Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Seattle Sees Dramatic Decline In Syphilis Cases After DoxyPEP Rollout
CIDRAP: Big Decline In Syphilis Seen After Introduction Of DoxyPEP
Syphilis diagnoses declined dramatically in the Seattle area following implementation of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP), researchers reported last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 3/30)
More public health news —
Stat: Lead Exposure Plays Little-Noticed Role In Cardiovascular Deaths
Lead may be out of gasoline and paint but it’s not out of our hearts. Physicians and patients alike may assume that lead poisoning is a relic of the past, with the notable exceptions of contaminated water plaguing people in Flint, Mich., or Milwaukee in recent years. A new study analyzing lead levels in bones reminds us that lead lingers in the body for a lifetime, including in the heart’s vital arteries, where it can elevate blood pressure, injure the lining of blood vessels, and raise risk of death from heart attacks. (Cooney, 3/30)
CNN: A Common Plastic Toxin May Be Linked To Infant Deaths And Prematurity, Study Says
Two chemicals used to make plastic more flexible are linked to nearly 2 million premature births and the deaths of 74,000 newborns worldwide in 2018, according to a new study. (LaMotte, 3/31)
Bloomberg: Review Challenges Claims That E-Cigarettes Are Safer Than Smoking
E-cigarettes are likely to cause cancer, including in the lungs and mouth, according to a sweeping review of scientific evidence that challenges their positioning as a safer alternative to smoking. Published Monday in the journal Carcinogenesis, the review concludes that nicotine-based vapes are “likely to be carcinogenic to humans,” even though long-term population studies are still lacking. (Gale, 3/30)
In global news about mpox, Ebola, and meningitis —
CIDRAP: Tpoxx Should No Longer Be Used To Treat Mpox, European Drug Regulators Say
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is recommending that the antiviral drug tecovirimat (Tpoxx) no longer be used for treating mpox. The recommendation, made by the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, is based on four studies that have found that Tpoxx was no better than a placebo to heal active mpox lesions, relieve pain, or help clear the virus faster. (Dall, 3/30)
CIDRAP: Ebola Virus May Linger In Breast Milk For Weeks After Recovery
The Ebola virus (EBOV) might persist in breast milk for weeks after maternal recovery, according to a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings raise the possibility of post-illness transmission to infants, even as blood tests and other measures of viral load are negative. (Bergeson, 3/30)
CIDRAP: Meningitis Kills More Than 250,000 Worldwide In A Year, Report Says
More than 2.5 million people worldwide were infected with meningitis in 2023, according to a comprehensive global assessment published late last week in The Lancet Neurology. More than 250,000 people died from the condition, an infection that causes inflammation of the meninges, the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis, which causes symptoms such as headache, fever and a stiff neck, has a mortality rate of about 18%. (Szabo, 3/30)
