Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Having The Flu Sends More Non-White Kids To The Hospital
The Washington Post: The Flu Proves More Deadly For Children Of Color Than For White Youths, Study Says
People who are Black, Hispanic or American Indian/Alaska Native are more likely than White people to be hospitalized with a case of the flu in the United States, according to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions. Young children in these groups, along with Asian and Pacific Islander children, are also more likely to die of flu than White children. (Robers, 10/11)
In mental health news —
American Homefront Project: A New Survey Found Isolation And Frequent Moves Are Harming Military Teens' Mental Health
Military teenagers and their families know that frequent moves across the country and around the world are difficult. The constant relocations can cause feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression especially among middle and high school-age military dependents. Two such teenagers collaborated with the National Military Family Association to survey more than 2,000 military dependents like themselves. They wanted to pin down just how distressing the lifestyle is. Elena Ashburn and Matthew Oh — who had earlier partnered to create Bloom, a website and social media channel for military teens — found that mental health issues are widespread. (Kniggendorf, 10/11)
Axios: Children And Teens Face Unequal Mental Health Realities
In the weeks after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 55% of children felt more "sad, depressed, or unhappy," compared to 25% of adults, according to a new report out Monday from the Child Mind Institute. The data offers a glimpse at the differences in children's early psychological responses as researchers work to tease out the pandemic's potential long-term effects on the incoming generation's mental health and developmental skills. (Fernandez, 10/12)
In other public health news —
CIDRAP: CDC Reports New Multistate Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Seafood
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last week issued a food safety alert concerning a Salmonella Thompson outbreak linked to raw and cooked seafood—a variety of fish species—distributed by Northeast Seafood Products. The outbreak has mainly affected Colorado residents or recent visitors. So far, there are 102 known illnesses in 14 states. Nineteen people have required hospitalization, but no deaths have been reported. Among 62 people interviewed, 51 (82%) reported eating seafood in the week prior to illness. Eighty-two sickened people live in Colorado. (10/11)
Los Angeles Times: Noxious Odors In Carson Declared A Public Nuisance
Foul odors emanating from the Dominguez Channel were declared a public health nuisance by the Carson City Council on Monday, with Los Angeles County health officials making a similar declaration. The odors, which have been likened to rotten eggs, vomit, unwashed body parts or a “fart bomb,” are probably caused by hydrogen sulfide from decomposing organic material and have prompted thousands of complaints from residents since they started about a week ago. To lessen health effects, people should leave the area, the health department said in a news release Monday declaring the odors “sufficiently pervasive to be considered a public nuisance.” (Campa, 10/11)
NPR: Poll: Financial Distress Worsens For Americans During Delta Surge
Americans have fallen way behind. The rent's overdue and evictions are looming. Two-thirds of parents say their kids have fallen behind in school. And one in five households say someone in the home has been unable to get medical care for a serious condition. These are some of the main takeaways from a new national poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (Simmons-Duffin and Neel, 10/12)
The New York Times: How Cutting Out A Little Salt Can Have Benefits For Health And Blood Pressure
A new study conducted in 600 villages in rural China of 20,995 people known to face a high risk of stroke, demonstrated that substituting reduced-sodium salt for regular table salt significantly decreased the rate of cardiovascular events and associated deaths during an average follow-up of less than five years. (Brody, 10/11)
KHN: 6 Months To Live Or Die: How Long Should An Alcoholic Liver Disease Patient Wait For A Transplant?
The night before Brian Gorzney planned to check into rehab for alcohol use, he began vomiting blood. First at 2 a.m. Then 5. And again at 11. When he arrived at the rehab facility in North Kansas City, Missouri, they sent him directly to the adjoining hospital. There, Gorzney, then 50, and his family learned he had severe alcoholic hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver typically associated with excessive alcohol use. Gorzney had been drinking heavily on and off for years and, by February 2020, was having as many as a dozen drinks a day. His only chance of survival was a liver transplant, doctors said. (Pattani, 10/12)
