First Edition: Aug. 10, 2022

KHN: Newsom Pins Political Rise On Abortion, Guns, And Health Care 
Gavin Newsom is fed up with Republicans for attacking abortion rights and blocking gun regulations — and with his own Democratic Party for failing to boldly and brashly take on the conservative right and push a progressive agenda. And as California’s first-term governor positions himself as the national Democratic Party pit bull, no other issue is defining his political rise like health care. (Hart, 8/10)

KHN: EPA Action Boosts Grassroots Momentum To Reduce Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ 
The intake pumps that once drew 6 million gallons of water a day from the Oostanaula River now sit mostly dormant in this northwestern Georgia city. Local officials contend that years of contamination miles upstream sent toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, into Rome’s water supply, rendering it potentially dangerous for the city’s roughly 37,000 residents. A water source switch from the Oostanaula and added treatment have reduced the traces of the chemicals running through residents’ taps, but they have not eliminated PFAS from the community’s water supply. (Miller, 8/10)

KHN: Rapper Fat Joe Says No One Is Making Sure Hospitals Post Their Prices
Rapper Fat Joe takes on hospital industry executives in an advertisement, contending that many hospitals are disobeying a law that requires them to publicly post the prices they charge cash-paying patients and insurance companies for every service they offer. The ad, paid for by a group called Power to the Patients, states, correctly, that hospitals must list their negotiated prices and asserts that the rule helps patients by making it harder for them to be overcharged. The ad also blames politicians and regulators because the price information is still not necessarily available. (Appleby, 8/10)

Politico: Florida Rations Limited Supply Of Monkeypox Vaccines As Infections Go Up 
Florida has nearly doubled its count of people infected by the monkeypox virus in the past week, prompting state health officials to stretch vaccine supplies by only administering the first of two shots. The Florida Department of Health counted 985 people infected by the monkeypox virus as of Tuesday, marking a jump from the 525 infections reported by Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo one week ago. The agency also ordered the full 72,000 vaccine doses allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will be delivered in installments through October. (Sarkissian, 8/9)

Reuters: U.S. To Buy Siga's IV Drug Worth $26 Million To Fight Monkeypox Outbreak 
The U.S. government will buy Siga Technologies Inc's $26-million worth of intravenous formulation of antiviral drug Tpoxx, the company said on Tuesday, as the country fights an outbreak of monkeypox cases. The company plans to deliver by next year the order for the IV treatment, which would be a vital option for patients unable to swallow the oral pill as monkeypox symptoms include rashes and blisters in the mouth. (8/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Absolutely Ridiculous’: LGBT Leaders Vent Frustration Over Lack Of Access To Monkeypox Antiviral Drug
While a national shortage of vaccines has choked efforts to combat the spread of the monkeypox virus, public health officials say an antiviral medication has shown promise to alleviate symptoms for infected people. The problem: They cannot prescribe the medication Tecovirimat, also known as Tpoxx, without completing hours of paperwork because the FDA has classified it as an investigational new drug to treat monkeypox. (Gardiner, 8/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. All But Gives Up On Contact Tracing For Monkeypox
San Francisco has demanded more vaccines and treatment options for its escalating cases of monkeypox — but the city has all but abandoned a time-honored method of containing outbreaks: contact tracing. U.S. health officials declared monkeypox a national health emergency last week, as did California and San Francisco city officials, and although it’s typically non-fatal, no one wants to become infected by the smallpox relative, with its painful lesions that can lead to scarring. (Asimov, 8/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Monkeypox Likely Circulated For Years Before Outbreak, Scientists Say 
A gradual decline of herd immunity against the closely related smallpox virus gave monkeypox more possibilities to jump from its natural animal hosts, infection-disease experts say. And one day, years ago, it infected someone who was part of a network with close physical contact between members—maybe a gay man with multiple sexual partners, or a sex worker—allowing it to spread sustainably among humans for the first time, these experts theorize. (Roland, 8/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: As Biden Signs CHIPS Act, CIOs Debate Whether It Will Help Hospitals
On Aug. 9, President Joe Biden signed into law the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which provides $52 billion to boost the U.S. semiconductor sector. The global chip shortage has affected a variety of industries over the past two-plus years, including healthcare. But how exactly has the dearth of semiconductors affected hospitals and health systems? And do CIOs believe the new law will provide some relief? Becker's asked several health IT executives these questions, and 12 sent responses via email. (Bruce, 8/9)

