First Edition: June 10, 2019

Kaiser Health News: How Measles Detectives Work To Contain An Outbreak
On any given day, more than 4,000 people pass through the library at California State University-Los Angeles. On April 11, one of them had measles. The building has only one entrance, which means that anyone who entered or exited the library within two hours of that person’s visit potentially was exposed to one of the most contagious diseases on Earth. It’s the stuff of public health nightmares: Everyone at the library between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day had to be identified, warned and possibly quarantined. Measles is so contagious that up to 90% of people close to an infected person who are not protected by a vaccine or previous case of the disease will become infected. (Gold, 6/10)

Kaiser Health News: Mini-Biographies Help Clinicians Connect With Patients
Bob Hall was recovering from yet another surgery in March 2014 when a volunteer walked into his hospital room. It had been a rocky recovery since his lung transplant three months earlier at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wis. The volunteer wasn’t there to check on his lungs or breathing. Instead, she asked Hall if he wanted to tell his life story. (Sable-Smith, 6/10)

Kaiser Health News: FAQ: How Does New Trump Fetal Tissue Policy Impact Medical Research?
The announcement this week that the federal government is changing its policy on the use of human fetal tissue in medical research is designed to please anti-abortion groups that have strongly supported President Donald Trump. But it could jeopardize promising medical research and set back attempts to make inroads in devastating diseases such as HIV, Parkinson’s and diabetes, U.S. scientists said. Under the new policy, employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will no longer conduct research with human fetal tissue obtained from elective abortions, after using up any material they have on hand. Officials also immediately stopped funding a multiyear contract at the University of California-San Francisco using human fetal tissue in mice to research HIV therapies. (Andrews, 6/7)

Kaiser Health News: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Fetal Tissue Research Is Latest Flashpoint In Abortion Debate
The Trump administration this week announced efforts to restrict research using fetal tissue from elective abortions. The new policy bars such research by government scientists and creates hurdles for outside scientists that get funding from the National Institutes of Health. The move displaces a policy passed with bipartisan support in Congress more than 25 years ago. (6/6)

The New York Times: Politicians Draw Clear Lines On Abortion. Their Parties Are Not So Unified.
Abortion is often cast as a clear, crisp issue in Washington and in state governments, with Republicans and Democrats clustered in opposite corners. Joe Biden moved nearer to the rest of his party’s presidential contenders on Thursday when he dropped his support of a measure restricting use of federal funds for abortions. But while the Democratic field now looks more uniform, the public’s views are often muddled and complex. They bear little resemblance to those of politicians, or even to those of the activists and ideologically consistent voters who post political content to social media. (Cohn, 6/8)

The Hill: More Than Half Of Americans Identify As 'Pro-Choice': Poll
The poll found that 57 percent of Americans surveyed said they support abortion rights, while 35 percent said they were against the procedure. A similar poll in January found that 55 percent of Americans considered themselves “pro-choice,” while 38 percent identified as “pro-life.” (Bowden, 6/7)

The Hill: Poll: 77 Percent Say Supreme Court Should Uphold Roe V. Wade
According to the poll, 26 percent of Americans want to keep Roe v. Wade in place, but add more restrictions. The survey found that a strong majority, 61 percent, said they favored a combination of limitations on abortion. (Frazin, 6/7)

The Associated Press: Hyde Amendment, Abortion Debate Haunt 2020 Democrats
The Hyde Amendment has become a top discussion point in 2020 politics — and something of a purity test for Democrats — after Joe Biden, the leader of his party's presidential pack, announced that he's now an opponent of the 1976 policy. But the amendment that restricts government funding for most abortions has been preserved by Democrats for decades — including with votes from some of the presidential hopefuls now decrying it. Biden's reversal Thursday crashed that party. His timing raised questions about how in touch he is with the new generation of Democrats that propelled a record number of women into the ranks of White House hopefuls and Congress. (Kellman, 6/7)

