First Edition: June 15, 2022

KHN: Buy And Bust: When Private Equity Comes For Rural Hospitals 
When the new corporate owners of two rural hospitals suddenly announced they would stop admitting patients one Friday in March, Kayla Schudel, a nurse, stood resolute in the nearly empty lobby of Audrain Community Hospital: “You’ll be seen; the ER is open.” The hospital — with 40 beds and five clinics — typically saw 24 to 50 emergency room cases a day, treating patients from the surrounding 1,000-plus acre farms and tiny no-stoplight towns, she said. She wouldn’t abandon them. A week later Noble Health had the final word: It locked the doors. (Tribble, 6/15)

KHN: Will The US Overcome Its Covid Complacency Even As The Threat Returns? 
A few months ago, it seemed as though the country was poised to finally tame the pandemic, after two years of restrictions and tens of billions in government spending. The Biden administration in March released the first national covid-19 preparedness plan to help Americans safely “return to normal,” a strategy to live with the continued presence of the virus and the emergence of new variants. In response, elected representatives and much of the country essentially sighed, seemingly preferring to move on and give up the fight. (Rosenthal, 6/15)

Los Angeles Times: U.S. Abortion Rate Rises, Reversing Three Decades Of Declines
Ahead of a historic Supreme Court decision on the fate of Roe vs. Wade, the nation recorded its first significant increase in the abortion rate in more than three decades, according to new statistics. The rate rose 7%, from 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women and girls of child-bearing age in 2017 to 14.4 in 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. Overall, there were 930,160 abortions in the United States in 2020, up 8% from 862,320 in 2017. (Haberkorn and Reyes, 6/14)

AP: US Abortions Rise: 1 In 5 Pregnancies Terminated In 2020 
Medication abortions, the two-drug combination sometimes called the “abortion pill,” accounted for 54% of U.S. abortions in 2020, the first time they made up more than half of abortions, the report from the Guttmacher Institute said. (Johnson, 6/15)

The New York Times: House Approves Supreme Court Security Bill, Sending It To Biden
The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would extend police protection to the immediate families of Supreme Court justices, clearing the bill for President Biden at a time of rising concern about threats to justices as a potentially momentous abortion ruling looms. The vote was 396 to 27, with all of the opposition coming from Democrats, who tried unsuccessfully to extend the protections to the families of court employees. (Hulse, 6/14)

Politico: The Supreme Court Could Foster A New Kind Of Civil War
The Supreme Court’s expected overturning of Roe v. Wade has captured all the news attention, but the Court could well lay the groundwork for even larger changes in American governance before it adjourns for the term — and trigger a state-by-state battle for the new shape of laws and American civic life. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, activists on both sides are already girding for full-force political battles over state abortion access, possibly followed by similar struggles over contraception, and even same-sex marriage. (Bernstein, 6/14)

Bloomberg: Abortion Care Workers Look To Unionize As Supreme Court Roe Decision Approaches
A wave of unionization is sweeping the US abortion care industry, as burnt-out employees prepare for a major roll back of reproductive rights. The group Planned Parenthood North Central States United is trying to unionize more than 400 Planned Parenthood workers in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to address issues like low pay. It’s seeking an election this summer, to get the union officially recognized. The organization is joined by clinic workers in Massachusetts trying to unionize right now, while employees at a major reproductive health care researcher are also looking to organize. (Butler, 6/14)

AP: Abortion Amendment Moving Quickly In California Legislature 
Fearing the U.S. Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe v. Wade, California Democrats on Tuesday moved quickly to ensure the state’s progressive voters have a chance this fall to make abortion a constitutional right in the nation’s most populous state. A proposed amendment to the California Constitution that would explicitly ban the state from denying or interfering with abortions or contraceptives cleared two legislative committees in a single day on Tuesday, an unusually fast pace for a Legislature that many times takes two years to move a bill through its arduous process. (Beam, 6/15)

