Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The World Is Missing Its Targets On Public Health Goals, WHO Reports
CIDRAP: Fragile Progress On Global Public Health Under Threat
The World Health Organization's (WHO’s) annual health statistics report paints a sobering picture. Too many people are dying of preventable causes, while hard-fought gains are losing steam or even reversing, said Yukiko Nakatani, MD, PhD, the WHO's assistant director‑general for health systems, access and data. (Boden, 5/14)
Military.com: Veterans Are Facing A Hidden Psychological Wound Many Still Don’t Recognize
Making high-stakes decisions and dealing with the rules of engagement hits differently for U.S. service members who were exposed to human suffering and sanctioned lethal force. For some, experiences that deeply conflicted with moral beliefs left them with what we now call moral injury. The concept of moral injury came to light through the work of psychiatrist Jonathan Shay with Vietnam Veterans back in the 1990s. Today, an estimated 955,000 military veterans experience moral injury and more than 1 million have a service-connected disability for PTSD. While the two may have similarities, they are different. (O'Brien, 5/15)
Cancer studies —
MedPage Today: De-Escalated Treatment For Early Breast Cancer Continues To Gain Momentum
The number of women skipping sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for early breast cancer doubled over a 5-year period to become the predominant strategy for low-risk disease, a prospective study showed. (Bankhead, 5/14)
Stat: Study: PSA Tests Likely Reduce Risk Of Death From Prostate Cancer
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing is likely to reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer, found a new review published on Thursday by an influential international science research organization — a shift in medical evidence that could encourage wider use. (Merelli, 5/14)
On aviation accidents and autonomous vehicles —
Bloomberg: Half Of US Pilots Killed In Crashes Tested Positive For Drugs, NTSB Finds
More than half of pilots killed in US civil aviation accidents between 2018 and 2022 tested positive for at least one drug, the US National Transportation Safety Board said in a report published Thursday. Of the 984 pilots who died in crashes and other fatal events, tests in about 29% of cases detected “potentially impairing drugs” that could diminish a pilot’s performance, the report said. (Versprille, 5/14)
Axios: Doctors Rally Behind Autonomous Vehicles As Public Health Issue
Two high-profile doctors are urging policymakers to support autonomous vehicle deployment, arguing the technology is already saving lives and should be a public health imperative. (Muller, 5/14)
Updates in measles, avian flu, and ebola —
Cardinal News: 12 Cases Of Measles Confirmed In Buckingham County, Health Officials Say
At least 12 people in Buckingham County have contracted measles, marking Virginia’s first confirmed outbreak this year, according to a May 13 letter to doctors from the Virginia Department of Health. (Schabacker, 5/15)
CIDRAP: US Officials Note A Handful Of New Avian Flu Outbreaks At Poultry Facilities
Highly pathogenic avian flu has affected a handful of commercial poultry operations recently, per the latest updates from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In the past 30 days, the virus has been detected among eight commercial and six backyard flocks, affecting a total of 250,000 birds. (Soucheray, 5/14)
Bloomberg: Ebola In Congo Linked To 65 Deaths, Spurring Regional Alarm
An Ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo linked to 65 deaths and hundreds of suspected infections has triggered concerns the disease could spread across borders. About 246 cases have been reported, with preliminary testing detecting Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Regional health officials convened an urgent meeting to coordinate a response while sequencing continues to determine the strain, it said. (Gale, 5/15)
Also —
Bloomberg: Longevity’s Male-Biased Science Is Fueling A New Market For Women
On a typical day, after a protein coffee, a workout, a sauna session and a multitasking moment of red-light therapy and prayer, Kayla Barnes-Lentz takes a walk in Texas’ early-morning light to reset her circadian rhythm. Today she’s had to truncate this routine — she’s on the road for work — but standing atop one of San Francisco’s many hills, eyes closed, palms outstretched, chin tilted upward, she still makes time to take in the rising sun. It’s a practice, she is quick to explain, backed by science. Barnes-Lentz is a longevity influencer and entrepreneur who’s built a following by treating her own body as a one-woman laboratory. (Brown, 5/14)
