Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Unvaccinated Resident Becomes Georgia's First Measles Case Of 2025
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Now Has Its First Measles Case Of The Year
A metro Atlanta resident who was not vaccinated has been diagnosed with measles, the highly infectious disease that used to be on the wane. The disease can be fatal, and most of the patients that measles kills are children under 5 years old. The patient’s age was not disclosed in the public announcement. (Hart, 1/28)
AP: The Tuberculosis Outbreak In Kansas Is Alarming. It's Not The Biggest In US History Though, CDC Says
Kansas health officials called the outbreak “the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history” since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began counting cases in the 1950s. But a spokesperson for the CDC on Tuesday refuted that claim, noting at least two larger TB outbreaks in recent history. In one, the disease spread through Georgia homeless shelters. Public health workers identified more than 170 active TB cases and more than 400 latent cases from 2015 to 2017. And in 2021, a nationwide outbreak linked to contaminated tissue used in bone transplants sickened 113 patients. (Shastri, 1/29)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Chicago Tribune: Personal Information May Have Been Exposed In Health Department Incident
Individuals’ names and medical information may have been exposed in a Chicago Department of Public Health incident, the department said in a notice issued Tuesday. (Schencker, 1/28)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Lead Poisoning Levels Are The Highest They’ve Been Since Routine Testing Started In NH
More than 1,000 children tested positive for lead poisoning in New Hampshire in 2023, according to a recently published report from state officials. That’s the highest number of kids with dangerous levels of lead in their blood the state has seen since routine testing began in 2018. (Hoplamazian, 1/28)
The Texas Tribune: The Push To Cover Non-Medical Pregnancy Services In Texas
For Darline Turner’s clients, the hardest part of having a healthy pregnancy isn’t getting a doctor or designing a birth plan. It’s finding safe housing, getting enough food on the table or figuring out transportation to and from their appointments. (Klibanoff, 1/29)
CBS News: Appendix Cancer Patients From Around The World Come To Pittsburgh For Treatment
Pittsburgh has become one of the top places in the world for the treatment of appendix cancer – a rare cancer affecting one in a million people. Many of them were told they had only months to live until they came to Pittsburgh. (Sorensen, 1/28)
KFF Health News: Sports Betting Is Coming To Missouri. A Fund To Help Prevent Problem Gambling Will Follow
The parking lot at the Super One Stop in Granite City, Illinois, is full. The convenience store just across the Mississippi River from Missouri sells liquor, cigarettes, and some groceries. But not all the cars belong to customers. It’s a Sunday morning in the middle of football season, and the people sitting in their vehicles are mostly looking down at their smartphones. Nick Krumwiede is sure the people parked around him are betting on the day’s NFL games. That’s why he’s there. (Dyer, 1/29)