AP: Synagogue Challenges Florida Abortion Law Over Religion
A new Florida law prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks with some exceptions violates religious freedom rights of Jews in addition to the state constitution’s privacy protections, a synagogue claims in a lawsuit. The lawsuit filed by the Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor of Boynton Beach contends the law that takes effect July 1 violates Jewish teachings, which state abortion “is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman” and for other reasons. (Anderson, 6/14)

AP: Kentucky AG Sues Over Abortion Law Blocked By Federal Court
Kentucky’s Republican attorney general went to court Tuesday claiming the Democratic governor’s administration missed a deadline to set up a regulatory process for a sweeping new abortion law currently blocked by a federal court order. In a maneuver loaded with political and legal implications, Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in his lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration that state officials are still obligated to craft regulations and create forms associated with the new law’s restrictions, even though a federal judge temporarily halted its enforcement while the case is litigated. (Schreiner, 6/14)

The Washington Post: Mitch McConnell Signals Support For Bipartisan Gun Deal 
A tentative bipartisan deal to toughen federal gun laws picked up momentum in the Senate on Tuesday after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) lent public support to a framework that negotiators released this week. McConnell’s backing provided further evidence that the current round of gun-law negotiations, which kicked off after last month’s deadly shooting inside a Texas elementary school, might just have what previous attempts at bipartisan compromise did not — sufficient GOP support to overcome a filibuster. (DeBonis, 6/14)

Politico: How A Centrist, A Liberal And 2 Conservatives Achieved 4-Part Harmony On Guns 
One day after the mass shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Texas, Kyrsten Sinema held a rare off-the-cuff press gaggle where she vowed to talk to Republicans about a gun safety deal. The Arizona Democrat didn’t waste any time after those remarks. She then marched onto the Senate floor to ask Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his deputy, John Thune, which Republicans she needed to talk to. The GOP duo replied to her: John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. (Everett and Levine, 6/14)

Houston Chronicle: Gov. Greg Abbott Takes ‘Minimalist Approach’ To Uvalde Shooting Response, Experts Say
In the three weeks since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school, Gov. Greg Abbott has declined to use the power of his office to call a special session, form commissions or issue executive orders to address school safety or gun violence. Instead, the governor has issued eight directives imploring other Texas officials to take action, from conducting school safety assessments to promoting technology to report suspicious behavior. It’s a strategy that political experts say is substantive — but does not nearly represent the extent of the governor’s authority or influence. “As governor, he is the chief administrative officer of the state, and all the state agencies fall under his administrative purview,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. “For the governor to be instructing various agencies to take a part in the response to gun violence and the Uvalde shooting is perfectly reasonable. But on another level, it is — as always in Texas — a minimalist response.” (Harris, 6/15)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Announces $100M School Shooting Prevention Plan
Iowa will spend $100 million of federal funding to prevent school shootings, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday. The funds will be used to conduct vulnerability assessments on schools, provide active shooter training, hire additional staff at the Department of Public Safety and create new pathways to report and monitor threats of violence. Schools, both public and private, will also be eligible for up to $50,000 each to improve the security of their buildings. (Akin, 6/14)

ABC News: Heat Wave Continues In 27 States Across The Country 
A "heat dome" is expected to bring triple-digit temperatures to portions of the Midwest, adding to the early onset temperatures already baking the Southwest. From California to Virginia, approximately 100 million Americans are under heat advisories, heat warnings or heat watches. St. Louis reported a record-high temperature of 100 degrees on Monday, and the heat index in parts of the Midwest neared 115 degrees. From Raleigh, North Carolina, to Chicago, actual temperatures are expected to reach near 100 degrees on Tuesday. (Guilfoil and Golembo, 6/14)

The Wall Street Journal: A Third Of U.S. Population Under Heat Advisories 
High temperatures enveloped a third of the U.S. population Tuesday, as wildfires in Arizona and California sparked during the heat wave there grew. Excessive heat watches, excessive heat warnings and heat advisories were in effect from the Upper Midwest to the Southeast, according to the National Weather Service. (Ansari and Azu, 6/14)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Air Quality Alert Extended To Wednesday
The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency has extended its Air Quality Alert to Wednesday for several counties. The alert will remain in effect all day Wednesday and includes Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky and Dearborn County in Indiana. The agency initially issued the alert for Tuesday, saying ozone levels would be within the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range on the Air Quality Index. (Moorwood, 6/14)

