Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Israel Has First Polio Case In 32 Years
CIDRAP: Polio Returns To Israel After 32-Year Absence
Israeli officials reported the nation's first polio case since 1989, involving an unvaccinated 4-year-old boy in Jerusalem. It's not clear from media reports whether a vaccine-derived or wild-type virus caused the infection, but the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a news release, "The source of the disease in this case [is] a polio virus that has undergone a change and may cause disease in those who are not vaccinated." (3/7)
In other global developments —
The New York Times: 9/11 Suspect Is Returned To Saudi Arabia For Mental Health Care
The Biden administration on Monday repatriated to Saudi Arabia for mental health care a prisoner who had been tortured so badly by U.S. interrogators that he was ruled ineligible for trial as the suspected would-be 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11 attacks. The prisoner, Mohammed al-Qahtani, in his 40s, is the second to be transferred from the wartime prison under the administration. (Rosenberg, 3/7)
Bloomberg: In Ukraine, 80,000 Births Expected Amid Insufficient Care
As many as 80,000 births by Ukraine women are expected in the next three months without access to sufficient medical care because of Russia’s military invasion, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 1.7 million people, mostly women and children, have been displaced by the war, and as many as 1,000 births a week are anticipated with many mothers lacking proper maternal care and facilities, the WHO said Tuesday. WHO Europe Regional Director, Hans Kluge, said the invasion had created Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis in 75 years. The WHO is delivering medical supplies and services amid the conflict even as diplomatic efforts have failed to provide safe routes in some areas. (Hoffman, 3/8)
USA Today: UK Man Dies Of Caffeine Toxicity: Consumed Equivalent To 200 Coffees
A man in Wales died after ingesting an amount of caffeine powder equivalent to as many as 200 cups of coffee. Tom Mansfield, 29, a personal trainer and father of two, died from caffeine toxicity in January 2021, officials confirmed last week, the BBC reported. Mansfield was trying to weigh a dose of the powder within a range of 60 milligrams to 300 milligrams. But he was using a scale that had a weighing range of 2 grams to 5,000 grams. (Pitofsky, 3/7)
In pandemic news —
AP: As Virus Cases Go From 1 To 24,000, New Zealand Changes Tack
Back in August, New Zealand’s government put the entire nation on lockdown after a single community case of the coronavirus was detected. On Tuesday, when new daily cases hit a record of nearly 24,000, officials told hospital workers they could help out on understaffed COVID-19 wards even if they were mildly sick themselves. (Perry, 3/8)
Bloomberg: Puerto Rico To Drop Mask, Occupancy Rules As Covid Cases Fall
Two years after adopting some of the strictest Covid-19 measures of any U.S. jurisdiction, Puerto Rico is eliminating most of its restrictions amid falling infection rates and an aggressive vaccine campaign. Masks will no longer be required outdoors or indoors except in hospitals and at nursing homes, Governor Pedro Pierluisi said during a press conference Monday. In addition, all occupancy restrictions -- including those on restaurants, bars and theaters -- will be dropped. Events of 1,000 people or more, however, will still be required to follow special guidelines. (Wyss, 3/7)
CNN: Women In G7 Countries Feel Less Supported Than Men To Deal With Covid-19’s Impact
An average of more than 60% of women living in G7 countries whose lives were changed by the Covid-19 pandemic say their governments did not provide them with much of the support they needed to deal with those changes, according to a far-reaching new poll by CNN. These exclusive findings come against the backdrop of numerous reports showing that women have been more adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic than men and resulting pledges to build back better touted by leaders around the world. CNN’s survey finds that although both men and women in G7 countries who experienced disruption to their lives caused by the pandemic felt they were largely unsupported by their governments, the sentiment is more pronounced among women. (Edwards-Levy, Munsi and Manibog, 3/8)
