Jackson, Mississippi, In Water Crisis After Treatment Plant Issue

CBS News: Mississippi Capital Under Boil Water Notice After Suspected Bad Batch Of Chemicals Found At Water Treatment Plant
City officials in Jackson, Mississippi, are asking residents to boil their water as "complications" at a water treatment plant are addressed. Some residents in parts of the city have low water pressure or none at all, according to a press release from the city. The issues began over the weekend when a worker discovered a problem at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant. According to CBS affiliate WJTV, city engineer Dr. Charles Williams said they were forced to shut down a portion of the plant and empty the water after what was believed to be a bad batch of chemicals was put into the water. (Reardon, 11/16)

AP: Many In Mississippi's Capital Left With Little Or No Water
Residents of Mississippi’s capital city are being warned to boil water before using it because of low pressure in the aging water system. The citywide alert was issued after a problem occurred during the weekend at one of Jackson’s water treatment plants, WAPT-TV reported. Charles Williams, the city’s chief engineer, said the issue was resolved but it had drained the storage tanks. Pressure dropped after the city cut off treatment at one of the plants after a worker discovered a bad batch of treatment chemicals were used, WLBT-TV reported. The worker found the problem Sunday, but the pressure did not drop below the threshold until Monday evening. (11/16)

On smallpox samples —

CNN: Vials Labeled 'Smallpox' Found At Vaccine Research Facility In Pennsylvania, CDC Says 
Several vials labeled "smallpox" have been found at a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. "There is no indication that anyone has been exposed to the small number of frozen vials," the CDC said in a statement emailed to CNN. "The frozen vials labeled 'Smallpox' were incidentally discovered by a laboratory worker while cleaning out a freezer in a facility that conducts vaccine research in Pennsylvania. CDC, its Administration partners, and law enforcement are investigating the matter and the vials' contents appear intact," the CDC added. (Fox, 11/16)

Also —

Axios: U.S. Premature Births Decline Despite Racial Disparities 
The overall rate of premature births in the U.S. declined for the first time in six years between 2019 and 2020, despite increases in preterm births among Black Americans and Native Americans or Alaska Natives, according to a report published Monday by the nonprofit March of Dimes. A tenth of births in the U.S. were premature in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These infants face a higher chance of having to deal with health risks, like breathing problems, difficulties feeding, and vision and hearing problems. (Saric, 11/16)

CIDRAP: Multistate E Coli Outbreak Linked To Organic Spinach Sickens 10
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday announced an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Josie's Organics fresh baby spinach that has sickened 10 people from 7 states. No one has died, but two people have required hospitalization, the CDC said. The outbreak is concentrated in the Midwest, with cases reported in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Illness-onset dates range from Oct 15 through Oct 27. (11/16)

The Hill: Petition Launched In Oregon To Decriminalize Sex Work
A philanthropist filed a petition with the Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan to decriminalize sex work in the state, The Associated Press reported. Chief petitioner Aaron Boonshoft filed the Sex Worker Rights Act on Tuesday. Organizers have said the Sex Worker Rights Act will end criminal penalties for those participating in consensual adult sex work, add health and safety protections, and will maintain laws against human trafficking, according to the AP. (Oshin, 11/16)

ProPublica: One Major Reason The U.S. Hasn’t Stopped Syphilis From Killing Babies
In public health, a “sentinel event” is a case of preventable harm so significant that it serves as a warning that the system is failing. The alarms are now blaring. A growing number of babies are being born with syphilis after their mothers contract the sexually transmitted disease and the bacteria crosses the placenta. These cases are 100% preventable: When mothers who have syphilis are treated with penicillin while pregnant, babies are often born without a trace of the disease. But when mothers go untreated, there is a 40% chance their babies will be miscarried, be stillborn or die shortly after birth. Those who survive can be born with deformed bones or damaged brains, or can suffer from severe anemia, hearing loss or blindness. (Chen, 11/16)

NPR: Colleges Are Turning to Science to Limit Suicide Contagion and Help Heal Campuses
Ethan Phillips was 13 years old when he first heard the term "suicide contagion." It's the scientific concept that after one person dies by suicide, others in the community may be at higher risk. (Pattani, 11/16)

Bloomberg: WHO Reports Tobacco Use Fall, Urges Help For People To Stop Smoking Cigarettes
Tobacco use around the world is on a downward trend and governments need to keep investing to help their populations quit, global health officials said. The number of tobacco users has fallen by 200 million to 1.3 billion since 2015, and will probably drop another 2.3% by 2025, according to a report from the World Health Organization. Some 37% of men and 8% of the world’s women made up the world’s tobacco users last year. (Gretler, 11/16)

The Washington Post: Transgender Athlete Eligibility Will No Longed Be Based On Testosterone, IOC Says
The International Olympic Committee is moving away from a focus on individual testosterone levels in transgender and intersex athletes as a way of determining those athletes’ eligibility for competition. In new guidelines for inclusion on the basis of gender identity, the IOC is encouraging policies that require evidence that transgender athletes have a competitive advantage. In guidance released Tuesday, the IOC pushes responsibility for making gender policies to the global governing bodies of individual sports while offering to give those organizations assistance in creating fair rules. (Carpenter, 11/16)