Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Houses Of Worship Lead Fight Against Stigma Of HIV In The South Reversing History Of Homophobia
The New York Times: How Churches Fight The Stigma Of H.I.V.
The second Wednesday of the month is always crowded in the parking lot of Bible Way Ministries. That’s the day the church offers its community food bank — and as of this year, it’s also the day when an AIDS Healthcare Foundation mobile testing unit rolls up to provide H.I.V. testing to anyone who wants it. Bible Way had already been offering H.I.V. testing some Sundays and at special events for five years, said the senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. Monte Norwood, his voice barely audible over gospel music blaring from the black testing van. (Keren Landman, 11/21)
The Wall Street Journal: New York City Sees Decline In Number Of New HIV Cases
The number of new HIV diagnoses in New York City declined in 2018 to the lowest level since the city began reporting new cases in 2001, according to a report to be released Friday by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. State and city officials have set a goal to end the HIV epidemic in New York by 2020, which has led to millions being funneled into prevention services and health care. (West, 11/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Dreading The Flu Shot? More Needles Might Help.
Fear of needles has been one of the medical industry’s most intractable problems. David Hoey thinks more needles may be the solution. The difference is that the needles that Mr. Hoey’s company, Vaxxas, are developing are tiny—each a fraction of the width of a human hair. Clustered on one side of a patch, they are invisible to the human eye and barely break the skin when pressed onto the arm—benefits that could lower anxiety levels of patients requiring a seasonal flu jab or other injection. (Winning, 11/21)
The Associated Press: Bacteria-Infected Mosquitoes Take Bite Out Of Deadly Dengue
They still bite, but new research shows lab-grown mosquitoes are fighting dangerous dengue fever that they normally would spread. Dengue infections appear to be dropping fast in communities in Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil and Australia that are buzzing with the specially bred mosquitoes, an international research team reported Thursday. (11/21)
The New York Times: Early Menopause Increases Heart Risks
Early menopause, before age 40, may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. Using a British health database, researchers studied records of 144,260 postmenopausal women, average age around 60. Among them, 4,904, or 3.4 percent, had reached menopause before 40 naturally; 644 had gone into early menopause because they had oophorectomies, or surgical removal of the ovaries. The study is in JAMA. (Bakalar, 11/21)
ABC News: Over 80% Of Adolescents Worldwide Don’t Get Enough Exercise, Putting Health At Risk
A vast majority of adolescents around the world are not participating in enough exercise, putting their current and future health at risk, according to a new study. The study, conducted by researchers from the World Health Organization and published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday, found that more than 80 percent of children aged 11 to 17 worldwide did not meet current recommendations of at least one hour of physical activity per day. (Hanrahan, 11/22)
The Associated Press: Salad Product Recall Over E. Coli Bacteria Impacts 22 States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says thousands of pounds of salad products are being recalled due to a possible E. coli contamination. The department says Missa Bay, LLC from Swedesboro, New Jersey, is recalling more than 75,000 pounds of salad products that contain meat or poultry because the lettuce may be contaminated with a strain of E. coli. (11/21)
CNN: Over 75,000 Pounds Of Salad Products Are Recalled After An E. Coli Outbreak Sickens 17 People In Eight States, CDC Says
The items in question were shipped to distribution locations in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Public health officials will keep investigating the E. coli outbreak that has infected at least 17 people in eight states, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. (Nedelman and Johnson, 11/22)
The CT Mirror: Courtney Scores Win With House Approval Of Workplace Safety Bill
The U.S. House on Thursday approved a bill sponsored by Rep. Joe Courtney that aims to protect nurses and other health care and social workers who are physically attacked by patients or their family members. The 251-158 vote on the “Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act,” came after House Republican leaders urged GOP lawmakers to vote against it because they said Democrats have prioritized the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over other critical issues. (Radelat, 11/21)
The Baltimore Sun: How MICA And Shock Trauma Are Using Virtual Reality To Help Patients Cope With Spinal Cord Injuries
[Dr. Sarah] Murthi launched the Maryland Blended Reality Center with $2.4 million from MPower, a partnership between the University of Maryland’s College Park and Baltimore campuses to support innovative research and opportunities, in 2017. She had been in touch with MICA Game Lab’s director, Jason Corace, since around that time, when the Game Lab was also new. For Corace, the partnership provides access to otherwise difficult-to-obtain resources. Both Corace and Murthi noted that medical funding often involves rigorous standards for approval and reporting that can draw out the research and development process — great for adults in medical graduate programs, but prohibitive for undergraduate students. (Rao, 11/21)
Kaiser Health News: Drug Deals And Food Gone Bad Plague Corner Stores. How Neighbors Are Fighting Back.
The parking lot was dark when Marie Franklin and her husband, Sam, last stopped at a corner store near their home. The couple didn’t want much from the market that night. But they still strategized before Sam, 49, went inside. “My husband wouldn’t let me go in,” Marie Franklin, 57, recalled. “About four or five guys were hanging around the door.” For her, the scene felt all too familiar in a city where it’s getting harder to find a safe place to buy milk. In some neighborhoods across the country, such corner stores often stock more alcohol than food — and poor-quality groceries at that — amid a minefield of violence just outside their doors. (Anthony, 11/22)
