Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Maternal Mortality Rate Worse For Black Mothers, Not Getting Better: CDC
Axios: Black Maternal Mortality Rate Isn't Improving, CDC Data Shows
The mortality rate for Black mothers in the U.S. has not improved, per data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pregnancy-related death rate for Black women is more than three times the rate for mothers of other racial and ethnic groups. (Mallenbaum, 2/6)
In other health and wellness news —
MedPage Today: New Migraine Prevention Guideline Strays From Expert Recommendations
The American College of Physicians (ACP) issued a clinical guideline for episodic migraine prevention that varied from what migraine experts recommend. The ACP guideline, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, includes three recommendations centered around monotherapy. (George, 2/5)
MedPage Today: Thyroid Cancer Still Overdiagnosed In The U.S., Study Finds
Despite efforts to curb overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer, the issue has continued to plague U.S. healthcare, according to results from a retrospective, population-based study. Researchers found that while the incidence of thyroid cancer plateaued over the period from 2009 to 2019, it did so at peak levels after a period of substantial increase between 1975 and 2009, "suggesting that overdiagnosis remains a crucial unresolved health issue," reported Zachary Zumsteg, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues, in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. (Bassett, 2/5)
Newsweek: Fiji Water Lawsuit Raises Concerns About Microplastics
The Plastic Pollution Coalition has accused The Wonderful Company, LLC and FIJI Water, LLC of misleading consumers about the purity and environmental impact of FIJI Water. Filed in the District of Columbia Superior Court on January 31, 2025, the lawsuit claims that despite FIJI Water's marketing as "natural artesian water," independent tests have found the presence of microplastics and bisphenol-A (BPA), which are harmful to human health. (Dickey, 2/5)
NPR: Shoppers Face Tough Time Telling Legal Weed From Black Market
On the one hand, weed is now as normal to many consumers as a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. A growing number of companies offer government tested, well-regulated products. But a huge amount of the cannabis being sold in the U.S. still comes from bootleg operations. California officials acknowledge illegal sales still far outpace transactions through licensed shops and vendors. (Mann, 2/5)