The Hill: Biden Signs Chips And Science Bill Into Law 
President Biden signed into law on Tuesday bipartisan legislation to provide billions of dollars in incentives to the domestic semiconductor industry and fund scientific research that proponents say will help boost U.S. competitiveness and solve supply chain challenges. ... The bill includes more than $50 billion in incentives for manufacturers of semiconductors, or chips, to build domestic semiconductor plants. It also includes more than $80 billion for the National Science Foundation authorized over five years to support innovation and research. (Chalfant and Gangitano, 8/9)

Fox News: Biden Coughs Through CHIPS Bill Signing Speech After COVID-19 Isolation 
President Biden had to apologize to his audience for coughing repeatedly through his speech touting the signing of the CHIPS legislation Tuesday. Biden could barely utter one sentence without stopping to cough for minutes on end. Despite the coughing fit and Biden blowing his nose, attendees still gathered around his desk for photos and shook hands with him after the speech. (Hagstrom, 8/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: HHS Investing $60M To Improve Rural Healthcare
HHS is investing $60 million in programs aiming to grow the healthcare workforce and increase access to care in rural communities. About $46 million of that total is going toward healthcare job development, training and placement in rural and tribal communities, according to an Aug. 8 HHS news release. The funding includes support for dental hygienists, medical and dental assistants, community-based doulas and other front-line healthcare workers. The funding comes through the American Rescue Plan and will support 31 organizations. (Cass, 8/9)

Healthcare Dive: HHS Investing $60M To Boost Rural Healthcare Workforce 
While the pandemic caused massive shifts in the healthcare labor market, rural communities have always faced shortages and issues recruiting and retaining a sufficient amount of talented medical staff. About 14% of Americans live in rural communities, though those areas represent nearly 75% of primary care health professional shortage areas in the county, according to a February report from the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. (Mensik, 8/9)

McKnights Long-Term Care News: Primary Care Clinicians On Front Lines Of Early Alzheimer’s Care In Rural U.S., Study Reveals 
Primary care doctors and nurse practitioners, rather than specialists, are more likely to provide care for early-onset dementia in rural areas, putting these patients and clinicians at a disadvantage, say the authors of a new study. The researchers recommend innovative approaches to ensuring specialty care for patients, and training or guidance for clinicians. (Lasek, 8/9)

Reuters: Pelosi To Urge House To Pass Biden Inflation-Reduction Bill As Is
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday she will ask members of the House of Representatives to pass without changes a $430 billion climate and prescription drug bill approved by U.S. Senate over the weekend, calling it a historic piece of legislation. Asked if she would ask lawmakers to pass the sweeping legislation as is, Pelosi said "yes." (8/9)

Roll Call: Climate, Health And Tax Debate Moves Quickly To Campaign Realm
The debate over the sweeping climate, health and tax bill passed by Senate Democrats last weekend is already moving to the campaign trail, even before the House has cleared it for President Joe Biden's signature. One Nation, the nonprofit associated with the Senate Leadership Fund — the super PAC run by allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — on Tuesday announced an ad blitz against the package, passed Sunday. (Lesniewski, 8/9)

CBS News: Inflation Reduction Act Could Be "Game-Changing" For Millions Of U.S. Seniors 
The Inflation Reduction Act represents the most important effort in decades to reform how drug prices are set in the U.S., experts say. "This is going to be game-changing," Rena Conti, an associate professor at Boston University's Questrom School of Business who studies drug pricing, said of the bill, which passed in the Senate on Sunday and which House lawmakers could vote on as early as Friday. (Ivanova, 8/9)

