Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Urgent Health Challenges For 2020: WHO Cites Climate Change, Anti-Vaxxers As Deep Concerns Requiring Leaders To Work Together
CNN: Climate Crisis, Epidemics Among Next Decade's Urgent Health Challenges, WHO Says
Climate change, infectious diseases, anti-vaxxers and antimicrobial resistance all made their way onto the World Health Organization's list of health challenges facing the next decade. The list, published on Monday, was developed with input from experts around the world and presented "urgent, global health challenges," according to WHO, the United Nations' public health agency. (Howard, 1/14)
Reuters: U.S. Warns Citizens In China Against Pneumonia Outbreak
The U.S. State Department warned Americans in China about an outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan believed to be caused by a new strain of coronavirus, and which has killed one person. Wednesday's notice referred to an alert by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention urging citizens in China travelling to Wuhan to avoid contact with animals, animal markets or animal products, among other precautions. (1/15)
The Wall Street Journal: Heart Disease Strikes Back Across The U.S., