Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Similar Dog Disease May Help Humans Tackle Multiple Sclerosis
Philadelphia Inquirer: A Dog Disease Resembling Human Multiple Sclerosis May Help Treatment For Both, Penn Vet Study Suggests
Seizures, vision problems, sluggishness, a strange head tilt — every year, veterinarians at Penn Vet encounter about a dozen dogs with these perplexing symptoms. By the time that owners notice this strange behavior, the dogs have already begun a mental decline, and one third soon die. “That is in general something that’s frustrating about veterinary medicine,” said Molly Church, an assistant professor of pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “Dogs can’t tell you when they have a headache. They tend to present once the signs have gotten pretty severe.” (Nathan, 7/8)
AP: Cold Weather Virus In Summer Baffles Docs, Worries Parents
The recent emergence of a virus that typically sickens children in colder months has baffled U.S. pediatricians and put many infants in the hospital with troublesome coughs and breathing trouble. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but can be serious for infants and the elderly. Cases dropped dramatically last year, with people staying home and social distancing, but began cropping up as pandemic restrictions eased. (Tanner, 7/8)
AP: Tyson Foods Recalls Almost 4,500 Tons Of Chicken Products
Tyson Foods is recalling almost 4500 tons (4082.33 metric tonnes) of ready-to-eat chicken products after finding the products may be tainted with listeria bacteria, federal officials announced Thursday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the recall a month after two consumers reported falling ill with listeriosis. Further investigation revealed one death besides the two listeriosis cases traced to pre-cooked chicken produced by Dexter, Missouri-based Tyson Foods, according to a statement from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. (7/9)
The New York Times: How Weight Training May Help With Weight Control
Lifting weights a few times a week might help us stave off obesity, according to an interesting new study of resistance exercise and body fat. It shows that people who regularly complete muscle-strengthening exercises of any kind are about 20 to 30 percent less likely to become obese over time than people who do not, whether they also work out aerobically or not. The findings indicate that weight training could be more consequential for weight control than many of us might expect, and a little lifting now may keep us lighter, later. (Reynolds, 7/7)
Los Angeles Times: Naomi Osaka Felt Pressured To Reveal Mental Health Struggles
Naomi Osaka says she felt “a great amount of pressure” to reveal her struggle with mental health issues earlier this year during an ordeal that led to her withdrawing from the French Open and taking a temporary break from the sport. The 23-year-old tennis star wrote in a first-person account for Time magazine about the series of events that started in May when she announced she would not take part in the required post-match news conferences at the French Open, citing a “disregard for athletes’ mental health.” (Schilken, 7/8)