The Washington Post: How The Inflation Reduction Act Might Affect Your Health Care
The spending package includes a three-year extension of enhanced financial aid for roughly 13 million Americans who buy health coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. Last year, Democrats passed the beefed up tax credits in their coronavirus aid bill, but such subsidies are slated to expire at the end of this year. The economic package poised for final passage this week extends the aid through 2025. (Roubei, 8/9)

The Hill: Schumer: Senate Will Vote Again On $35 Insulin Cap After GOP Blocked It 
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday night that he is going to bring a $35 cap on patients’ insulin costs back up for a vote this fall after Republicans blocked it over the weekend.  “They blocked a $35 price for insulin for non-Medicare people,” Schumer said on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” “We’re going to come back and make them vote on that again.” (Sullivan, 8/9)

CNBC: Inflation Reduction Act Aims To Trim Insulin Costs For Medicare Users
The Inflation Reduction Act just passed by the Senate will cap insulin at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries. But that dashed hopes to curb insulin prices for a broader set of the diabetes patient population, about 7.9 million of whom rely on insulin, according to new research from Yale University. (Konish, 8/9)

Axios: How The Failure To Cap Insulin Prices Impacts Latinos
Failure to include a monthly $35 insulin cap in the climate and health care bill that passed the Senate last weekend could especially affect Latinos. CDC data shows Latinos are 70% more likely than their white non-Hispanic peers to be diagnosed with diabetes. (Franco and Galvan, 8/9)

NBC News: After Republicans Block Insulin Price Cap, Is It Really Gone For Most?
The axing of the insulin cap provision in the Senate’s budget reconciliation deal would leave millions of people scrambling to cover exorbitant out-of-pocket prices for the diabetes medication. Patient advocates were disappointed with Sunday’s vote — Republican senators blocked the $35 insulin cap for private insurers — and expressed hope that federal and state measures could be included in legislation down the road. (Lovelace Jr., 8/9)

CNBC: 1 In 5 Insulin Users On Medicare Has ‘Catastrophic’ Drug Spending, Yale Finds. The Inflation Reduction Act May Help
The cost of insulin can break diabetes patients financially. Yale’s research found 14% of people in the U.S. who use insulin experience “catastrophic” levels of spending on the treatment. When normal housing and food expenditures are subtracted from their incomes, at least 40% of the remaining money is dedicated to paying for insulin. Of Medicare beneficiaries who use insulin, 1 in 5 reach catastrophic spending, according to Baylee Bakkila, a lead researcher on the Yale School of Medicine’s team focused on this issue. (Konish, 8/9)

Bloomberg: FDA Warns Diabetes Drug Sitagliptin May Contain Cancer-Causing Carcinogen
Merck & Co.’s Januvia, a popular diabetes drug, was found to be contaminated with a potential carcinogen. An impurity called a nitrosamine was found in some samples of the drug, which has the chemical name of sitagliptin, the US Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. The agency said it was permitting Merck to continue to sell drugs containing sitagliptin with higher-than-allowed levels of nitrosamine in order to avoid shortages. (Edney, 8/9)

AP: Fewer Than 1 In 3 Insured Hepatitis C Patients Getting Cure
Fewer than 1 in 3 people infected with hepatitis C are getting the expensive treatments that can cure them, according to a U.S. government study released Tuesday. The report is distressing because it focused on those with health insurance — the group most likely to get treated for the liver infection, said one expert, Dr. Norah Terrault. Insurance restrictions appear to be part of the reason for the surprisingly low percentage. A course of treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars but can wipe out the infection in only a few months. (Stobbe, 8/9)

Axios: Access Barriers To Hepatitis C Treatment Persist, Despite Health Coverage
Younger adults, under the age of 40, are accessing treatment at the lowest rates, which concerns health officials since this is the group most likely to spread hepatitis C. (Dreher, 8/10)

The Hill: Montana Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Blocking Abortion Restrictions
Montana’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s ruling that temporarily blocks further restrictions on abortion. Planned Parenthood in a statement Tuesday announced that the Montana Supreme Court blocked three separate laws that were enacted during the state’s legislative session last year from taking effect. (Oshin, 8/9)

AP: Justice Department Asks Judge To Pause Idaho Abortion Ban 
The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge this week to bar Idaho from enforcing its near-total abortion ban while a lawsuit pitting federal health care law against state anti-abortion legislation is underway. Meanwhile, the Republican-led Idaho Legislature is asking for permission to intervene in the federal case, just as it has done in three other abortion-related lawsuits filed in state courts. (Boone, 8/9)

ABC News: Nebraska Governor Will Not Call Special Session To Discuss 12-Week Abortion Ban
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday he will not call a special session to discuss stricter abortion laws because there is a lack of votes for the proposed legislation. Currently, the Cornhusker State bans abortion after 20 weeks. However, Republicans in the state legislature have been trying to garner support for a 12-week abortion ban. (Kekatos, 8/9)

AP: Nebraska Woman Charged With Helping Daughter Have Abortion 
A Nebraska woman has been charged with helping her teenage daughter end her pregnancy at about 24 weeks after investigators uncovered Facebook messages in which the two discussed using medication to induce an abortion and plans to burn the fetus afterward. The prosecutor handling the case said it’s the first time he has charged anyone for illegally performing an abortion after 20 weeks, a restriction that was passed in 2010. Before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, states weren’t allowed to enforce abortion bans until the point at which a fetus is considered viable outside the womb, at roughly 24 weeks. (Funk, 8/10)

NBC News: Facebook Turned Over Chat Messages Between Mother And Daughter Now Charged Over Abortion
The investigation, which was launched in April before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, is one of the few known instances of Facebook’s turning over information to help law enforcement officials pursue an abortion case — but it is also an example of a scenario that abortion rights experts have warned will be more common as all abortions becomes illegal in many states. (Collier and Burke, 8/9)

AP: NC AG’s Staff Asks Judge Not To Restore 20-Week Abortion Ban 
The North Carolina attorney general’s office, representing defendants in a 2019 case that blocked a state law banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, has joined plaintiffs in asking a federal court not to restore the ban after the judge suggested his injunction “may now be contrary to law. ”Reinstating restrictions in the aftermath of the June U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade would create “significant risk of public confusion” about the availability and legality of abortion services in North Carolina, the attorney general’s office argued in a brief filed late Monday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. (Schoenbaum, 8/9)

Reuters: Abortion Foes Win Republican Governor Nods In Wisconsin, Minnesota 
Republican voters in Wisconsin and Minnesota on Tuesday nominated abortion foes for governor, ensuring the issue will be central to what are expected to be two of the most high-profile races in November's general election. In Wisconsin, Republican construction magnate Tim Michels will face Democratic Governor Tony Evers, Edison Research projected, while in Minnesota, former Republican state Senator Scott Jensen will challenge Democratic Governor Tim Walz. (Ax, 8/10)

Politico: Republicans Turn On Each Other Amid Post-Roe Chaos
Republican state officials have been waiting decades for the chance to ban abortion. Now that they can, red state lawmakers are mired in partisan infighting and struggling to agree on how far to go. The most fervently anti-abortion lawmakers are accusing their colleagues of capitulating on rape and incest exceptions, while those calling for compromise or moderation believe more strident Republicans are ignoring political realities. (Messerly and Ollstein, 8/9)

Politico: Pritzker Uses 'Terrible' DeSantis As Foil In National Campaign On Abortion Rights 
The fall of Roe v. Wade is giving Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker new resolve to wield his immense bank account against his fellow governors and make his mark on abortion rights outside his state. A wealthy heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, Pritzker has already cut $250,000 checks this election cycle to boost Democratic gubernatorial campaigns and parties across the Midwest, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan. He also gave $2 million to the Democratic Governors Association last month, according to a person familiar with his campaign. Now, Pritzker intends to pour in more money and target more states where a Democratic governor might be the lone firewall against new abortion restrictions. (Kapos, 8/9)

American Homefront Project: 10% Of National Guard Members Pass On COVID Shots. Some States Want Them To Serve Anyway
Army National Guard troops had until June 30 to get COVID-19 vaccinations. Still, about 10% of those troops haven't received shots. Almost 11,000 have refused, and thousands more have requested exemptions based on religious or medical reasons. (D'lorio, 8/10)