The Washington Post: Several Of Biden’s 2020 Rivals Are Quick To Highlight His Reversal On Federal Funding Of Abortions
Several of Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential rivals seized the opportunity Friday to highlight his reversal on federal funding for abortions, seeking to elevate their profile in the crowded field and weaken the candidate leading in the polls. In a morning tweet, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) took aim at the former vice president hours after Biden announced that he now opposes the so-called Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion. The tweet also highlighted another potential weakness for Biden. (Wagner and Itkowitz, 6/7)

The New York Times: Behind Biden’s Reversal On Hyde Amendment: Lobbying, Backlash And An Ally’s Call
When Joseph R. Biden Jr. took the stage at a fund-raiser that drew many African-American Democrats Thursday night, he was under siege over his support for a measure that prohibits federal funding for most abortions. Black women, including on his own campaign staff, were urging him to reverse his position, pointing to restrictive abortion laws passed in Georgia and in other Southern states. He was facing a chorus of blistering-if-implicit criticism from his Democratic rivals, and abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood were intensely lobbying his staff. And he feared that his coming health care proposal could be overshadowed by questions of why he supported limiting abortion access for poor women and women of color who rely on Medicaid. (Glueck, Martin and Burns, 6/7)

The Hill: Alyssa Milano Urged Biden To Reverse Stance On Hyde Amendment: Reports
Actress Alyssa Milano, an outspoken women's rights advocate and friend of Joe Biden, reportedly urged the former vice president to reverse his stance on the Hyde Amendment after he reaffirmed his decades-long support for the ban on federal funding for abortions. (Frazin, 6/7)

The Hill: Biden Adviser Pushes Back Against Hyde Reversal Criticism: 'He's Authentic'
A senior adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden defended the 2020 White House hopeful after he reversed his previous support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits using federal funds for abortions. His reversal came just a day after Biden's campaign had reaffirmed his decades-long support for the amendment, which was strongly criticized by other 2020 Democratic candidates as well as groups that support abortion rights. (Frazin, 6/7)

The Washington Post: House Democrats Look To Keep Uneasy Truce On Abortion Funding Amid Uproar In Presidential Race
Former vice president Joe Biden’s sudden reversal on allowing taxpayer funding for abortions prompted an uproar in the presidential race. But on Capitol Hill, Democrats show little sign they are planning to upend a long but uneasy truce on the issue. Even after winning back control of the House in last year’s midterm elections, House Democrats are poised to vote next week on a wide-ranging spending bill that includes the very language Biden disavowed late Thursday — the Hyde Amendment, a provision that has sharply limited federal funding for abortions since 1976. (DeBonis, 6/7)

Politico: Sanders On Bills With Hyde Amendment: 'Sometimes ... You Have To Vote For Things You Don't Like'
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday defended his past votes for legislation containing a provision prohibiting federal funding for most abortions, while reiterating his support for abortion rights. Sanders was asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” about his support for bills containing the Hyde Amendment, which bans using Medicaid funds for abortions unless the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy arises from rape or incest. (Massara, 6/9)

The New York Times: What Is The Hyde Amendment? A Look At Its Impact As Biden Reverses His Stance
As a wave of highly restrictive state laws have made abortion a key issue in the 2020 campaign, the Hyde Amendment has drawn new scrutiny. Numerous presidential candidates had already come out against the provision before Wednesday, when former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. became the only one to say he supported it, prompting intense criticism. By Thursday, almost all of the other 22 candidates in the Democratic race were on the record calling for its repeal. Less than 48 hours after his initial statement, Mr. Biden changed his mind. (Astor, 6/7)

The Washington Post: Henry Hyde, Abortion Amendment's Namesake, Fought Culture Wars Engulfing Joe Biden Today
In 1976, a Republican congressman from the well-heeled western suburbs of Chicago rose on the House floor to make the case for an amendment he had recently introduced, using language that evoked the Nazi plan to exterminate Europe’s Jews. “The only virtue to abortion is that it is a final solution,” the lawmaker said. “Believe me, it is a final solution, especially to the unborn child.” The speaker was Henry J. Hyde, the namesake of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funding for most abortions, making the procedure largely inaccessible for women who rely on Medicaid. (Stanley-Becker, 6/7)

