Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Once Quiet Vaccine Advocates Find Their Voices In New Skeptical Era
Stat: Vaccine Advocates Scramble To Mobilize Against Threats
The perceived threats are many, and they come from the highest level: President Trump has a long history of expressing doubts about the safety of vaccines — and promoting the debunked notion that they cause autism — despite broad scientific consensus that they’re safe. During his campaign, Trump met with a group of anti-vaccine advocates including the discredited former doctor Andrew Wakefield, who seeded the anti-vaccine movement with fraudulent science. Wakefield popped up again last month at one of Trump’s inaugural balls. (Robbins, 1/31)
NPR: Screening For Lung Cancer Takes A Lot Of Effort To Find A Small Number Of Cancers
Screening for lung cancer using low-dose CT scans can save lives, but at a cost: Tests frequently produce anxiety-producing false alarms and prompt unnecessary procedures. A study from the Veterans Health Administration lays out the considerable effort required by both patients and doctors to undertake screening. (Harris, 1/30)
NPR: A Pinworm Drug Gains Interest As A Potential Cancer Treatment
Cancer researchers are testing whether a generic drug that has been used for more than 40 years to treat parasitic infections may also help fight cancer. The tests of mebendazole are part of a growing effort to take a fresh look at old medicines to see if they can be repurposed for new uses. (Aubrey, 1/30)
The Washington Post: She Had A Stroke When She Was 20, But A Nurse Thought She Was Faking
An emergency room nurse took one look at Sarah Porter — an athletic sophomore at the University of Maine — and diagnosed her as faking a stroke. Porter hadn’t uttered the word “stroke,” so it was terrifying when the nurse told her, “No one your age in good health has a stroke. You’re just trying to avoid taking your finals.” Porter tried to respond. But she couldn’t: “There was a disconnect between what was in my head and what was coming out in my speech.” That’s because she wasn’t faking. (Hallett, 1/30)
Reuters: Healthy Babies Don’t Need Apps To Monitor Vital Signs
Smartphone applications paired with sensors to monitor babies’ vital signs may appeal to parents anxious to make sure infants sleep safely through the night, but there’s no medical evidence proving that these products work, a new paper suggests. These apps — linked to sensors in babies’ socks, onesies, leg bands and diaper clips — are marketed as tools to help parents keep tabs on breathing, pulse rate and oxygen levels in the blood and to sound alarms when infants are in distress. But they aren’t tested or approved for U.S. sale, as medical devices are, and there’s little evidence to suggest these monitors are safe or effective, said Christopher Bonafide, lead author of the opinion piece in JAMA. (1/30)
Arizona Republic: Homeopathic Teething Tablets Contain Toxic Substance, FDA Confirms
If there was any lingering doubt, toss Hyland's homeopathic teething remedies – they may be toxic to babies, the FDA said over the weekend. A lab analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that the teething tablets parents use to soothe fussy babies have contained elevated levels of the toxic substance belladonna, which puts babies at risk. (Haller, 1/30)
