Colorado Sees Slowdown In Number Of Babies Born With Syphilis

The Colorado Sun: The Number Of Babies Born With Syphilis In Colorado Is Slowing
Nine months after Colorado issued an extraordinary public health order to fight an explosion of syphilis in newborn babies, cases have slowed. (Ingold, 1/23)

Missouri Independent: Missouri Bills Target Pharmacy Costs, Drug Pricing Rules
With billions of dollars at stake, a legislative battle in Missouri over payments for prescription drugs kicked off again Wednesday between pharmacies, health care providers and insurance companies. (Keller, 1/22)

CBS News: Overdose Deaths Down More Than 20% In N.Y. State, CDC Data Reveals. Here's Why Experts Say It's Happening
Overdose deaths are down more than 20% in New York state and across the country, according to new data analyzed by CBS News New York. Experts say it has been driven by a decrease in fatal fentanyl overdoses, but they say there is more work to do. Public health leaders say effective treatment is one reason overdose deaths are down. Centers for Disease Control data shows 1,600 fewer people died of overdoses in New York from August of 2023 to August of 2024 than in the 12 months prior. (McNicholas, 1/22)

KFF Health News: Covered California Hits Record Enrollment, But Key Subsidies In Jeopardy
Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace, has hit a record 1.8 million enrollees and the number could climb higher ahead of a Jan. 31 open enrollment deadline, due in large part to enhanced subsidies that have made plans more affordable. But the state’s progress in extending health coverage to all residents could come to an abrupt halt as the second Trump administration takes power alongside a Republican Congress whose leadership has long been hostile to the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 federal law also known as Obamacare. (Boyd-Barrett, 1/23)

In mental health news —

CBS News: Teen Shooter Kills Student, Then Himself At Antioch High School In Nashville, Police Say
One student is dead and another is wounded after a third student opened fire with a pistol Wednesday at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, police said. The 17-year-old shooter then shot himself and died, according to police. The shooting happened in the school's cafeteria, Nashville Police Chief John Drake told reporters during a news briefing. ... Adrienne Battle, the city's director of schools, said the school district has used school resource officers, security cameras with weapon-detection software and security vestibules as part of its safety measures at schools. (Sunby, 1/22)

CBS News: Whitmer Signs Bills Addressing Firearm Safety, Mental Health
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of bills Wednesday on a range of topics intended to help increase safety at schools and within communities, her office announced. "I'm proud to sign these 19 commonsense bills that will keep Michigan families and neighborhoods safe from gun violence and other violent crimes," the Democratic governor said in the announcement. (Wethington, 1/22)

ProPublica, Mississippi Today: Is A New Mississippi Law Decreasing Jailings Of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment? The State Doesn’t Know.
Last year, Mississippi passed a new law aimed at decreasing the number of people being jailed solely because they need mental health treatment. Officials say it has led to fewer people with serious mental illness detained in jails. But the data submitted by different entities is contradictory and incomplete, making it impossible to know if the numbers are really going down. (Dilworth, 1/23)

Bird flu spreads —

CBS News: Bird Flu Detected On Long Island Farm. Health Officials Say Risk To Public Remains Minimal
A major bird flu outbreak has hit a Suffolk County poultry farm. Dozens of state and federal agricultural workers dressed in biohazard suits, sanitized boots and gloves were assisting Wednesday in the euthanizing of an entire flock of 100,000 ducks at Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue, officials said. Crescent, Long Island's last remaining duck farm, is now in quarantine and survival mode. (Anderson and McLogan, 1/22)

CBS News: Philadelphia Reports First Suspected Case Of Bird Flu In Sick Wild Goose
Public health officials in Philadelphia reported the first suspected case of bird flu in the city on Wednesday after a sick goose found in a West Philadelphia neighborhood was positive for the disease in preliminary tests. The snow goose was found Saturday, Jan. 11 on the 1200 block of North 59th Street, along the west side of Carroll Park. It's the first sick bird to be found in Philadelphia as part of the nationwide outbreak — which has led to several poultry flocks being depopulated and sharply increased the price of eggs at grocery stores and suppliers to local businesses. (Brandt and Stahl, 1/22)

Newsweek: Bird Flu: Vaccines May Drive Virus Evolution
Vaccinating birds against bird flu reduces the spread of the disease, but may have unintended consequences. This is the warning of a new paper in the journal Science Advances, which concluded that vaccinating against the highly pathogenic H5 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV) may drive viral evolution. (Thomson, 1/22)