The Washington Post: In Alabama — Where Lawmakers Banned Abortion For Rape Victims — Rapists’ Parental Rights Are Protected
When a young woman came to the Family Services of North Alabama office last year for help with trauma, saying she had been raped by her step-uncle when she was 15, rape crisis advocate Portia Shepherd heard something that “killed me, shocked me. ”The step-uncle, who was getting out of jail after a drug conviction, wanted to be a part of their child’s life. And in Alabama, the alleged rapist could get custody. “It’s the craziest thing I ever heard in my life,” Shepherd said. “On the state level, people were shocked. How could Alabama even be missing this law?” (Wax-Thibodeaux, 6/9)

The Washington Post: Missouri Pelvic Exam Explained: Rachel Maddow Likens It To 'State-Sanctioned Sexual Assault'
Under any circumstances, a pelvic exam is uncomfortable. The invasive practice requires a doctor to insert a speculum into a patient’s vagina to examine her cervix and to insert fingers into that patient’s vagina while pressing her abdomen to feel her reproductive organs. Even when it’s medically necessary, it is unpleasant. But when it’s not — when it’s instead performed only because of a state mandate — doctors say the examination can be traumatizing. In Missouri, this issue — the subject of back-to-back episodes of Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show — is at the center of the fight over the fate of the state’s last abortion clinic. (Thebault, 6/8)

The Associated Press: Missouri Health Officials Seek Answers On Abortion Clinic
Health officials on Friday said they're still seeking answers from Missouri's only abortion clinic about why some patients were unaware that they remained pregnant after what the agency described as "failed surgical abortions." The state Department of Health and Senior Services said a March health inspection of the St. Louis Planned Parenthood clinic "identified serious concerns, one of those involving the handling of fetal tissue extracted from abortions." (Ballentine and Hanna, 6/7)

The Hill: 12 Attorneys General Say Recent Abortion Bans 'Appear To Be Unconstitutional'
Attorneys general for 11 states and the District of Columbia signed a joint statement saying they will not criminalize abortions and that recent abortion bans "appear to be unconstitutional." The Fair and Just prosecution statement was signed by the attorneys general of California, Vermont, Minnesota, Nevada, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, Michigan, D.C., Illinois, Oregon and Pennsylvania. It was also signed by elected prosecutors in several states, including some whose governments have recently passed abortion bans. (Frazin, 6/7)

The Washington Post: ‘Women Should Have Autonomy’: A Michigan Hotel Offers Free Stays To Anyone Seeking An Abortion
From Yale, Mich., a conservative meat-processing town with less than 2,000 people in the state’s eastern “thumb,” the nearest abortion providers are roughly an hour drive away. For Shelley O’Brien, the manager of the Yale Hotel, that was close enough to be of help. “Dear sisters that live in Alabama, Ohio, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, or any of the other states that follow with similar laws restricting access,” the 55-year-old mother of three wrote on the hotel’s Facebook page in May. “We cannot do anything about the way you are being treated in your home state. But, if you can make it to Michigan, we will support you with several nights lodging, and transportation to and from your appointment.” (Noori Farzan, 6/10)

The Washington Post: With 2020 In Mind, Trump Overruled Top Health Official On Fetal Tissue
The agenda for the Oval Office meeting was heavy with political and scientific significance: whether to curtail the government’s decades-long support for medical research that relies on fetal tissue from elective abortions. The president’s top health and science aides had been arguing that ending the funding could disrupt valuable research, trigger lawsuits and place the values of abortion opponents above those of scientists. Over the opposition of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who was in the room, the president chose the course advocated by his political advisers and Vice President Pence: to end the work of government researchers and impose restrictions on funding for universities and other outside labs. (Goldstein and Dawsey, 6/7)

The Associated Press: Scientists Feel Chill Of Crackdown On Fetal Tissue Research
To save babies from brain-damaging birth defects, University of Pittsburgh scientist Carolyn Coyne studies placentas from fetuses that otherwise would be discarded — and she's worried this kind of research is headed for the chopping block. The Trump administration is cracking down on fetal tissue research , with new hurdles for government-funded scientists around the country who call the special cells vital for fighting a range of health threats. (Neergaard, Ritter and Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/8)

