Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Fret U.S. Is Unprepared For Biological Attack Given How Flu Season Has Strained Health System
CQ: Flu Concerns Dominate Panel Debate On Public Health Threat Bill
Senators discussing the reauthorization of public health legislation expressed concerns Tuesday that the nation would be unprepared for a mass casualty biological attack, given that the United States is reeling this year just from a harsh flu season. During its second hearing on the topic in the same number of weeks, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee debated how to best deal with the current flu season, especially if it were to worsen, and provide stable funding for future federal public health efforts. (Raman, 1/23)
Modern Healthcare: Federal Funding Doesn't Fully Support Hospitals Facing Large-Scale Emergencies Like Flu
Public health experts told lawmakers on Tuesday that our nation's hospitals don't have enough federal funding to properly handle large-scale emergencies like the current flu epidemic. Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, testified before a Senate health committee hearing on Tuesday. He said hospitals as a whole are not prepared to address the more than 8,000 flu-related admissions that have been reported throughout the country as of Jan. 13. (Johnson, 1/23)
The Washington Post: Local Health Officials Are Reporting A Serious Spike In Flu This Season
A vicious strain of the flu is battering the Washington region, mirroring a wave of debilitating illness that in recent weeks has seized the entire United States, health officials say. With the number of cases across the country still rising, health officials in the District, Maryland and Virginia are reporting a surge in patients showing up at doctor’s offices and emergency rooms suffering from fever, severe headaches, muscle aches and nausea. (Chason and Schwartzman, 1/23)
The Washington Post: She Claims Paramedics Said Her 6-Year-Old Had Common Flu Symptoms And Left. Now Her Daughter Is Dead.
Six-year-old Emily Muth first fell ill with the flu on Jan. 16. Three days later, she had difficulty breathing, so her mother, Rhonda Muth, called for an ambulance. Muth said a paramedic told her that labored breathing was a common symptom of the flu, so the ambulance was sent back. But Emily's breathing continued to slow, and when paramedics returned a second time, it was too late. Emily's sudden death was heartbreaking and unsettling to her parents and her 8- and 10-year-old brothers, Muth said. (Eltagouri, 1/23)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Greater Cincinnati Flu Season By The Numbers
Local health departments say that this flu season is showing signs of looking like the one of 2014-2015, which was one of the more severe seasons in recent memory. So far this season, which runs from October through the spring but peaks in December through February, Hamilton County has seen three pediatric deaths and schools across the region taking extra steps to keep students healthy. (Brookbank, 1/23)
San Jose Mercury News: This Flu Season: An App To See Your Doctor ASAP
The growing market of on-demand and telemedicine appointments is booming this winter as the flu season continues its rampage across California. Doctor’s offices and hospital emergency rooms are overflowing with flu patients as the death toll from one of the worst flu seasons in more than decade has risen to 74, including 25 in the Bay Area. (Seipel, 1/23)