Crain's New York Business: IBM Report Finds That Cybersecurity Attacks Impact Healthcare More Than Any Other Sector
A data breach within a healthcare system could cost in excess of $10 million—more than in any other sector—according to a new report. The cost is on the rise, up about $1 million from last year. The uptick is partially due to increasingly integrated technology systems. (Neber, 8/9)

Modern Healthcare: Insurers To Crack Down On Unscheduled Procedures
Insurers are zeroing in on providers evaluation and management claims that include modifier 25. Providers use evaluation and management codes on claims for assessing or controlling patient health, such as when they hold office visits or perform surgical procedures. They add a modifier 25 when they provide significant and separately identifiable services during the same patient visits, such as removing a mole. (Tepper, 8/9)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Removes Prior Authorization For Select Orthopedic Devices
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removed prior authorization requirements for a small set of orthopedic procedures as regulators continue to adjust the controversial approval process. CMS issued a final rule Tuesday that indefinitely suspended prior authorization for urgently needed procedures involving spine and knee braces. The agency announced in January that it will more frequently update the mandatory list of durable medical equipment, prosthetic and orthotic procedures requiring insurers’ approval before providers are paid. (Kacik, 8/9)

Modern Healthcare: Blue Cross $2.67B Antitrust Settlement Approved By Judge
Barring an appeal, this would mark the end of policyholders’ 10-year legal battle against 34 Blues plans. The plaintiffs alleged that the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s rules limiting the amount of revenue member plans may generate from non-Blues-branded businesses, and geographic limits to their reach, violated the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. Judge David Proctor’s ruling, handed down in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, orders Blues plans to begin paying consumers their portion of the settlement after 30 days. (Tepper, 8/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: Cerner To Pay $1.8M In Racial Discrimination Case
Cerner has agreed to pay $1.8 million in back pay and interest over claims it discriminated against Black and Asian applicants, according to an Aug. 9 U.S. Labor Department news release. The EHR vendor will pay the amount to 1,870 applicants who sought work as medical billing account and patient account specialists, system engineers, software interns and technical solutions analysts at Cerner facilities in Kansas and Missouri between 2015 and 2019. (Bruce, 8/9)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Grapple With CEO Turnover
A wave of CEO departures is hitting the hospital sector as executives hope the worst of the pandemic has passed. But less than half of hospitals are fully prepared, research shows, portending a range of financial and organizational consequences, industry observers said. (Kacik, 8/9)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Hospitals Sued By IndyStar For Obscuring Nursing-Home Spending
Eight Indiana hospitals are violating state records laws by withholding information on how they are spending public funding they’ve received for their nursing homes, according to a new lawsuit filed by IndyStar. (Magdaleno, 8/10)

AP: 2 Pennsylvania Nursing Homes Accused Of Health Care Fraud 
Managers at two skilled nursing facilities in western Pennsylvania fabricated records of staff time and residents’ conditions to defraud state and federal agencies, prosecutors alleged Tuesday in announcing criminal charges. Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver and Mt. Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Allegheny County were accused of health care fraud, along with five people who managed their operations. (8/9)

The New York Times: Employee Kept Arsenal, Including Assault Rifle, At Hospital, Police Say 
A New Jersey hospital’s marketing director stockpiled an assault rifle fitted with a high-capacity magazine along with dozens of other guns and ammunition in an unlocked closet at his workplace, the police said on Tuesday. The cache of weapons was found after Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus, N.J., got a call last month warning of a bomb there, the police said. The threat turned out to be a hoax, but a police dog involved in a safety sweep of the hospital led officers to the guns, officials said. (Shanahan, 8/9)

AP: Hawaii Details Plans For $78M Drug Company Opioid Settlement
Hawaii Gov. David Ige on Tuesday outlined plans for how the state will spend $78 million it’s receiving from a multistate settlement reached with pharmaceutical industry companies over their role in the opioid addiction crisis. Ige said drug overdose deaths have exceeded traffic fatalities in Hawaii this year. Drug overdoses, including those from prescription opioids, account for 24% of all fatal injuries in Hawaii, he said. (McAvoy, 8/10)

