Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rare Variety Of Lyme Disease Previously Found Only In Midwest Has Spread To Upstate NY
NBC News: Rare Type Of Lyme Disease Found For The First Time In New York
There’s a new type of Lyme disease in New York state. Almost all cases of the tick-borne illness in the United States are caused by corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. But B. burgdorferi is actually one of two Lyme disease-causing species in the U.S. The other, Borrelia mayonii, is far rarer. Until now, it has ever been detected only in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Both types are spread by deer ticks. (Sullivan, 6/4)
In other health news from New York —
Bloomberg: Muni Tobacco Bonds See First Default As Nassau County Misses Payment
The municipal bond market’s $80 billion tobacco bond sector had its first-ever default after a Nassau County, New York, agency failed to make a $36 million principal payment on June 1. The junk-rated debt, backed by settlement payments that states receive from tobacco companies, were issued in 2006 as part of a $431 million deal. (Braun, 6/4)
From Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Texas —
Spotlight PA: Reports Show That Roughly Half Of Pennsylvania Child Deaths Have Not Been Reviewed Since 2020
Many Pennsylvania counties are failing to review the death of every child in their area, despite a 2008 state law that requires them to do so. The problem, advocates and program participants say, is a lack of both state assistance in collecting data and time for volunteers to run the local panels. Gov. Josh Shapiro wants the legislature to approve $2.5 million to improve this work, but it’s unclear if the request will be considered a priority this year. (White, 6/4)
Bloomberg: Raw Milk Linked To Bacterial Outbreak Sickening Nearly 60 People In Idaho
Dozens of people in Idaho contracted a bacterial infection after drinking raw milk, including eight that had to be hospitalized, state public health officials said, underscoring the danger of the increasingly popular beverage. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is investigating two outbreaks, with nearly 60 people falling ill after drinking untreated milk, it said in a June 3 statement. At least 45 people tested positive for campylobacteriosis, a common foodborne illness that can cause bloody diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. Not everyone who is sick was tested. (Inampudi and Nix, 6/4)
CIDRAP: Avian Flu Confirmed In Texas, Idaho Cows
For the first time this year, highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in Texas dairy cattle, according to a press release this week from the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and according to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). “The dairy is currently under quarantine as part of existing response protocols, and state and federal officials are working closely to mitigate disease spread,” TAHC said. “According to USDA APHIS, there is no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health or the safety of the commercial milk supply.” (Soucheray, 6/4)
From California —
Los Angeles Times: Orange County Health Officials Walk Back Claim That There Was ‘No Leak’ In Chemical Tank Crisis
Orange County health officials are walking back a claim that no vapor or fumes were released during a chemical tank crisis at a Garden Grove aerospace company two weeks ago, but state officials maintain that any leak did not pose a major health risk to the public. The tank contained 7,000 gallons of the highly reactive liquid chemical known as methyl methacrylate, or MMA, which can be used to make materials such as Plexiglass. (Lin II and Briscoe, 6/4)
Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles County Moves Closer To Tracking Heat Sickness In Residents
For the first time, Los Angeles County residents can see how many people are ending up in emergency rooms, their bodies pushed past the limit, during heat waves. The county Department of Public Health says its new Heat-Related Illness and Mortality Dashboard will provide heat illness counts in “near real time,” which means weekly. That might seem like a lag, but until now the data were only provided upon request and in ad hoc reports. (Begert, 6/4)
CalMatters: In A First, California Supreme Court Reverses A Death Sentence Under New Racial Justice Law
The California Supreme Court this week reversed the death sentence of a Los Angeles Bloods gang member convicted of killing a rival Crip in the early 1990s because a prosecutor compared him to a dangerous animal, the first time a death sentence has been overturned under the 2020 Racial Justice Act. (Duara, 6/3)
