Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
This Institute Created By Coca-Cola Exec Has Been Quietly Infiltrating Government Nutrition Groups Around The World
The New York Times: A Shadowy Industry Group Shapes Food Policy Around The World
When the Indian government bowed to powerful food companies last year and postponed its decision to put red warning labels on unhealthy packaged food, officials also sought to placate critics of the delay by creating an expert panel to review the proposed labeling system, which would have gone far beyond what other countries have done in the battle to combat soaring obesity rates. But the man chosen to head the three-person committee, Dr. Boindala Sesikeran, a veteran nutritionist and former adviser to Nestle, only further enraged health advocates. (Jacobs, 9/16)
The Associated Press: No New Measles Cases Reported In Fading US Outbreak
The nation's worst measles epidemic in 27 years could be in its final stages as a week went by with no new reported cases. "To get to zero is tremendously encouraging," said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University expert on vaccination policy. The current epidemic emerged about a year ago and took off earlier this year, with most of the cases reported in Orthodox Jewish communities in and around New York City. (9/16)
CNN: Not Everybody Wants Thoughts And Prayers After A Disaster
Thinking of sending your "thoughts and prayers" to those affected by tragedy or a natural disaster? Well, not everyone wants them. While Christians value these gestures from religious people, some atheists and agnostics would pay money to avoid them, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Kim, 9/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Effort To Stem Deaths Among Children Falls Short Of Goals, Report Says
Nearly two-thirds of children in developing countries live in villages, cities or regions where deaths under 5 years of age aren’t declining rapidly enough to meet United Nations goals, according to a new report released Tuesday. The findings come from “Goalkeepers,” an annual report card published by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on the progress countries are making to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals—targets for 2030 agreed on by U.N. member countries. (McKay, Rust, Ruiz and Ulick, 9/17)
The Washington Post: Meningitis B Is Rare But Can Be Deadly. There Is A Vaccine, But It's Optional.
The first clue Aracelly Bibl had that something was wrong with her 18-year-old son in February was when his girlfriend called at 8:23 p.m. and said he had a mysterious red rash all over his chest, a fever and flulike muscle aches. “Take him to the ER,” Bibl told her. The next call came from the emergency-room nurse at 10 p.m. asking Bibl to come to the hospital immediately. Doctors suspected her son, Joseph Clouse, had meningitis B, a deadly bacterial infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, and had started treating him with IV antibiotics. (Richards, 9/16)
The Washington Post: Sleeping On Back May Not Lead To Worse Pregnancy Outcomes
Although doctors often tell pregnant women it’s safest to sleep on their left side, a new study suggests sleeping in other positions may not be a problem. Researchers examined data on outcomes for 8,709 pregnant women who completed at least one sleep questionnaire before they reached 30 weeks’ gestation. Overall, 1,903 women, or 22 percent, experienced serious complications like dangerously high blood pressure, stillbirth or a newborn small for its gestational age. (Rapaport, 9/17)
Kaiser Health News: Obesity Stigma And Yo-Yo Dieting, Not BMI, Are Behind Chronic Health Conditions, Dietitian Claims
In a recent New York Times opinion column, dietitian Christy Harrison, an “intuitive eating coach” and author, responded to a fellow clinician who had questioned some of her thoughts on the link between being overweight and developing other medical conditions. Harrison noted that although most health professionals have been taught that higher body mass index (BMI) causes poor health outcomes, she wrote, “unfortunately, that just isn’t true.” (Appleby, 9/17)
