Montana Woman Has Baby After Successful Uterus Transplant
The Billings Gazette reports on a "groundbreaking" surgery that enabled a local woman to successfully carry a baby boy until birth after she was born without a working uterus. Car seat belts, E. coli from raw cake batter, egg consumption, the anti-abortion movement and more are also in the news.
Billings Gazette:
Billings Woman Has Healthy Baby Boy After Groundbreaking Uterus Transplant Surgery
The stars aligned to bring Telden Jovanovich into the world. His birth defied all imagination as his mother, Chelsea Jovanovich, started down her path to motherhood with no uterus at all. The condition is called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome and it occurs when the uterus doesn’t fully form during fetal development, leaving women with uterine factor infertility, UFI, from birth. The condition affects over 72,000 women in the United States, and until recently UFI was considered an irreversible form of infertility. (Schabacker, 8/1)
Axios:
Over Half Of Car Crash Fatalities In 2020 Involved Unbelted Occupants
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans drove less but engaged in far riskier behavior on the road, government data shows. More than half of all crash fatalities last year involved unbelted drivers or occupants, the highest level since 2012, The Wall Street Journal notes. An estimated 38,680 people died in car crashes last year, 7% more than in 2019, despite less cars being on the road. The number of unbuckled vehicle occupants killed in crashes jumped an estimated 15% from 2019. (Frazier, 7/30)
CIDRAP:
Raw Cake Batter Linked To Multistate E Coli O121 Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week announced that an Escherichia coli O121 outbreak associated with cake mix has sickened at least 16 people in 12 states. So far, all of the identified patients are female, and 75% are children younger than 18—a group known to experience more severe E coli infections. Seven people have been hospitalized, and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially fatal kidney complication. No deaths have been reported. ... Of eight people interviewed about the foods they ate, six said they tasted or ate raw batter made from a cake mix. No specific brand or type has been identified, though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a traceback investigation to assess if a common source is involved. (7/30)
The Washington Post:
Eating Too Many Eggs Can Still Be Risky, But Most People Don’t Have To Give Them Up Entirely, Experts Say
In recent years, worries over eating eggs seem to have receded from public consciousness. But has the thinking about eggs really changed? Not if you ask nutrition experts. “The egg issue remains relevant,” says Linda Van Horn, professor and chief of the nutrition division in the Department of Preventive Medicine in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. For those already at risk for heart disease and diabetes, “the choices to eat eggs remain especially important,” she says. It’s still risky to eat too many eggs, but you don’t have to give them up entirely. How many you can eat depends on your health status. (Cimons, 7/31)
KHN:
Why Is The South The Epicenter Of Anti-Abortion Fervor?
Not so long ago, laws governing abortion in Massachusetts and Rhode Island were far more restrictive than those in the Deep South, as state legislators throughout New England regularly banned the procedure, no matter the circumstances, during the 1960s and ’70s. Nowadays, however, the American South represents a hub of anti-abortion fervor, home to a series of laws and regulations that have eroded Roe v. Wade, as liberal states in the Northeast and elsewhere have enacted laws to codify that landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision. (Varney, 7/30)
KHN:
Restoring A Sense Of Belonging: The Unsung Importance Of Casual Relationships For Older Adults
In May, Vincent Keenan traveled from Chicago to Charlottesville, Virginia, for a wedding — his first trip out of town since the start of the pandemic. “Hi there!” he called out to customers at a gas station where he’d stopped on his way to the airport. “How’s your day going?” he said he asked the Transportation Security Administration agent who checked his ID. “Isn’t this wonderful?” he exclaimed to guests at the wedding, most of whom were strangers. (Graham, 8/2)
Axios:
Obama Plans Martha’s Vineyard Birthday Bash As Delta Variant Rages On
Former President Obama is hosting a 60th birthday bash for himself and hundreds of guests on Martha’s Vineyard this coming weekend amid heightened public health concerns — locally and nationally — about the COVID-19 Delta variant. The recent breakthrough cases in nearby Provincetown, Massachusetts, after the July Fourth holiday showed the continued risk of spread even between vaccinated people — prompting new masking guidelines from the CDC. (Mucha, 8/1)
In updates on wildfires and air pollution —
AP:
Smoke Triggers Pollution Alerts In US West, Midwest
Numerous areas of the U.S. West and Midwest were under air quality alerts on Sunday as wildfire smoke lingered over much of the country. Alerts were in place across much of the northern U.S. Rockies, including portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Washington state and Idaho. Further to the east, smoke from fires burning into Canada triggered pollution alerts in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. (8/1)
Des Moines Register:
Air Quality Alert Issued For Iowa Until Noon Monday; Wildfires Blamed
The Air Quality Index is currently at 109, which is in the range categorized as "unhealthy for sensitive groups" by the Environmental Protection Agency. Until the plume clears about noon Monday, sensitive groups are advised to take precaution due to fine particulate levels above the acceptable EPA standard. Sensitive groups include anyone with respiratory or heart conditions, the elderly and children. These groups are encouraged to avoid prolonged activity outdoors until the air quality improves. Current air quality can be tracked at fire.airnow.gov (Soni, 8/1)
