Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Some Good News About Mosquitoes And Ticks: They Can't Spread COVID
The Associated Press: Can Mosquitoes Spread The Coronavirus?
Can mosquitoes spread the coronavirus? No. While mosquitoes can spread some diseases, most notably malaria, experts say COVID-19 is not among them. (8/25)
GMA: Fresh Peaches Recalled For Possible Multistate Salmonella Outbreak, FDA Says
Peaches may be a perfect stone fruit for summer, but one California-based purveyor has pulled its products due to a multistate Salmonella outbreak. Prima Wawona issued a voluntary recall of peaches distributed and sold from June 1 through August 3 as a precaution in connection with a Salmonella outbreak under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is suspected to have caused the illness. (McCarthy, 8/24)
GMA: This Employee Got Walmart To Expand Breastfeeding Stations In Stores Across The Country
Nearly three years after a Walmart employee brought a proposal to the company to provide private spaces for moms to breastfeed in its stores, the retail chain is announcing plans to place breastfeeding pods in 100 more stores, with the hope of placing pods in nearly all of its U.S. stores in the coming years. "At times I get a little emotional about the impact this is going to have on nursing mothers," said Tennille Webb, the Walmart employee who proposed the pods. "The scope of the impact that this can have for our associates and customers makes this a really exciting development." (Kindelan, 8/25)
The New York Times: Cartilage Is Grown In The Arthritic Joints Of Mice
The painful knees and hips experienced by so many people with osteoarthritis result from a loss of cartilage, which serves as a sort of cushioning in the joints. It had long been thought that cartilage, once gone, cannot grow back. Now researchers at Stanford University have grown new cartilage in the joints of arthritic mice. Primitive cells that can be transformed into new cartilage lie dormant at the ends of bones, the researchers reported in Nature Medicine. The cells just have to be awakened and stimulated to grow. (Kolata, 8/22)
