Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The Wall Street Journal: In A Civilian Hospital, Military Medicine Is Kept Alive
Army Spc. Hannah Broman cut into the patient’s chest and put her finger in to feel his ribs and lung to check the pathway for a chest tube needed in hospital surgeries like this—or after a soldier is shot in combat. Dr. Chris Derivaux, a thoracic surgeon at Cooper University Hospital and an Army reservist, watched closely to make sure Spc. Broman made the incision properly for a procedure she might someday have to do on a battlefield. Spc. Broman, a licensed practical nurse assigned to Fort Belvoir in Virginia, was one of a handful of young soldiers on a two-week rotation recently at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where she is spending the bulk of her time in the trauma center learning how to treat the worst injuries the hospital sees as well as assisting in surgeries. (Kesling, 4/9)
Politico: Covid Battle Lines Moving From Emergency Room To Courtroom
The worst of the pandemic’s death toll might be behind us, but the battlelines have moved from the emergency room to the courtroom. Much like the post-9/11 lawsuits filed against the government by sickened first responders, cases challenging mask and testing mandates, vaccine requirements, quarantine measures, and medical malpractice make up a growing — and lucrative — area of U.S. civil law. “We got 30, 40, 50 calls a day,” said Ralph Lorigo, whose practice sued hospitals in 40 states that refused to give Covid patients ivermectin, a drug the NIH recommends against using. “We saved lives — and we also made money.” (Mahr, 4/9)
The Washington Post: Research With Exotic Viruses Risks A Deadly Outbreak, Scientists Warn
When the U.S. government was looking for help to scour Southeast Asia’s rainforests for exotic viruses, scientists from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University accepted the assignment and the funding that came with it, giving little thought to the risks. Beginning in 2011, Thai researchers made repeated treks every year to remote caves and forests inhabited by millions of bats, including species known to carry diseases deadly to humans. The scientists collected saliva, blood and excrement from the wriggling, razor-fanged animals, and the specimens were placed in foam coolers and driven to one of the university’s labs in Bangkok, a metropolis of more than 8 million people. (Willman and Warrick, 4/10)
The New York Times: To Freeze Their Eggs, Some Women Travel For A Better Deal And A Vacation
It’s hardly uncommon for Americans to travel to London over the summer, where they watch tennis at Wimbledon, say, or take pictures of Big Ben or dine on champagne and scones at Claridge’s. But the women whose trips are being planned by a new company called Milvia are going for a different reason: to freeze their eggs. Every detail of their trip, from their flights to their hormonal medication to their doctor’s appointments, is being arranged by Milvia, whose focus is to make egg freezing more accessible by bringing women to places where the procedure is cheaper. (Krueger, 4/8)
The New York Times: Why Oral Hygiene Is Crucial To Your Overall Health
A growing yet limited body of research, for instance, has found that periodontal disease is associated with a range of health conditions including diabetes, heart disease, respiratory infections and dementia. (Seo, 4/6)
The Washington Post: What SuperAgers Show Us About Longevity, Cognitive Health As We Age
Aging often comes with cognitive decline, but “SuperAgers” are showing us what is possible in our golden years. “These are like the Betty Whites of the world,” said Emily Rogalski. She is a cognitive neuroscientist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and associate director of the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease. She was part of the research team that coined the term “SuperAgers” 15 years ago. It describes people older than 80 whose memory is as good as those 20 to 30 years younger, if not better. (Sima, 4/13)
Reveal: Havana Syndrome: A Team Of Reporters Tries To Get To The Bottom Of The Mystery Surrounding A Bizarre Illness.
A sharp sound. Followed by body numbness. Difficulty speaking. Extreme head pain. Since 2016, U.S. officials across the world – in Cuba, China and Russia – have reported experiencing the sudden onset of an array of eerie symptoms. Reporters Adam Entous and Jon Lee Anderson try to make sense of this confusing illness that has come to be called Havana syndrome. This episode is built from reporting for an eight-part VICE World News podcast series by the same name. The reporters begin by tracking down one of the first people to report Havana syndrome symptoms, a CIA officer working in Cuba. (Anderson and Entous, 4/8)