NPR: A Texas City Could Be Without Water For 48 Hours After A Water Main Break
A water line break in Odessa, Texas could leave nearly 165,000 people in and around the city with little to no water for 48 hours, according to city officials. The water main break occurred at around 6 p.m. Monday, with crews actively working around the clock to repair the 24-inch transmission water line. The city of Odessa has not yet released details regarding the cause of the break. (Franklin, 6/14)

Politico: Is Monkeypox A World Health Emergency? The WHO Will Decide Next Week
The World Health Organization is convening its emergency committee next week to decide whether the monkeypox outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern — the world’s highest health alert. The meeting should help international coordination on the response now that monkeypox has spread to at least 39 countries, which have in total reported more than 1,600 confirmed cases and an additional 1,500 suspected cases to the WHO. (Paun and Payne, 6/14)

The Boston Globe: 4th Mass. Man Tests Positive For Monkeypox Virus
A fourth Massachusetts man has tested positive for the monkeypox virus, officials said Tuesday, two days after two other infections were reported and nearly a month after the state’s first case of the virus was announced amid an international outbreak. The man’s initial testing was completed Monday at the State Public Health Laboratory in Jamaica Plain, and further testing to confirm the infection will be conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement from the Department of Public Health. (Fox, 6/14)

CIDRAP: WHO Discourages Mass Vaccination For Monkeypox Outbreak
With more than 3,100 confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox in 32 non-endemic and 7 endemic countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) today said it does not recommend mass vaccination campaigns at this time to limit the outbreaks, and instead emphasized contact tracing and isolation to limit the further spread of the poxvirus. In new interim guidance on vaccine use against monkeypox, the WHO said contacts of cases should be offered post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with a vaccine within four days of first exposure to prevent onset of disease. (Soucheray, 6/14)

The Atlantic: Monkeypox Vaccines Are Too Gnarly For The Masses
In the past three years, the world has weathered two very different global outbreaks, caused by two very different pathogens, under two sets of very different circumstances. Unlike with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with monkeypox, we’re entering an epidemic with highly effective vaccines—formulated to guard against smallpox—already in hand. Also unlike with SARS-CoV-2, with monkeypox, the shots stockpiled in U.S. stores are based on some pretty grody tech. Nearly all of the 100 million available smallpox vaccines are ACAM2000, an inoculation that, per FDA documentation, gets punctured “rapidly” into the arm via 15 jabs of a bifurcated, escargot-fork-esque needle, in a fashion “vigorous enough” to draw blood. In the weeks following, a gnarly, pus-laden lump blossoms, then scabs and falls away. “It’s oozy; it’s nasty; it definitely doesn’t feel good,” says Kelsey Cone, a virologist at ARUP Laboratories, in Utah, who received the vaccine about 12 years ago. (Wu, 6/14)

USA Today: FDA Panel Recommends Moderna COVID Vaccine As Option For Kids 6 And Up
Parents could soon have two vaccines to choose from when vaccinating their children against COVID-19. After hearing hours of testimony Tuesday, a federal advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend Moderna's vaccine be made available to children 6 and up. So far, only Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine has been allowed for children. Assuming the Food and Drug Administration commissioner signs off on the panel's recommendation, as expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will review Moderna's vaccine data later this week and the shots could become available as soon as next week. (Weintraub, 6/14)

NBC News: How Strong Is Your Covid Immunity? A Blood Test Could Offer Some Insight
A newly developed blood test that measures a specific immune response in the body could help doctors gauge how much protection a person has against Covid-19, according to a new study. The test, which focuses on the part of the immune system that confers long-term protection by prompting the body to "remember" the virus, could help make sense of the complex tangle of Covid immunity that now exists from person to person. The test can, for instance, measure immunity regardless of whether someone has developed a level of protection from one or more natural infections or from vaccinations and booster shots. (Chow, 6/14)

