Different Takes: Measles Is Making A Comeback; Cancer Clinical Trials Need Older Participants
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.
Los Angeles Times:
Vaccine Disruptions And Mistrust Are Ramping Up Measles Risk
Pandemics have consequences beyond the death and disease directly caused by the novel pathogen. In the 1918 influenza pandemic, more deaths were caused by the pneumococcal bacterium among those made susceptible to bacterial infection by influenza than by the flu itself. One potential byproduct of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic is the threat of an old scourge: measles. (Saad B. Omer, 6/12)
Scientific American:
We Must End Ageism In Cancer Clinical Trials
Cancer afflicts more older people than those in any other age group. In fact, over half of cancers diagnosed in the United States occur in those over the age of 65. That number is expected to reach 70 percent by 2030, as the population experiences an unprecedented boom of senior citizens. A growing number of targeted cancer therapies and immunotherapies are available today, but older people often don’t have access to these options, putting them at greater risk of dying from their disease. And even when they do have access to the latest medicines, these treatments, such as those for multiple myeloma, may not work as well in ethnic minority groups, especially in older patients. This gap in care for some older adults is even wider because of racial, economic, and geographic barriers. (Dany Habr, 6/14)
Seattle Times:
Options For Baby Formula, And One To Be Avoided
In my 13 years of pediatric practice, I have counseled thousands of new parents about their myriad concerns for their newborns, most recently how to meet the nutritional needs of their baby if the family uses baby formula. This is a stressful situation that is causing anxiety for many parents. First and foremost, keeping our babies adequately fed is imperative. (Yami Cazorla-Lancaster, 6/14)
Stat:
Youth And Gender-Affirming Care: Let's Start With 'Do No Harm'
No decent person wants to hurt children. Yet as pediatricians and longtime public health practitioners, we’ve both seen how children can be harmed by adults’ poor decisions. Efforts to block gender-affirming care for trans children have been more about politics than about health, and kids are paying the price: More than 90% of LGBTQ+ youths say recent politics has harmed their mental health. (Julie Morita and Donald Schwartz, 6/15)