AP: Atlantic City Casino Dealers Reject Designated Smoking Area Proposal
Atlantic City casino dealers opposed to smoking indoors are rejecting an idea being floated among state legislators to create designated outdoor smoking areas that employees could opt out of staffing. Pete Naccarelli, a Borgata dealer and a leader of a group of Atlantic City casino workers pushing for a full indoor smoking ban, said Tuesday the opt-out suggestion is not the solution to protecting workers and customers. (Parry, 8/9)

The Hill: Civil Rights Groups, Including Al Sharpton-Led Organization, Urge USDA To Fix ‘Dietary Racism’ In School Lunch Programs 
Twenty-eight civil rights and health care groups announced Tuesday they have requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) address “dietary racism” in national school lunch programs, raising concerns to the federal agency about forcing millions of minority children to drink cow’s milk without allowing them a healthier alternative. In a letter to the USDA’s Equity Commission, the groups said the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) only incentivizes dairy milk, a policy they called “inherently inequitable and socially unjust” because children of color are more likely to be lactose intolerant. (Dress, 8/9)

The Washington Post: Too Little Sleep May Jeopardize Young Kids’ Development, Study Finds 
For children in elementary school, regularly getting less than nine hours of sleep per night may hinder their neurocognitive development, according to a study led by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers and published in the journal Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The study involved 8,323 children, ages 9 and 10, who were enrolled in a large, long-term study of brain development and children’s health. Comparing children who got the recommended amount of sleep for their age — nine to 12 hours a night — with those who slept less, the new research found differences in brain regions responsible for memory, intelligence and well-being. (Searing, 8/9)

The Guardian: Swapping Salt For Substitutes Reduces Risk Of Stroke And Heart Conditions – Study
Replacing regular salt with a salt substitute lowers blood pressure and protects against life-threatening heart conditions, stroke and death from all causes, research suggests. High consumption of salt composed of sodium chloride is known to drive blood pressure up, leading to poor cardiovascular health and posing a major risk of early death. (Pare, 8/9)

FiercePharma: No DIY Mole Removal. FDA Cracks Down On Amazon, Other Companies For Selling Unapproved Products
Even behemoths like Amazon aren’t immune to FDA warning letters. After the regulatory agency caught wind of the sale of unapproved mole and skin tag removal agents, it cracked down on the sellers. The agency issued three warning letters to Amazon, Ariella Naturals and Justified Laboratories for selling unapproved mole and skin tag removal products via interstate commerce, an act in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). There are no over-the-counter, FDA-approved drug products for mole and skin-tag removal. (Becker, 8/9)

Scientific American: Scientists Revive Human Retinas After Death 
Few biological facts seem as irrevocable as brain death. It has long been assumed that when we die, our neurons die with us. But a new study on the neuron-packed tissue of the eye is beginning to challenge that dogma. In the new work, researchers restored electrical activity in human retinas—the light-sensitive neural tissue that sits at the back of our eyes and communicates with our brains—from recently deceased organ donors. This achievement, reported in Nature, offers a better way to study eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness. It could also lay the groundwork for reviving other types of neural tissue and perhaps—one day—for retinal transplants. (Lewis, 8/1)

Bloomberg: New 'Langya' Virus From Shrews Infects Dozens Of People In China 
Nearly three dozen people in China have been sickened by a newly identified virus from the same family as the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses, though there’s no evidence the pathogen can be transmitted from person-to-person. (Cortez, 8/10)

Mint: Langya Virus Found In China Causing Liver, Kidney Failure. Know The Symptoms About This New Virus
Another Zoonotic virus - Langya virus - has caught the attention of experts as 35 people are found to be infected with it in China. Authorities said, the patients did not have close contact with each other or common exposure history, suggesting that human infections might be sporadic. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are currently establishing a nucleic acid testing method to identify and check the spread of the virus. (8/9)