Latest KFF Health News Stories
Monkeypox DNA Found In Patients’ Saliva, Sexual Fluids, Waste
Researchers stressed that the presence of viral DNA does not necessarily mean there is infectious virus in those fluids and that the primary mode of transmission is through skin-to-skin contact with infected lesions.
Texas AG Sues Biden Administration Over Abortion Access In Emergencies
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the challenge over federal guidance issued this week telling hospitals and doctors that federal law protects them if a woman needs an abortion as part of emergency treatment. Texas has abortion restrictions that are among the most stringent in the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.
Different Takes: Confusion Over Booster Timing Persists; Is BA.5 Really The Worst Variant Yet?
Editorial writers tackle these omicron BA.5 and vaccine topics.
Perspectives: Evidence Proves The Heartbreaking Case Of The 10-Year-Old Rape Victim Is True
Opinion writers examine the case of an Ohio rape victim and her abortion.
Florida Official Argues To Allow Medical Weed Users To Buy Guns
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s office also issues concealed gun licenses. Her arguments leverage a recent Supreme Court decision that struck down New York laws limiting guns. Also: Rising health insurance prices in Colorado, a North Carolina health plan reinstates coverage of trans surgery, and more.
Research Roundup: Pulse Oximeters; Nipah; Covid; Retractions; And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Toxic Dioxin Found In Houston Soil Samples
The samples were taken by the city’s health department from an area near a creosote treatment facility. Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, White House infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu talked about investments to speed up lead water pipe replacements to clean up drinking water.
At-Home Methadone Dosing Deemed Safe By Study
During the pandemic, rules on how stable opioid addiction patients could take methadone were relaxed, and now researchers found that easing of rules didn’t lead to more deaths. In other news, Louisiana scientists link frequent addition of salt to meals to early deaths from numerous causes.
Bill Gates Injects $20B Into His Foundation To Help Global Recovery
The massive donation is aimed at curbing suffering caused by global issues like covid, AP reports. Gates says the foundation plans to spend $9 billion yearly in aid by 2026. Meanwhile, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital boosted investment in its plan to study and combat pediatric diseases.
Worries Roe V. Wade Overturn Could Hit School Sex Ed Curricula
The 19th reports on worries over the impact of the end of Roe V. Wade on what children are taught in school about sex, with Texas Republicans particularly in the spotlight for plans to potentially teach medically false information. Separately, risks of more domestic violence are also a concern.
US To Offer 800,000 More Monkeypox Shots By August
U.S. officials have completed inspection of a Danish vaccine factory and are expected to authorize the facility, meaning hundreds of thousands more monkeypox vaccine doses may be available by the end of July. But Republican Sen. Richard Burr has slammed the White House’s monkeypox response.
House Advances Bill To Give Veterans Coverage For Burn Pit Exposure
The bill now goes back to the Senate. It authorizes about $285 billion over the next decade to treat ailments that have been tied to the military’s customary practice of disposing of trash — including toxic substances — in burn pits. It would streamline veterans’ access to such care and would cover any service member stationed in a combat zone for the last 32 years.
Over Half Of Young Americans Say Abortion Laws Will Affect Choice Of Where To Live
The data came from a Generation Lab/Axios poll, which also showed that about half of the 18- to 29-year-old male respondents would be likely to take oral contraceptives if approved in the future. Meanwhile, in Arizona, the Republican attorney general is pushing to unblock an abortion ban.
Arrest Made In Rape Of Ohio Girl, 10, Amid Firestorm Of Critics, Rumors, Lies
A 27-year-old Columbus man was charged Wednesday with impregnating the girl, who was forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion because of Ohio’s six-week ban on the procedure. The story made headlines after President Biden condemned the girl’s lack of freedom. Several news outlets and high-profile Republicans then expressed doubt that the girl’s story was true. Scroll to our Editorials section to read The Wall Street Journal’s retraction and other opinions about the case.
Study Finds Children Have Stronger Immune Response To Covid
Researchers in Italy find that in families that have had mild infections from the virus, children showed higher levels of antibodies than did the adults. A possible link between covid and Type 1 diabetes, slow demand for vaccines for kids, and teen sports betting are also in the news.
‘Well Past The Time’? Officials Play Catch-Up In Warning Public Over BA.5
The AP reports that BA.5, the highly transmissible covid variant now spreading across the U.S., accounts for 65% of cases. In other news on the pandemic: reinfection risk, loss of smell, mask mandates, and more.
Denying Drugs That Cause Abortion Violates Law, HHS Tells Pharmacists
The administration says withholding these drugs could violate civil rights law. Still, its effort to assert that federal law preempts state bans on abortions is likely to be challenged in court.
FDA Authorizes Novavax Covid Vaccine, A Fourth Option For US
Instead of relying on mRNA technology, Novavax is the nation’s first protein-based covid-19 vaccine. The two-dose shot should be available “in the next few weeks,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services, but first needs clearance from the CDC.