CIDRAP: Data Show Low Level Of COVID Rebound With Paxlovid 
A study of nearly 500 high-risk patients treated with Paxlovid for their COVID-19 infections found that only a few had rebound symptoms, Mayo Clinic researchers reported today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. ... The retrospective review included 483 high-risk patients who received the drug at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, through an outpatient COVID-19 treatment program. The researchers identified four patients who had rebound symptoms, which occurred at a median of 9 days after treatment. All were fully vaccinated. Symptoms were generally mild, and all four recovered without additional COVID-specific treatment. (Schnirring, 6/14)

Axios: Pfizer's COVID Pill Found Ineffective For Standard-Risk Patients
Pfizer on Tuesday said a study showed its COVID-19 pill Paxlovid didn't significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in people with a standard risk of developing severe infections. The results could mean the antiviral could be largely limited to high-risk patient populations, where it's been shown to be effective. Pfizer said it was halting enrollment in the study of standard-risk patients after Paxlovid showed a 51% risk reduction, which the company called "non-significant." (Bettelheim, 6/14)

CIDRAP: Study Spotlights Omicron's Impact On Unvaccinated, Rural Americans 
Though it causes less severe disease than the Delta variant, the highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant has been twice as deadly in unvaccinated people and has therefore hit rural Americans harder than those living in cities, a study today in Frontiers in Medicine finds. Because low-vaccination parts of the country are mostly rural, those living in less densely populated areas continue to bear the highest COVID-19 burden, according to the study authors, who hail from universities in four US states and Zimbabwe. They worry that rural America will face a disproportionate long-term impact from lingering symptoms known as long COVID. (Wappes, 6/14)

WUSF Public Media: Survey Show That Half Of Region's Health Workers Are Dealing With Compassion Fatigue 
More than half of the health professionals and first responders in Sarasota and Manatee counties have experienced compassion fatigue, according to a community impact report released by a nonprofit that helps people deal with trauma. Resilient Retreat collected the data to demonstrate the need for trauma-based services in Sarasota and Manatee for health care workers and first responders. Lisa Intagliata, executive director of the Sarasota-based organization, says the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected people who help others. (Carter, 6/14)

Bloomberg: Another Pandemic Coming? White House Prepares To Unveil Biodefense Plan
The Biden administration, applying lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, will soon unveil a new defense strategy against biological threats that puts the White House at the center of any future US response. A senior administration official, speaking under the condition of anonymity as the strategy has not yet been released, said that the government has paid close attention to research that suggests there’s a 50/50 chance of another Covid-like pandemic — or one that is more deadly — over the next 25 years. The Biden plan is the result of more than a year of work by US national security and public health experts to improve the nation’s framework for preparedness, response and recovery. (Griffin, 6/14)

AP: Great Plains Zoo Vaccinating Animals For The Coronavirus 
The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls is in the process of vaccinating its most susceptible animals against the coronavirus. A global animal health company, Zoetis, has developed an experimental vaccine for COVID-19 and is working with zoos across the country to distribute its limited supply to vaccinate the most at-risk species as soon as possible. (6/14)

Modern Healthcare: AMA To Fight Legislation Expanding Scope Of Practice
The American Medical Association pledged to fight legislation that expands mid-level providers' autonomy. Under a new policy proposal adopted Tuesday by the AMA House of Delegates, the trade group will support research on the cost and quality of nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other advanced practice practitioners caring for patients without a doctor's supervision. The association will help craft state legislation to oppose laws that expand the scope of practice for non-physicians and to reverse such laws that already exist. (Kim Cohen, 6/14)

The Boston Globe: Boston Children’s Hospital Ranked No. 1 Pediatric Hospital In Nation For Ninth Year In A Row By US News & World Report
For the ninth year in a row, Boston Children’s Hospital has been ranked the No. 1 pediatric hospital in the country by US News & World Report. Dr. Kevin B. Churchwell, Boston Children’s Hospital’s president and chief executive officer, admitted to feeling some trepidation before this year’s rankings were released, and was pleased to learn that the hospital had claimed the top spot yet again. He credited those who work at the hospital and said the recognition was a tribute to their dedication to the patients and families that they serve. “These rankings are the product of everyone who works at Boston Children’s and the work they do every day,” Churchwell said in a phone interview. (Sweeney, 6/14)

