Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fourth Human Case Of EEE Confirmed In Massachusetts
The Boston Globe: EEE Update: Fourth Human Case In Mass. Found In Middlesex County
A man in his 50s has contracted the state’s fourth confirmed human case of eastern equine encephalitis this year after he was exposed to the mosquito-borne disease, also known as EEE, in a high-risk part of Middlesex County, state health officials said Monday. The man’s name and the town where he lives were not immediately released. (McDonald, 9/9)
On bird flu and mpox —
Kansas City Star: How Did Missouri Resident Get Bird Flu Without Livestock?
A mysterious human case of the H5N1 bird flu was recently discovered in Missouri — and experts are still working to determine how the patient was infected. The avian flu has been circulating among poultry and wild birds since 2022, but made the interspecies jump to dairy cows earlier in 2024. Just over a dozen humans have been infected in the U.S. so far that health officials know about, most of them livestock workers who have made direct contact with sick animals. (Wallington, 9/9)
The New York Times: Bird Flu Has Already Appeared In These New York Markets. What’s Next?
Hundreds of chickens are squeezed into rows of tiny stacked wire cages, urine and feces dribbling onto the ducks, the geese and the rabbits confined below. The stench spreads even outside, to the sidewalk, where a mixture of feathers and blood sticks to the shoes of children walking to school. This is a live animal market in Queens. There are about 70 such establishments in New York City’s bustling neighborhoods, some disturbingly close to schools and residential buildings. Most markets butcher and sell chickens, ducks and quail. About one in four also slaughters larger animals, like sheep, goats, cows and pigs. (Mandavilli, 9/9)
Reuters: India Says Mpox Case Involving Traveler Is Not From Current Outbreak
India said on Monday a case of mpox it reported in a traveler a day earlier was from the older strain of the virus, not from the new, fast-spreading strain that had led the outbreak to be classified as a global health emergency. (9/9)
Also —
Fox News: ‘Smart Mask’ Could Detect Asthma, COPD And Other Medical Conditions, Researchers Say
Your breath could hold clues to your health, researchers say — and they have developed a "smart mask" to tap into them. Wei Gao, professor of medical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, led the team that created the EBCare, a mask that analyzes the chemicals in someone’s breath to detect any existing health issues. The mask is designed to screen for medical conditions like respiratory infections, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma and post-COVID infections, according to a press release from Caltech. (Rudy, 9/10)
The New York Times: 10,000 Feet Up, Scientists Found Hundreds Of Airborne Germs
The sky may not seem like a promising place to find life. But in the 1920s, scientists flew planes across the United States and caught floating spores. A century later, the living atmosphere remains a fairly mysterious place. On Monday, researchers reported that on flights over Japan, at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet, they had caught hundreds of different types of bacteria and fungi. The team estimated that the microbes had flown over 1,200 miles when they were captured. Most intriguing of all, some of the species might be able to cause diseases in people. (Zimmer, 9/9)
