Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Face Of Growing 'Nightmare Bacteria' Threat, WHO Revises Advice For Last-Resort Drug Use
The Washington Post: WHO Creates Controversial ‘Reserve’ List Of Antibiotics For Superbug Threats
The World Health Organization on Tuesday released new recommendations aimed at reducing the use of certain categories of “last resort” antibiotics as part of its ongoing efforts to combat the rise of superbugs. Public health officials pointed to the increasing rate of new strains of pathogens that are becoming antibiotic-resistant, saying these “nightmare bacteria” pose a catastrophic threat. Overuse of antibiotics in livestock as well as in humans is the main cause. (Cha, 6/6)
San Jose Mercury News: UCSF Study Links Chronic Pain To Dementia In Older Adults
Older people with persistent pain show quicker declines in memory as they age and are more likely to have dementia years later, indicating that chronic pain may be related to changes in the brain that contribute to memory loss, according to a new study from UC San Francisco. The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, appears to be the first to make this link. (Seipel, 6/6)
The Washington Post: 8 Things Doctors Are Buzzing About At The Biggest Cancer Meeting
With 38,000 oncologists converging on the sprawling McCormick Place for the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the halls in the convention center are as crowded as Manhattan sidewalks at Christmastime. Watch out or you'll get run over as attendees rush to the next meeting of the minds. (McGinley, 6/6)
NPR: Water Systems In Hospitals Can Spread Legionnaires' Disease
Nursing homes and hospitals need to do more to protect their patients from catching Legionnaires' disease from contaminated water systems in their buildings, federal health officials warned Tuesday. An analysis of more than 2,800 cases of Legionnaires' that occurred in 2015 found that 553 definitely or possibly occurred in a health care facility such as a nursing home or a hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Sixty-six patients died from the disease. (Stein, 6/6)