Houston Chronicle: Lawsuit: Error At Texas Children’s Led To Vasectomy Of 4-Year-Old
The family of a 4-year-old boy is suing Texas Children’s Hospital over an Aug. 4 surgery in which a doctor mistakenly gave the child a partial vasectomy, according to the lawsuit. The complaint, filed June 7 in Harris County on behalf of John and Krystal Brod, names the primary surgeon, Dr. Susan Jarosz, and the hospital as defendants. In a statement, the hospital said its “top priority is the health and well-being of our patients” but that it cannot comment on pending litigation. The hospital had not filed a formal legal response by Tuesday. (Gill, 6/14)

Stat: New Jersey Hospitals Scrap Merger After FTC Challenge
Two New Jersey hospital systems have called off their proposed merger less than two weeks after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the deal. Saint Peter’s Healthcare System said in a statement Tuesday that it “will not move forward” with its proposed transaction with RWJBarnabas Health and is now “assessing the best way to move forward.” RWJ CEO Barry Ostrowsky said in a separate statement that it is “disappointed in the termination of the proposed transaction, which we believe would have transformed quality, increased access, and decreased the overall cost of care for the people of this state.” The FTC took the exact opposite position when it sued, saying the merger would lead to higher prices and worse quality of care. (Herman, 6/14)

Fortune: Hospitals Have Become Less Safe During The Pandemic. So Why Does The Government Want To Suppress Hospital Safety Data? 
There’s little question that U.S. hospitals—up against COVID, patient surges, and labor and supply shortages—have become less safe for patients during the pandemic, as preventable events and complications have become more common. Leaders with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said as much, earlier this year, in an article for the New England Journal of Medicine: “Many indicators make it clear that health care safety has declined,” they wrote, noting, “the fact that the pandemic degraded patient safety so quickly and severely suggests that our health care system lacks a sufficiently resilient safety culture and infrastructure.” Despite such frank assessments, CMS is now at odds with public safety advocates about whether to make some of the hospital-specific data behind those trends publicly available. (Fry, 6/14)

Stat: Many BCBS Plans Aren’t Paying Taxes And Instead Are Swimming In Refunds
The Blue Cross Blue Shield system of health insurance companies boasts on its website, “We take corporate responsibility seriously.” The insurers have offered “a neighborly helping hand as Americans weathered the crisis” of the coronavirus pandemic. But that helping hand has also received billions of dollars from the federal government over the past four years as part of a tax system that has favored, and has been partly molded by, Blue Cross Blue Shield. (Herman, 6/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Mental-Health Startup Cerebral Investigated By FTC 
The Federal Trade Commission has begun an investigation into mental-health startup Cerebral Inc., according to a letter the FTC sent the company that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. In the letter dated June 1, the FTC said it was investigating whether Cerebral engaged in deceptive or unfair practices related to advertising or marketing of mental-health services. The letter also directed the company to preserve documents. (Winkler and Safdar, 6/14)

CIDRAP: New Industry Guidelines Aim To Limit Antibiotic Manufacturing Waste
A coalition of companies representing the pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostics industries today released new guidelines to help antibiotic manufacturers limit the release of antibiotic manufacturing waste into the environment. ... The guidelines were developed because of growing concerns that the release of antibiotic-laced wastewater into the environment from manufacturing sites is contributing to the emergence of AMR in environmental bacteria. (Dall, 6/14)

AP: West Virginia Bolstering Emergency Medical Service Workforce 
West Virginia is allocating $10 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to bolster the state’s emergency medical services workforce, Gov. Jim Justice said. The Community and Technical College System, EMS community partners and state lawmakers reviewed current education and training opportunities for emergency medical technicians and paramedics and looked at areas of need, the Republican governor’s office said in a news release Tuesday. (6/15)