Politico: Trump’s Bid To Wipe Out AIDS Will Take More Than A Pill
Public health now has the tools to eradicate HIV — medicines to protect people from getting the virus, to prevent those who have it from infecting others, and to prolong lives by decades. But it takes a lot more than a pill to reach the “hard to reach” populations, people who 40 years into the epidemic are still most at risk of contracting and spreading HIV/AIDS. These are the stigmatized, the marginalized, the poor, the homeless, the afraid, the addicted and the mentally ill, in rural communities and urban cores. Unlike the 1980s, the faces of the AIDS crisis in 2019 are not found so much in San Francisco’s Castro district or New York’s Greenwich Village. They are disproportionately black men, and increasingly black women. Some are gay or bisexual and closeted in hostile communities. Many are at risk because of drug addiction and mental illness, in small rural southern towns or in troubled inner cities like Baltimore. (Karlin-Smith, 6/8)

The Associated Press: California OKs Health Care For Some Adult Immigrants
Some low-income adults in California living in the country illegally will soon get their health benefits paid for by taxpayers. Democrats in the state Legislature on Sunday agreed to make adults between the ages of 19 and 25 eligible for the state's Medicaid program. Not everyone will get those benefits, only people whose incomes are low enough to qualify for the program. State officials estimate the program will cover an additional 90,000 people at a cost of $98 million. (Beam, 6/10)

The New York Times: Migrants In Custody At Hospitals Are Treated Like Felons, Doctors Say
Rom Rahimian, a medical student working at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson, was trying to help a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman who had been found late last year in the desert — dehydrated, pregnant and already in labor months before her due date. But the Border Patrol agents lingering in the room were making him uncomfortable. The agents remained in the obstetrics ward night and day as physicians worked to halt her labor. They were present during her medical examinations, listened in on conversations with doctors and watched her ultrasounds, Mr. Rahimian said. (Fink, 6/10)

The Associated Press: Police: Man Says He Robbed Bank Because He Couldn't Buy Meds
Police say a 65-year-old man told them he robbed a Utah bank because he didn't have the money for medication he needed. The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday that Glenn Douglas Mower was charged with robbery. He is accused of robbing a Key Bank branch Monday in Roy, about 32 miles north of Salt Lake City. Authorities say Mower walked into the bank, asked the teller to put money in a white paper bag and then returned to a nearby motel where he was staying. (6/7)

The Associated Press: FDA: 'Influencers' Promoted Vaping Without Suitable Warnings
U.S. regulators moved to discipline vaping companies for inappropriately promoting their flavored nicotine formulas through so-called influencers on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. The Food and Drug Administration sent warning letters Friday to four companies that used paid social media influencers to pitch nicotine solutions to their online followers, including flavors like Watermelon Patch and Strawberry Kiwi. (Perrone, 6/7)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Warns Flavored E-Cigarette Makers Over Social Media Posts
Social media marketing has come under increased scrutiny as part of attempts by health regulators to control the marketing of tobacco products, particularly the newest generation of products including the wildly popular Juul e-cigarettes. Posts on social media on behalf of Solace Technologies LLC, Hype City Vapors LLC, Humble Juice Co LLC and Artist Liquids Laboratories LLC had content touting the flavored e-liquid products by not including the required nicotine warning statement, the agency said. (6/7)

The Hill: Feds Target Vaping Companies' Use Of Social Media 'Influencers'
Facebook officially prohibits advertising or selling tobacco products, but there are loopholes. The FTC has also been reminding influencers that they need to clearly disclose their relationships to brands when promoting or endorsing products through social media.  The warning letters come as the FDA is trying to crack down on tobacco companies, and e-cigarette makers in particular, amid a massive spike in teen vaping. (Weixel, 6/7)

The Washington Post: Stem Cell Clinics Likely To Flourish Despite Judge’s Rebuke
When the Food and Drug Administration won a landmark lawsuit this week against a stem cell company, health officials hailed it as a turning point in the government’s struggle to regulate a booming industry selling unproven treatments to desperate patients. But the reaction of the company — Florida-based U.S. Stem Cell — and the industry’s ability to adapt to changing rules suggest the judge’s order may have less impact than many regulators and consumer advocates had hoped. (Wan, 6/7)

