Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nearly 30% Of Popular Baby Formula Brands Sold Out
USA Today: Baby Formula Shortage 2022 Worsens After Abbott Similac Recall
Less than two months after a baby formula recall, retailers are reporting shortages with some stores rationing sales. Nearly 30% of popular baby formula brands may be sold out at retailers across the U.S., according to an analysis by Datasembly, which assessed supplies at more than 11,000 stores. That's a higher level than other products, said Ben Reich, CEO of the Tysons, Virginia-based research firm. (Snider, 4/9)
In other pediatric news —
The Washington Post: Despite A Decades-Long Effort, Babies Are Still Dying Of SIDS
In the years following the 1994 start of the Safe to Sleep campaign, which urged parents to put their babies on their backs at bedtime and keep their cribs free of pillows, bumper pads, blankets, stuffed animals and anything soft that might pose a suffocation risk, cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) plummeted by more 50 percent. But then, the decline stopped. Some 3,400 babies under age 1 still die suddenly and unexpectedly each year. Of these, the number of infant deaths officially attributed to SIDS is probably an underestimate, experts say. In most cases, parents simply find their baby unresponsive in the crib — and autopsy practices are not standardized — so most of these heartbreaking deaths remain mysteries and are not always classified as SIDS. (Cimons, 4/10)
New Hampshire Public Radio: A New Children’s Book Aims To Advise N.H. Families On Avoiding Lead Poisoning At Home
The Department of Health and Human Services will release Happy, Healthy, Lead-Free Me!, a new children's book about lead poisoning prevention. The book has 23 pages of illustrations and emphasizes the importance of bringing a kid to an annual medical examination, in part to prevent lead poisoning. The book also gives parents a closer look at why lead can become a danger. “Research has shown a book is more effective than conversations and pamphlets to bring prevention messaging to parents,” said Gail Gettens, co-author of the book.She and co-author Knatalie Vetter are mothers who have dedicated part of their careers to educating families about lead. (Lozada, 4/8)
And more public health issues —
CIDRAP: US Flu Activity Continues Upward Trend, Led By H3N2 Strain
The nation's flu activity rose again last week, with the levels highest in central and southeast states and increasing in the Northeast, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update. The percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness, a key marker, rose slightly, to 1.9%, but is still below the national baseline. One state—New Mexico—reported high flu activity, another measure of clinic visits for flulike illness. Four states reported moderate activity: Kansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Utah. (4/8)
CBS News: Ferrero Recalls Kinder Chocolates In U.S. Over Salmonella Fears
Italian confectionery giant Ferrero said Thursday it had recalled certain varieties of its Kinder chocolates from retailers in the United States due to possible salmonella contamination. The move follows recalls earlier this week in the United Kingdom and several European countries over concerns around products from Ferrero's factory in the Belgian town of Arlon, although no Kinder products have so far been found to contain the disease. (4/8)
San Francisco Chronicle: Police Officers Say They’re Overdosing From Fentanyl Exposure. What’s Really Going On?
“The risk of clinically significant exposure to emergency responders is extremely low,” said Dr. Kathy LeSaint, a medical toxicologist and assistant professor of emergency medicine at UCSF. Last month, six people, including five West Point cadets, reportedly overdosed after taking cocaine laced with fentanyl. But two said they overdosed — going into cardiac arrest — administering CPR to the others, rather than by voluntarily ingesting the opioid themselves. While she said she does not know the specific details of the West Point cadets incident, it seems unlikely to her, as an emergency medicine physician who has seen overdose patients receive CPR, that someone could become intoxicated that way. (Echeverria, 4/9)
Axios: Why America Needs New Urgency Around Diet-Related Diseases
Americans were more vulnerable to serious illness and death from COVID in part because of our poor health status heading into the pandemic. Now, preparations for future public health emergencies have to include chronic diet-related illnesses, including those stemming from the obesity crisis, health experts say. Obesity and related diseases like diabetes were closely linked with a far higher risk of serious illness and death from COVID. That was particularly true among older adults, communities of color, and disadvantaged communities, Anand Parekh, chief medical adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told Axios. (Reed, 4/11)
Fox News: It's Not Just You: ‘Senior Moments’ Became More Widespread During The Pandemic, Experts Say
If you aren’t a senior, but still experiencing ‘senior moments,’ you are in good company, according to recent Wall Street Journal report. "Our brains are like computers with so many tabs open right now," said Dr. Sara C. Mednick, a neuroscientist and professor of cognitive science at the University of California, Irvine. "This slows down our processing power, and memory is one of the areas that falters." ‘Senior moments,’ otherwise known as fleeting bursts of forgetfulness, are becoming more commonplace, according to memory experts. (Sudhakar, 4/10)
KHN: It’s Your Choice: You Can Change Your Views Of Aging And Improve Your Life
People’s beliefs about aging have a profound impact on their health, influencing everything from their memory and sensory perceptions to how well they walk, how fully they recover from disabling illness, and how long they live. When aging is seen as a negative experience (characterized by terms such as decrepit, incompetent, dependent, and senile), individuals tend to experience more stress in later life and engage less often in healthy behaviors such as exercise. When views are positive (signaled by words such as wise, alert, accomplished, and creative), people are more likely to be active and resilient and to have a stronger will to live. (Graham, 4/11)
