Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Organic Strawberries May Be Linked To Hepatitis A Outbreak: FDA
NPR: FDA Investigates Hepatitis A Outbreak Potentially Linked To Strawberries
The FDA and other agencies are investigating a hepatitis A outbreak in the U.S. and Canada potentially linked to organic fresh strawberries. The agency says the strawberries were sold under the FreshKampo and HEB brands and purchased between March 5 and April 25. The FDA is investigating 17 cases — 15 in California and one apiece in Minnesota and North Dakota. Canada's public health agency has identified 10 cases across two provinces: Alberta and Saskatchewan. HEB and FreshKampo strawberries were sold at a number of retailers, including Trader Joe's, Kroger, Safeway, Aldi, Walmart and HEB, according to the FDA. (Torchinsky, 5/30)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post: Uterine Cancer May Be Added To The List Of 9/11-Related Health Issues
The World Trade Center Health Program, a government program that monitors and treats WTC-related health conditions, covers nearly every type of cancer. But a single type has never been added to its list: uterine cancer. That could soon change. Officials have proposed adding uterine cancer to the list of cancers covered by the program, and the rule change is in its final stage. (Blakemore, 5/30)
Axios: Coffee Associated With Lower Mortality Risk
Coffee drinkers were less likely to die than abstainers over a seven-year window, according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Previous studies have observed coffee is associated with a lower risk of death but didn't distinguish between unsweetened java and coffee consumed with sugar. The jury is still out on artificial sweeteners. (Reed, 5/31)
AP: Young Caregivers 'Exist In The Shadows,' Offer Crucial Help
Ronan Kotiya leans over his father, fingers wrapped around a plastic tube he’s about to slide from a tracheostomy hole in dad’s neck.“3, 2, 1, go,” the 11-year-old says as he removes the tube. His mom slips a padded neck brace on her husband and lifts him into a sitting position on their bed. Ronan’s 9-year-old brother, Keaton, waits nearby, ready to connect their dad, Rupesh Kotiya, to a portable ventilator. .... So begins another weekend for the brothers — two Harry Potter fans with mouths full of braces, a knack for building with Legos and some heavy caregiving responsibilities. (Murphy, 5/31)
In environmental health news —
The Boston Globe: Water Quality At Boston Area Beaches Declined In 2021, Report Says
The overall water quality safety rating for beaches in Greater Boston declined in 2021, according to a new report by environmental group Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, which gave the region’s beaches a rating of 86 percent — a 7 percentage point decrease from 2020 and a six-year low. The decrease in water quality safety, determined by the amount of bacteria in a sample, is a result of “far more” rainfall events, which have a “significant impact on water quality on many beaches,” occurring in 2021 than in 2020, the organization said. In all, 19 storms exceeded a half-inch of rainfall, while 12 exceeded one inch of rainfall, the report said. (McKenna, 5/30)
AP: Deaths Of 3 Women In Early Heat Wave Raise Questions, Fears
Temperatures barely climbed into the 90s and only for a couple of days. But the discovery of the bodies of three women inside a Chicago senior housing facility this month left the city looking for answers to questions that were supposed to be addressed after a longer and hotter heat wave killed more than 700 people nearly three decades ago. Now, the city — and the country — is facing the reality that because of climate change, deadly heat waves can strike just about anywhere, don’t only fall in the height of summer and need not last long. (Babwin, 5/28)
Detroit Free Press: Detroit Public Schools To Dismiss Classes 3 Hours Early Tuesday
Detroit Public Schools Community District will dismiss students three hours early on Tuesday, as temperatures are expected to hit 90 degrees for most of metro Detroit. "All indoor after school activities are canceled," the district announced. "Please contact your school regarding the athletic schedule." The National Weather Service office in White Lake said the expected high in Detroit tomorrow is 90 degrees. The heat should subside the rest of the week, with a forecast high of 80 degrees on Wednesday and 70 on Thursday. (5/30)
New Hampshire Public Radio: New England Psychiatrists, Pediatricians Say More Kids Are Experiencing Climate Change Anxiety
Psychiatrists and pediatricians from New England say that children they see in their practice show increased anxiety around climate change. At a webinar Thursday, hosted by the National Alliance of Mental Illness of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Health Care Workers for Climate Action, Elizabeth Pinsky, a child, and adolescent psychiatrist and pediatrician at Massachusetts General Hospital, said her family's personal experience with these emotions brought her to study climate change-related anxiety more deeply. Pinksy recounted that she was consuming too much news on social media and waking up at night worrying about the environment. “I thought I was doing a good job of keeping that anxiety contained,” she said. But she noticed one day that her kids were feeling that anxiety too. (Lozada, 5/27)
