Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In 2019, HIV, Malaria Killed Fewer People Than Drug-Resistant Infections
Bloomberg: Drug-Resistant Infections Were More Deadly Than HIV In 2019
Resistance to antibiotics killed more people than HIV or malaria in 2019, as common infections that could previously be treated become impervious to existing cures. Drug-resistant bacterial infections directly led to the death of 1.27 million people and played a part in almost 5 million fatalities in 2019, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday. (Anghel, 1/20)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: 'Superbug' Fungus In Louisiana Isn't Cause For Panic, But More Cases In Hospitals Likely
A day after hospital officials found the first two cases of the fungus Candida auris in Louisiana, health experts are predicting there are likely more cases of the drug-resistant yeast lurking in hospitals and causing mysterious, hard-to-treat infections. But despite the “superbug” status given to C. auris because it is so hard to kill, its presence is not cause for panic in the general public, doctors and researchers said. C. auris doesn’t typically impact most people even if it is an issue for hospitals already taxed by COVID-19 patients and people who are hospitalized with complicated health problems. (Woodruff, 1/19)
In other public health updates —
The New York Times: Survey Of Americans Who Attempted Suicide Finds Many Aren’t Getting Care
Suicide attempts in the United States showed a “substantial and alarming increase” over the last decade, but one number remained the same, a new study has found: Year in and year out, about 40 percent of people who had recently tried suicide said they were not receiving mental health services. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry on Wednesday, traces a rise in the incidence of suicide attempts, defined as “self-reported attempts to kill one’s self in the last 12 months,” from 2008 to 2019. During that period, the incidence rose to 564 in every 100,000 adults from 481. (Barry, 1/19)
Fox News: NCAA Changes Transgender Athlete Participation Policy, Amid Calls For Reevaluation
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has changed its policy regarding transgender athletes, it announced Wednesday. The new approach to allowing transgender athletes will follow a sport-by-sport model similarly adopted by the U.S. and international Olympic committees, Sports Illustrated reported. "We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports," John DeGioia, Georgetown University's president and the NCAA board's chairman, said in a statement Wednesday, announcing the change. The new policy is effective immediately. (Richard, 1/20)
Politico: Jon Stewart Joins Advocates In Push To Aid Veterans Exposed To Toxins
A group of advocates for veterans, including former Comedy Central host Jon Stewart, discussed the impact of toxic exposure affecting service members during a virtual roundtable with the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on Wednesday. Chair Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) convened the meeting to discuss H.R. 3967 (117), dubbed the Honoring Our PACT Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that seeks to address problems arising from such exposure. (Benson, 1/19)
Fox News: 13-Year-Old Boy Dies From Suspected Fentanyl Overdose Death While At School, Raising Alarm
A Connecticut school continued to decontaminate the building after a 13-year-old student died after he reportedly ingested fentanyl at the school last week, according to multiple media reports. TV affiliate, FOX-61 TV in Hartford, Connecticut, reported that officials were called to The Sports and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford last Thursday, where they found an unconscious boy. CPR was administered, and the boy was taken to the hospital where he died two days later, according to the TV outlet. (McGorry, 1/19)
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Last Resort To Seek Justice:’ Stanford VP And Professor Sue University In Fentanyl Overdose Death Of Their Son
Two parents who have dedicated nearly 30 years of their lives to Stanford University have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university and the on-campus fraternity where their son died from an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2020. Julia Erwin-Weiner, the associate vice president for Stanford Medical Center Development, and her husband, Amir Weiner, a Stanford associate professor of history and director of the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, joined the university in 1995 and have considered the university a home since, sending two of their adult children there. (Hernández, 1/19)
