‘Closely Associated With People:’ Species Of Mosquitoes That Can Transmit Zika Is Spreading Out In Parts Of California, Health Official Warns
California health officials are monitoring aggressive and invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In New Hampshire, officials warn about the spread of the mosquitoes carrying the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus. Public health news is on weedkillers, sickle cell disease, pancreatic cancer, food safety, cesarean deliveries, and a smoking ban at VA facilities, as well.
Sacramento Bee:
Citrus Heights: Mosquito Species That Can Carry Zika Detected
A species of invasive mosquitoes that have the potential to transmit Zika virus and other diseases has been detected in Citrus Heights twice in the past month, the regional mosquito and vector control district said Friday. Aggressive and invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, aka Yellow Fever mosquitoes, were recently detected north of Antelope Road and west of Interstate 80, according to a news release by the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District – not far from Antelope and the Sacramento-Placer county line. (McGough, 9/20)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
EEE Found In A Second Manchester Mosquito Batch
City health officials found mosquitoes infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis on Sept. 16.Infected mosquitoes have been found over the past two months in Candia, Sandown, Pelham and Hampstead. This is the second time EEE-carrying mosquitoes have been found in Manchester. No human cases of EEE have been reported in New Hampshire. A horse in Northwood was infected in August, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. (9/20)
The New York Times:
Roundup Weedkiller Is Blamed For Cancers, But Farmers Say It’s Not Going Away
From his farm in northwestern Wisconsin, Andy Bensend watched as first one jury, then another and another, delivered staggering multimillion-dollar verdicts to people who argued that their use of a weedkiller sold at nearly every hardware and home-improvement store had caused their cancer. Mr. Bensend has been using that product, Roundup, on his 5,000 acres for 40 years, but he said that those blockbuster awards would not alter his farm practices one whit. Neither would the 20,000 lawsuits still pending. (Cohen, 9/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Hope, Frustration Mark New Era Of Sickle Cell Disease
The coming decade may completely transform treatment for sickle cell disease. More than a dozen new drugs are in various stages of development to treat the inherited blood disorder — some may be on the market as early as next year. Scientists harnessing gene editing and stem cell tools are working on cures too, some of which already seem to be working for a handful of patients around the country.But for many of the tens of thousands of people living with sickle cell disease, excitement for what’s to come is tempered by the hardships they now face around basic access to care and fair, unbiased treatment. (Allday, 9/22)
The New York Times:
Why Can’t We Stop Pancreatic Cancer?
Pancreatic cancer, which will be diagnosed in about 56,770 people in the United States this year, is the only cancer with a rising mortality rate through 2014, although five-year survival has begun to inch up, from 8 percent to 9 percent by 2016. It remains the nation’s third leading cause of cancer deaths, after cancers of the lung and colon, and it is on track to overtake colon cancer within a decade. Three-fourths of people who develop pancreatic cancer die within a year of diagnosis, and only about one in 10 live five years or longer. Perhaps like me you’ve wondered why modern medicine has thus far failed to gain the upper hand against pancreatic cancer despite having achieved major survival advances for more common cancers like breast and colon. What follows is a large part of the answer. (Brody, 9/23)
Iowa Public Radio:
Critics Worry About Food Safety As Federal Meat Inspectors Face Work Overload, Burnout
A nine-month investigation by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found dozens of similar situations at the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, with routine vacancies that leave the remaining federal food inspectors vulnerable to burnout, work overload and other job hazards. In several cases, employees in other roles are oftentimes forced to abandon their own job duties to cover the slaughter line inspections mandated for plants to operate. (Bachman and Stokes, 9/22)
The New York Times:
Exploring A Possible Link Between C-Sections And Autism
Cesarean delivery can save a baby — or a mother — at a moment of medical danger. However, cesarean births have been linked to an increased risk of various long-term health issues for both women and children, and a recent study shows an association between cesarean birth and the risk of developing autism or attention deficit disorder. The study, published in August in JAMA Network Open, was a meta-analysis. It looked at data from 61 previously published studies, which together included more than 20 million deliveries, and found that birth by cesarean section was associated with a 33 percent higher risk of autism and a 17 percent higher risk of attention deficit disorder. The increased risk was present for both planned and unplanned cesarean deliveries. (Klass, 9/23)
Boston Globe:
Smoke ’em If You Got ’em? Not At Today’s VA Facilities
The VA is rolling out a nationwide smoking ban at all its hospitals and medical centers beginning Oct. 1, a blanket prohibition that covers the grounds, parking lots, visiting cars, and even the designated “smoke shacks” where veterans congregate. But where VA officials see a long-needed ban for health reasons, many veterans — particularly older ones — see a hastily implemented change that will compound their stress, interfere with camaraderie, and be difficult to enforce. (MacQuarrie, 9/22)