AP: Judge Lifts Major Obstacle For Nebraska Medical Pot Campaign 
A federal judge in Nebraska removed a major obstacle for activists who want to legalize medical marijuana via a ballot campaign, ruling that petition circulators no longer have to gather signatures from at least 5% of voters in 38 or more counties. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard issued an order Monday to temporarily bar the state from enforcing the requirement, which is enshrined in the Nebraska Constitution to guarantee at least some buy-in from rural voters before an issue can appear on a statewide ballot. (6/14)

AP: Bills Signed By NC Governor Address Arson, Drugs, Insurance 
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed three bills into law Tuesday, including one that increases arson punishments and another that supporters say will get federally approved medicines that contain marijuana or its active ingredient quicker to those who need them. The bills are the first the Democratic governor has received — and signed — since the legislature’s annual work session began four weeks ago. Debate on all three measures began last year. (6/14)

The Washington Post: Kari Cooke Named Inaugural Director Of D.C. Office Of Deaf, Deafblind And Hard Of Hearing 
Kari Cooke, recently tapped by D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser to lead the city’s new Office of Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing, still remembers longing for a sense of community. Cooke, of New York, grew up with difficulty hearing that began to accelerate in her early twenties. Even as she embraced her deafness, she felt isolated from others who had found a connection through their fluency in American Sign Language. It wasn’t until later, when she joined the National Black Deaf Advocates, that Cooke finally felt that she belonged. (Brice-Saddler, 6/14)

CIDRAP: Two Measles Cases Confirmed In Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said today that it has begun an investigation into two confirmed measles cases. The infections are in two preschool-aged children in Hennepin County who reported symptoms shortly after returning from a country where measles is endemic. Neither child was vaccinated, and one was hospitalized because of measles complications. MDH says it is working to notify people who may have been exposed and has notified healthcare providers in the state to be alert for patients with signs or symptoms of measles. (6/14)

The Washington Post: Senior Citizens Moved After Small Fire In Bowie Facility 
More than 100 seniors were evacuated from a Maryland nursing home early Tuesday morning and relocated to other facilities across the state after a kitchen fire damaged part of the building and forced utilities to be shut off. Emergency responders from the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department were called to the Larkin Chase Center in Bowie at 3:42 a.m. for a report of an explosion that had trapped one person, fire officials said. The D.C., Anne Arundel County and Montgomery County fire departments assisted in evacuation efforts, officials said. (Hilton, Mettler and Hedgpeth, 6/14)

The Mercury News: Bat Invades Malibu Area Restaurant; Health Officials Urge Diners Who Came In Contact To Check For Rabies
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is warning visitors who may have come in contact with a bat while at an outdoor Malibu area restaurant to see a doctor for possible exposure to rabies, a fatal neurological disease. Public health officials were notified that a bat flew into a dining area at the Malibu Café at Calamigos Ranch and one person and possibly more handled the bat, which came in proximity of a group of children, the agency reported. (Scauzillo, 6/14)

Fox News: Water-Borne Infections Can Lurk In Hot Tubs, Public Pools, Lakes And Oceans This Summer: Here's What To Know
As many look forward to the summer months and going into the water, beware of the germs lurking below that can cause water-borne infections and how to prevent them. During 2015 to 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the majority of the reported outbreaks associated with recreational water were secondary to a parasite called Cryptosporidium discovered in public pools or the bacteria known as Legionella in hot tubs, according a 2021 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Sudhakar, 6/14)

ABC News: Fisher-Price, US Regulators Warn Of Infant Deaths In Rockers
Fisher-Price and U.S. product safety regulators are telling parents not to let their infants fall asleep in the company's rockers after 13 infants died in the devices between 2009 and 2021. The deaths happened when the babies fell asleep in Fisher Price's Infant-to-Toddler and Newborn-to-Toddler rockers. The company, along with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said the rockers should never be used for sleep and infants should never be left unsupervised or unrestrained in them. (Ott, 6/14)