewide outbreak last month. The Florida Department of Health in Leon County reports three college students between the ages of 18 and 22 have been infected with meningococcal disease. Health officials say fraternity and sorority members, along with students who live on campus, face a higher risk of contracting the disease. (Crowder, 5/5)
In other health news from across the US —
AP: Alabama's New Transgender Care Felony Faces Federal Test
A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday on a challenge to Alabama’s plan to outlaw the use of gender-affirming medications to treat transgender youth. U.S. District Judge Liles Burke has scheduled a hearing on a request to block the law’s enforcement while it’s challenged in court. The law, which would otherwise take effect on Sunday, makes it a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison for medical providers to give puberty blockers and hormones to people under age 19 to help affirm their gender identity. (Chandler, 5/5)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Pilot Program To Send Mental Health Professional Instead Of Police To Some Incidents
A new pilot program in Cincinnati will give 911 dispatchers the option to send a mental health professional to certain low-risk incidents instead of police, officials announced Thursday. Called "alternative response," these programs are popping up across the country as cities seek to reform police departments in the wake of the 2020 protests prompted by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "There are [911] callers who can best be helped by another resource," Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a press conference Thursday. "Our communities are asking for this service." (Knight, 5/5)
San Francisco Chronicle: Berkeley Council Votes To Reimagine Public Safety By Creating New Department
Berkeley city leaders took a big step Thursday to reimagine policing by creating a new community safety department and expanding the city’s effort to divert nonviolent 911 calls away from police. Berkeley is already working to launch a team of social workers and civilians to respond to some mental health and homelessness calls — part of a Bay Area trend. But Mayor Jesse Arreguín wants the program, which would be overseen by a nonprofit, to become part of a new community safety department made up of city employees. He’d also like to eventually create a new unit of mediators to respond to community conflicts. (Ravani, 5/5)
AP: Arkansas Governor Names Interim Health Secretary, Director
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday named an interim secretary of health and a new director of the state Health Department. Hutchinson named Renee Mallory as interim secretary, replacing outgoing Secretary Dr. Jose Romero. Romero announced last month he was leaving to serve as director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. (5/5)
CIDRAP: Connecticut Confirms Its First Tick-Borne Powassan Case Of 2022
Yesterday the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed the state's first Powassan virus infection of the year, in a man in his 50s from Windham. The state logged three cases of the sometimes-deadly tick-borne disease last year. The man became ill on Mar 4 and was hospitalized for symptoms of central nervous system involvement after a tick bite, the CDPH said in a news release. Tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the presence of Powassan virus. The man is now recovering at home. (5/5)
AP: Military College Student Sues Armed Forces Over HIV Policy
A military college student said in a lawsuit filed Thursday that armed services officials deemed him unfit for service because he tested positive for HIV. The 20-year-old student from Revere, Massachusetts, said in the complaint against state and federal military officials that he tested positive for HIV in October 2020 during his sophomore year at the nation’s oldest private military college, Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. (Marcelo, 5/5)
