Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
ICE Deported 146 Venezuelans Hours Before Earthquake Hit; Now Many Are Missing Or Dead
NBC News: Venezuelans Deported From U.S. Hours Before Earthquakes Hit Are Missing, Some Confirmed Dead, Families Say
Some families in Venezuela are mourning and others are desperately trying to find loved ones who had been deported from the U.S. and arrived hours before the earthquakes struck last week. The deportees were being processed at the Hotel Santuario La Llanada in the coastal state of La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit areas. Families have confirmed some deportees have died while others are unaccounted for. (Sesin, 6/30)
AP: Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Passes 1700
With the window for finding survivors shrinking fast, Venezuelans combed Monday through more ruins of buildings toppled by last week’s powerful back-to-back earthquakes, and attention turned to the country’s humanitarian crisis that could persist for years. Relief organizations say the first 72 hours after a natural disaster is the most crucial time period for rescues, though survival can be extended if people have access to food and water. Five days after the twin quakes, questions loomed about whether the cash-strapped government will be able to coordinate the effort needed to care for thousands of people who have been left homeless. (Arraez and Debre, 6/30)
The latest on the Ebola outbreak in Africa —
CIDRAP: Ebola Outbreak Spreads To 4th Province In DR Congo
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread to a fourth province, according to media reports. Sources at DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research told Agence France-Press that an Ebola case was detected in Haut-Uele province after a patient traveled there from Ituri province, which is the outbreak’s epicenter. Haut-Uele is north of Ituri and borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Like Ituri, the province sees heavy cross-border movement and trade, which health officials fear is helping the virus spread. (Dall, 6/29)
Reuters: Congo Bans Gatherings In Kinshasa And Three Provinces Over Ebola Outbreak
The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned public gatherings in four provinces, including the capital, Kinshasa, as the country battles a deadly Ebola outbreak. The ban comes ahead of a planned protest in Kinshasa on July 8 against constitutional reform, with opposition figures calling it "politically motivated." (6/29)
On the heat wave in Europe —
Euronews: Europe’s Current Heatwave Is Just A ‘Dress Rehearsal,’ WHO Warns
As Europe continues to face a record-breaking heatwave, the World Health Organization warns future summers will only be hotter. Europe is warming at more than twice the global average and heatwaves are no longer one-off freak events. They are recurring crises, and they are becoming more frequent, stronger and longer-lasting, said Dr. Hans Henri Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. (Iraola Iribarren, 6/30)
CBS News: Why Some Europeans Resist Air Conditioning, Even Amid Deadly Heat Waves
A 2007 study found that air conditioning can cut heat-related deaths by 75%, but only about 20% of Europeans have air conditioning in their homes. In the U.S., it's about 90%. (Kiniry, 6/30)
More health news from around the world —
The New York Times: 6 Are Killed During A Rare Mass Shooting In Germany
A 45-year-old man killed six adults and wounded several others in a shooting attack at a child welfare facility in northern Germany on Monday, in what the local authorities described as a dispute over the custody of the man’s daughter. The daytime assault in the small city of Stade, roughly 30 miles west of Hamburg, killed six employees of the facility and a neighboring youth center, and it shocked a country where strict gun laws have made mass shootings a rarity. (Tankersley and Schuetze, 6/29)
CIDRAP: 2024 Listeria Outbreak That Killed 3 Traced To Pasteurized Plant-Based Milk
A 2024 listeriosis outbreak in Canada that sickened at least 20 people and killed three has been traced to contaminated plant-based milk products, marking what public health authorities believe is the first listeriosis outbreak tied to alternative dairy beverages. A detailed investigation into the source of the outbreak was published this month in Eurosurveillance. (Bergeson, 6/29)
Bloomberg: Succession To Test Billionaire Saltzman’s South Africa Drugstore Chain Dis-Chem
“Does the price of medicine make you sick?” That’s the tag line of a 1980s advertisement that helped propel a mom-and-pop discount pharmacy into one of South Africa’s biggest listed drugstore chains. Now, Dis-Chem Pharmacies Ltd. faces a new test: founder Ivan Saltzman, 76, who built the business from one Johannesburg store to a $1.7 billion healthcare chain spanning three countries, retires as chairman of the board this month. (Naidoo, Kew and Sazonov, 6/29)
