Latest E. Coli Outbreak Has Now Spread To Five States And Yet Officials Remain Stumped On Its Source

The Washington Post: E. Coli Outbreak Affects More Than 70 People In Five States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it has yet to determine the source of an E. coli outbreak that has infected 72 people in five states — an admission one expert in food-borne illness called “perplexing,” considering how many have become sick. The recent spate of sickness, which began March 2, is directly linked to a strain of E. coli known as “O103,″ according to the CDC. Eight people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, however, no deaths have been reported. The patients’ ages range from 1 to 74 with a median age of 17. (Brice-Saddler, 4/5)

The Washington Post: For CBD Food Craze, Regulations And Restrictions Are All Over The Map
At Joshua Hudson’s smoothie shop, a bohemian outpost called Twisted Smoothie in a small strip mall here, customers can add a 15 mg or 30 mg shot of cannabidiol, or CBD, to their blended drinks for a few extra dollars. They also can get a minilecture from Hudson on the virtues of the cannabis extract, found in both hemp and marijuana, which he and other fans claim can ease a range of health problems without making users high. “It makes everybody better,” said Hudson from behind the counter. He takes CBD before important meetings and first dates to calm his nerves, he said. “I tell people, ‘CBD — it’s a natural Tylenol and Xanax mixed together.’ ” (Quinton, 4/7)

NPR: Spring Allergies? Sublingual Immunotherapy Tablets Might Help
Sneezing, runny nose, congestion, or irritated eyes? Yes, we hear you: The misery of seasonal allergies is real. A lot of us find temporary relief with over-the-counter medications, but these don't treat the cause. As we head into grass pollen season over the next few months, here's an option to consider: Many allergists now prescribe immunotherapy tablets to some of their patients with grass allergies, that work in the same way as allergy shots. (Aubrey, 4/8)

The New York Times: The Latest In Military Strategy: Mindfulness
As commander of the coalition forces in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Walter Piatt juggled ruthless pursuit of enemies and delicate diplomacy with tribal leaders, using a trove of modern weaponry and streams of tech-generated data. But his best decisions, he said, relied on a tool as ancient as it is powerful. Maj. Gen. Piatt often began daily operations by breathing deliberately, slack-jawed, staring steadily at a palm tree. Mindfulness — the practice of using breathing techniques, similar to those in meditation, to gain focus and reduce distraction — is inching into the military in the United States and those of a handful of other nations. (Richtel, 4/5)

The Washington Post: Poor Diets Responsible For More Deaths Globally Than Any Other Risk Factor, Including Smoking, Study Says
Too much salt — and not enough whole grains, fruits and vegetables — may be shaving years off our lives, a new analysis suggests. In a study published Wednesday in the journal Lancet, researchers looked at people’s eating habits across 195 countries to estimate how much poor diets contribute to mortality. Their findings? That 11 million people die each year around the world because, at least in part, of certain foods or lack thereof, according to the study. (Bever, 4/5)

The Washington Post: Dissecting Brains To Find Signs Of Mental Illness
About noon most days, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in East Baltimore gets a case — that is, a brain. It arrives in an inconspicuous red cooler. Almost immediately, resident neuropathologist Rahul Bharadwaj gets to work, carefully inspecting it for any abnormalities, such as tumors or lesions. Often, the brains come from the Maryland Medical Examiner’s Office, just a 15-minute drive across town. On other days, they are flown in — packed on dry ice — from around the country. (Mullin, 4/6)

The Associated Press: Smoking Pot Vs. Tobacco: What Science Says About Lighting Up
As more states make it legal to smoke marijuana, some government officials, researchers and others worry what that might mean for one of the country’s biggest public health successes : curbing cigarette smoking. Though there are notable differences in health research findings on tobacco and marijuana, the juxtaposition strikes some as jarring after generations of Americans have gotten the message that smoking endangers their health. (Peltz, 4/7)

Tampa Bay Times: If Smoking Is Bad, How Can Smoking Medical Marijuana Be Good? We Asked Doctors.
When Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature made it legal last month to smoke medical marijuana, they did it in the name of better health — the idea that thousands of Floridians would gain relief from a variety of illnesses. Yet it seemed to run counter to everything modern medicine says about smoking. Isn’t it really bad for you? (Griffin, 4/5)

NPR: Prenatal Expanded Carrier Screening Tests Can Be Difficult To Interpret
It wasn't hard for Shara Watkins to get pregnant. It was hard for her to stay pregnant. In 2016, she was devastated by two miscarriages. With the help of several medications, she successfully carried a child last year. Shara and her husband, Robert, were elated when she reached her second trimester, the phase when the highest risk of miscarriage subsides. Unfortunately the San Mateo, Calif., couple's struggles continued. (McClurg, 4/8)

Austin Statesman: Is It Time For Whooping Cough Vaccine To Get An Update? CDC Exploring
Last month, folks at the State Capitol got a letter that employees might have been exposed to pertussis and the Texas Department of State Health Services was investigating. ...While pertussis and other diseases we currently vaccinate for are not evolving as rapidly as the flu, they can evolve and we can start seeing a different version emerging. (Villalpando, 4/5)

The New York Times: Dealing With Aggression In Children
Behavior problems in children, especially aggression and defiance, don’t get a great deal of sympathy, said Dave Anderson, a psychologist who is senior director of national programs at the Child Mind Institute in New York City. “For a child to get better requires just as much empathy and scaffolding as for a child who might be depressed, but behavioral issues inspire nowhere near as much empathy.” There is a persistent belief that these behaviors reflect poor parenting, he said, but in fact, there is often a strong biological component to behavioral issues, and the responses which come naturally to most parents faced with these behaviors may not have the desired results. (Klass, 4/8)

The New York Times: France Is First To Ban Breast Implants Linked To Rare Cancer
France has banned several types of textured breast implants that have been linked to a rare form of cancer. The ban, which covers macro-textured and polyurethane implants, took effect on Friday. It was announced this week by France’s National Agency for Safety of Medicines and Health Products, or ANSM, in a letter to manufacturers. (Meheut, 4/5)

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Study: At-Home HPV Tests Could Boost Early Cancer Detection
Leaders of an Ohio State University pilot study sent self-testing kits to 103 women between the ages of 30 and 65 in rural Appalachia who had not received a Pap test in at least three years. Of those, 78 percent completed the tests at home and mailed the kits back.That’s great news for efforts to screen for the virus, which is known as HPV. (Burger, 4/7)