Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mortality Rate Of US Children, Teens Surged In Recent Years
CNN: Mortality Rate For Children And Teens In The US Surged In 2020 And 2021, Study Shows
The mortality rate for children and teens in the United States surged in 2020 and 2021, driven not by deaths from Covid-19 but from fatal injuries from things like firearms, drugs and cars, according to a study published Monday in JAMA. The pandemic years brought a marked shift to the trends in pediatric mortality, which had previously seen a “period of great progress,” according to the study authors. Pediatric deaths had been ticking up, but the latest annual increases – nearly 11% in 2020 and more than 8% in 2021 – were the largest in decades. (McPhillips, 3/14)
The Hill: Increase In Mortality Rate Among Kids, Teens Largest In Decades: Research
Most of the increase came from older children, ages 10 to 19, but the rate also increased among children 1 to 10. Only infants younger than 1 did not have a significant increase in mortality during this time. The researchers found that the increase was not strongly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic but a rise in injuries, which are defined as external causes of death such as transportation, firearms and poisoning. This type of fatality was tracked separately from the noninjury causes of death, which are internal, like diseases. (Gans, 3/14)
On the anniversary of PEPFAR —
USA Today: AIDS Program Saved 25 Million Lives Since 2004, CDC Report Finds
A new report shows a U.S. federal program transformed the AIDS epidemic worldwide and saved an estimated 25 million lives since 2004. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, increased the number of people receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy from just over 66,000 people in 2004 to more than 20 million people in 2022, according to the report published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PEPFAR was launched by former President George W. Bush. (Rodriguez, 3/14)
The New York Times: The U.S. Program That Brought H.I.V. Treatment To 20 Million People
In the 20 years since its inception, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has delivered lifesaving treatment to more than 20 million people in 54 countries, the most successful global health campaign of its kind, according to a report released on Tuesday. The $7.5 billion program, housed in the State Department, is due for reauthorization by Congress this year. In the past, it has received strong bipartisan support. (Mandavilli, 3/14)
In other health and wellness news —
The Washington Post: Adderall Shortage Comes After Surge In Telehealth Prescriptions
In the past, people needed to get a prescription in person, but a pandemic-era waiver enabled providers to prescribe the drug after online consultations. Nearly 40 percent of all prescriptions for stimulants, including Adderall, were based on telehealth visits last year, up from less than 2 percent before the pandemic, according to analytics firm Trilliant Health. The rise in Adderall prescriptions was driven by adults between 22 and 44 years old, for whom they increased 58 percent between 2018 and 2022, according to Trilliant’s analysis of insurance claims nationally. There were more adults receiving an Adderall prescription than those who had an ADHD diagnosis, the firm found. (Gilbert and Amenabar, 3/14)
KHN: New CDC Opioid Guidelines: Too Little, Too Late For Chronic Pain Patients?
Jessica Layman estimates she has called more than 150 doctors in the past few years in her search for someone to prescribe opioids for her chronic pain. “A lot of them are straight-up insulting,” said the 40-year-old, who lives in Dallas. “They say things like ‘We don’t treat drug addicts.’” Layman has tried a host of non-opioid treatments to help with the intense daily pain caused by double scoliosis, a collapsed spinal disc, and facet joint arthritis. But she said nothing worked as well as methadone, an opioid she has taken since 2013. (Whitehead and Miller, 3/15)
Stat: With Climate Change, Some Diseases Are On The Rise. Is U.S. Ready?
In the summer and fall of 2021, West Nile virus spread rapidly through Arizona’s Maricopa County and other areas of the state. The outbreak, with more than 1,700 cases reported and 127 deaths was the largest in the United States since the mosquito-borne virus first emerged in this country in 1999. But with the nation facing a far larger public health crisis with the Covid-19 pandemic, it went almost unnoticed. (Van Note, 3/15)
KHN: Listen To The Latest ‘KHN Health Minute’
The KHN Health Minute this week looks at the risks of a social-media craze, the Brazilian butt lift, and what Eli Lilly’s slashing of insulin prices could mean for folks with diabetes. (3/14)
Skunks and penguins are in the headlines —
CIDRAP: H5N1 Avian Flu Found In Skunk Deaths From Vancouver Area
Animal health officials in British Columbia, Canada, yesterday reported that an investigation into skunks found dead in residential areas of two cities at the end of February have revealed H5N1 avian influenza. (Schnirring, 3/14)
CNN: Singapore Penguins Receive 'World First' Custom Lenses In Successful Cataract Surgery
Three elderly king penguins have been fitted with custom-made eye lenses during surgery to remove cataracts in what is believed to be a world first procedure to improve their sight, according to a Singapore zoo. In a statement Tuesday, vets with the Mandai Wildlife Group said the birds were among six elderly penguins to undergo cataract surgery two months ago and have since made a full recovery. (Chen, 3/15)