The Washington Post: Your Longtime Doctor Moves. Will You Lose That Physician Because Of A Noncompete Clause?
I received a form letter recently from my health clinic that told me my primary-care doctor was leaving. Her colleagues would welcome me into their care. I had been seeing her for more than a decade and didn’t want a new doctor. But when I called to ask where she was going, receptionists said they didn’t know — a response that made me wonder whether her contract prevented them from telling me. I also worried: after years of building a relationship with a doctor I trusted, would I have to start all over with a new provider? (Sohn, 6/8)

The Hill: Idaho Sues Purdue Pharma, Says Family Has Profited From Opioid Crisis
Idaho's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family, the company's owners, accusing them of profiting off of the nationwide opioid abuse epidemic. ABC News reported that Attorney General Lawrence Wasden (R) filed suit Monday, claiming that Purdue and members of the Sackler family mounted one of the "deadliest marketing campaigns in history" to urge doctors to prescribe opiates to patients despite the risks of addiction. (Bowden, 6/7)

The New York Times: Warning Of ‘Pig Zero’: One Drugmaker’s Push To Sell More Antibiotics
Facing a surge in drug-resistant infections, the World Health Organization issued a plea to farmers two years ago: “Stop using antibiotics in healthy animals.” But at last year’s big swine industry trade show, the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, one of the largest manufacturers of drugs for livestock was pushing the opposite message. “Don’t wait for Pig Zero,” warned a poster featuring a giant picture of a pig peeking through an enormous blue zero, at a booth run by the drugmaker Elanco. (Hakim and Tichtel, 6/7)

The New York Times: The Elderly Are Getting Complex Surgeries. Often It Doesn’t End Well.
People over 65 represent roughly 16 percent of the American population, but account for 40 percent of patients undergoing surgery in hospitals — and probably more than half of all surgical procedures. Those proportions are likely to increase as the population ages and more seniors consider surgery, including procedures once deemed too dangerous for them. Dr. Clifford Ko, a colorectal surgeon at the University of California, Los Angeles, recently performed major surgery on an 86-year-old with rectal cancer, for instance. (Span, 6/7)

NPR: How Early Trauma Can Shape The Brain's Response To Pain
Jeannine, who is 37 and lives in Burbank, Calif., has endured widespread pain since she was 8. She has been examined by dozens of doctors, but none of their X-rays, MRIs or other tests have turned up any evidence of physical injury or damage. Over the years, desperate for relief, she tried changing her diet, wore belts to correct her posture and exercised to strengthen muscles. Taking lots of ibuprofen helped, she says, but doctors warned her that taking too much could cause gastric bleeding. Nothing else eased her discomfort. On a pain scale of 0 to 10, her pain ranged from "7 to 9, regularly," she says. (Neighmond, 6/10)

The New York Times: Supplements For Weight Loss, Sexual Function And Muscle Building May Be Deadly
Dietary supplements for weight loss, energy, sexual function or muscle building are popular among young people. But they led to 1,392 adverse event reports in people under 25 from 2004 to 2015, with more than 40 percent of them severe or even fatal. A 1994 law prohibits the Food and Drug Administration from screening supplements for safety or efficacy, and requires only that manufacturers assert that their products are safe before selling them. (Bakalar, 6/10)

The New York Times: How Safe Is Sunscreen?
Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in the United States, affecting more than three million people each year. Using sunscreen is one mainstay of prevention. But the recent news that sunscreen ingredients can soak into your bloodstream has caused concern. Later this year, the Food and Drug Administration will offer some official guidance on the safety of such ingredients. What should people do in the interim as summer approaches? (Carroll, 6/10)

The New York Times: Nutrition For One? Scientists Stalk The Dream Of A Personalized Diet
A decade ago, spurred by the success of the Human Genome Project and the affordability of genetic sequencing, scientists began to explore the promise of “nutrigenomics.” Could personalized nutrition, informed by knowledge of an individual’s DNA, help prevent and even treat diet-related diseases? The results of early studies from Harvard, Stanford and elsewhere were compelling: Genetic differences seemed to predispose individuals to lose different amounts of weight on different types of diets. (Graber and Twilley, 6/10)

