Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Public Health Threats Are On The Rise, But Resources To Fight Them Have Been Slashed Across The Country
Modern Healthcare: Report: Public Health Funding Falls Despite Increasing Threats
Years of budget cuts to public health led to the elimination of more than 55,000 positions within local health departments from 2008 through 2017, according to a report released Wednesday. The Trust for America's Health estimates public health efforts are about $4.5 billion underfunded. That's led state and local health departments woefully unprepared to address public health emergencies such as infectious disease outbreaks, extreme weather events, and the opioid crisis. (Johnson, 4/24)
Los Angeles Times: Robotic Device Winds Its Own Way Through A Beating Pig Heart
Scientists have created a robotic device that safely guides itself through the delicate chambers of a beating pig's heart. The surgical robot, whose motion was inspired by the way cockroaches skitter along walls, is able to navigate without any help from a doctor or anyone else, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Robotics. (Borenstein and Neergaard, 4/24)
The New York Times: After A Knee Injury, Be Wary When Returning To Sports
Athletes who have torn an anterior cruciate knee ligament often rely on elaborate batteries of physical tests to tell them if and when they are ready to return to competitive sports. But a new review of studies of athletes and A.C.L. injuries raises serious concerns about the reliability of these return-to-play tests. The review finds that athletes who pass the tests remain just as likely as those who fail to experience a subsequent knee injury once they return to sports. (Reynolds, 4/24)
Bloomberg: Valsartan Recall: Tainted Heart Drugs Face Lawsuits Over Cancer
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against drug makers and sellers over widely prescribed generic heart medications tainted with potential carcinogens, the first claims in what some lawyers expect to be a wave of litigation. Millions of Americans have taken the drugs, which are at the center of a widening recall being overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and have been for decades used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure and other common conditions. (Edney and Fisk, 4/24)
Miami Herald: More Losartan Sold At Kroger, Co. Stores Recalled For NMBA
In a domino recall after Torrent Pharmaceuticals pulled 104 lots of losartan for NMBA presence, Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging added one lot to its recall of the heart and blood pressure medication. Legacy’s losartan was made by Torrent. (Neal, 4/25)
Marketplace: Some Nurses Are Pushing For Mandatory Patient Ratios. Do They Work?
Nurses across the country say they're caring for too many patients at a time. So some nurses are proposing a solution — mandatory nurse to patient ratios. But nurse staffing ratios could have unintended consequences, like decreased staff flexibility. And it's unclear whether they improve patient care. (Petersen, 4/24)
Kaiser Health News: Researchers Seek Sage Advice Of Elders On Aging Issues
Rachel O’Conor booted up her slides and began posing questions to six older adults sitting around a table: How should primary care physicians support patients and caregivers after a diagnosis of dementia? And what stands in the way of getting adequate support? “Please speak louder and go slower,” suggested Susanne Smith, a 75-year-old with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. (Graham, 4/25)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Millennials Are Less Healthy Than Gen X And It May Be Due To Mental Illness, Blue Cross Report Finds
Millennials are less healthy than the generation before them, and the difference — particularly in Philadelphia — is driven by mental illness, substance use disorders, and endocrine conditions such as diabetes, according to a report released Wednesday by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The report, part of the association’s Health of America series that has published more than 25 studies, is the first to focus exclusively on millennials, who were 21 to 36 years old in 2017, when the data were collected. (Pattani, 4/24)
The New York Times: Widespread Testing Begins On Malaria Vaccine That Is Only Partly Effective
With malaria deaths rebounding worldwide, a pilot program testing a new and fiercely debated malaria vaccine began on Tuesday in Malawi. Dr. Katherine O’Brien, the World Health Organization’s director of immunization, called the rollout “a historic moment in the fight against malaria,” and said the testing will soon expand to malarious regions of Ghana and Kenya. (McNeil, 4/24)
The New York Times: Long-Term Use Of Antibiotics Tied To Heart Risks
Using antibiotics for two months or longer may be linked to an increase in a woman’s risk for cardiovascular disease. The finding, published in the European Heart Journal, applied to women who used the drugs when they were 40 and older. Researchers used data on 36,429 women free of cardiovascular disease at the start of the study who were participating in a continuing long-term health study. Beginning in 2004, the women reported their use of antibiotics. (Bakalar, 4/24)
