Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
People Still Getting Sick By E. Coli-Tainted Romaine Lettuce
USA Today: Romaine Lettuce E. Coli Outbreak: Nine More Sickened, CDC Says
Nine more people have become sick after eating romaine lettuce amid an E. coli outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The total of people infected is now 52 across 15 states, the CDC said Thursday. The highest number of cases have been reported in California and New Jersey, each reporting 11 people sick. Seven people in Michigan, and six each in New Hampshire and New York were reported. Other states affected include: Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. (May, 12/7)
The Hill: CDC: Romaine Lettuce Still Making People Sick
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says romaine lettuce grown in the U.S. continues to sicken Americans with symptoms related to an E. coli outbreak. In a news release Thursday afternoon, the CDC reported nine additional victims of illnesses related to the E. coli outbreak, bringing the total to 52 nationwide. No deaths have been reported, but 19 people have been hospitalized related to the outbreak. (Bowden, 12/6)
The Associated Press: School Lunch Rules OK Refined Grains, Low-Fat Chocolate Milk
The U.S. school lunch program is making room on menus again for noodles, biscuits, tortillas and other foods made mostly of refined grains. The Trump administration is scaling back contested school lunch standards implemented under the Obama administration including one that required only whole grains be served. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday only half the grains served will need to be whole grains, a change it said will do away with the current bureaucracy of requiring schools to obtain special waivers to serve select refined grains foods. (Choi, 12/6)
The Associated Press: Study That Took Aim At 'Joy Of Cooking' Is Retracted
More work by a prominent food researcher, including a study that took aim at the “Joy of Cooking,” has been retracted because of problems with the data. The Annals of Internal Medicine retracted a study that said the book’s recipes changed with updated editions to include more calories and bigger portions. It said a reanalysis by co-author Brian Wansink resulted in numbers that differed — “many substantially so” — from the published versions. ... The retraction is the latest for Wansink, who resigned from Cornell University in September after a school investigation found he engaged in academic misconduct, including misreporting of data. (12/6)
Bloomberg: One In 40 U.S. Children On Autism Spectrum: Demographic Trends
An estimated one in 40 American children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according a study published in this month’s edition of the journal Pediatrics. ...The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder has increased over the past 30 to 40 years, most likely a result of “broadening diagnostic criteria, increased provider ascertainment at earlier ages, increased parent awareness, and an increase in some risk factors such as births to older parents,” the study said. (Tanzi, 12/6)
The Hill: CDC: 58M Americans Exposed To Secondhand Smoke
An estimated 58 million American nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke from others' burning tobacco products, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data, gathered from 2013 to 2014, show that progress in reducing the public’s exposure to secondhand smoke has stalled in recent years, despite major declines in past decades. (Weixel, 12/6)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Cesarean Births Became A Global Epidemic, And What Should Be Done
How did this major abdominal surgery — which poses significant risks — become mainstream in less than a generation? Many factors, including new obstetric technology, the effect of that technology on malpractice threats and costs, and changes in the way doctors are trained converged to make cesareans seem less risky than vaginal births, changing both obstetricians’ and pregnant women’s notions of what constitutes “normal” and “necessary” medical treatment during childbirth. (Wolf, 12/6)
USA Today: Suicide Survivor Answers Questions On How She Prevents Another Attempt
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new numbers last week showing that the nation's suicide rate is up 33% in less than 20 years. Suicide is a growing problem, yet stigma often prevents people from talking openly about it. Shelby Rowe attempted to take her own life almost 10 years ago, but she survived. She is one one of millions of Americans who survive suicide attempts and go on to live full, healthy lives. USA TODAY enterprise reporter Alia Dastagir interviewed Rowe, a leader in the field of suicide prevention, for USA TODAY's Surviving Suicide project. Rowe and Dastagir answered questions about suicide during a Reddit AMA Monday. (Dastagir, 12/6)