The New York Times: Chickenpox Vaccine May Protect Against Shingles Years Later 
The chickenpox vaccine not only protects against chickenpox: A new study has found it also lowers the risk for shingles. Shingles, sometimes called herpes zoster, is a painful nerve infection and rash that can occur after recovery from a case of chickenpox or after immunization with the vaccine. It is more common in older people and can occur decades after recovery from chickenpox, but children can get it, too. (Bakalar, 6/10)

The New York Times: Insomnia Can Kill You
How did you sleep last night? If you’re over 65, I hope it was better than many others your age. In a study by the National Institute on Aging of over 9,000 Americans aged 65 and older, more than half said they had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Many others who believe they spend an adequate number of hours asleep nonetheless complain of not feeling rested when they get up. Chronic insomnia, which affects 5 percent to 10 percent of older adults, is more than just exhausting. It’s also linked to an increased risk of developing hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, heart attack, depression, anxiety and premature death. (Brody, 6/10)

The Washington Post: Mothers With Autism -- Discovered Only In Adulthood -- Bond With Autistic Children.
Maria Mercado always knew she was different. Growing up in a boisterous Puerto Rican family in the Bronx, Mercado rarely spoke unless challenged or angry. To the outside world, she came across as a smart but shy girl, who learned to read at age 4 and couldn’t keep eye contact. For most of her school years, she had little trouble with academics — despite a severe stutter and constant daydreaming — but struggled in social settings. Even into adulthood, Mercado sometimes had a hard time verbalizing her thoughts. “Can I say this?” she asked herself. Yet only she appeared to be aware of the problem. She just didn’t understand why. (Dias, 6/7)

The Washington Post: A Type Of Scan Used To Monitor An Elevated Risk Of Breast Cancer Poses A Risk Of Its Own
We all have certain numbers we’d rather not think about: weight, age and, for me, in addition to breast cancer risk, how many MRIs might be too many. What’s worse — a known risk for breast cancer (mine is 42 percent) or an undetermined risk for the diagnostic tool used to detect it? The tool I’m referring to is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium contrast. Gadolinium is a rare earth metal whose presence highlights certain abnormalities, aiding in the diagnosis of many organ, musculoskeletal and soft-tissue diseases. (Resnick, 6/8)

The New York Times: Children’s Safety On Wheels
A 13-year-old patient recently talked to me about the amount of time he spends playing video games (plenty) and about his weight (heavier than he wants, and on the rise). I asked about exercise, and he told me proudly that he rides his bike a lot, now that the weather is good. And then, of course, I had to be the fun police, and ask whether he wears a helmet, and when he told me no, of course, I had to take the opportunity to deliver more good advice that I suspected he was not going to follow, and his parents were not going to enforce. (Klass, 6/10)

The New York Times: Columbine High School Could Be Torn Down To Deter Copycats
In the 20 years since the massacre at Columbine High School, the building has become a macabre tourist attraction for the curious and the obsessed. They travel from as far as Brazil or Japan, hoping to walk the halls, to look for the two teenage gunmen’s lockers. They come every day, and more come with each passing year. Now, in an effort to stop the escalating threats against the school and lessen Columbine’s perverse appeal to copycats and so-called Columbiners, school officials are proposing a radical idea: Tear it down. (Turkewitz and Healy, 6/7)

The Washington Post: 9/11 Memorial Glade: A Monument To Responders, Survivors Who Paid For The Attacks With Their Health
When the twin towers crumbled on Sept. 11, 2001, emergency personnel swarmed Ground Zero. They were followed by workers who spent nearly a year removing debris and recovering victims’ remains. Many have since become belated victims of the attacks, facing conditions such as respiratory complaints, rare cancers and mental-health disorders. Thousands of responders died of illnesses related to their work on and after 9/11, and tens of thousands more are being treated for illnesses. (Blakemore, 6/8)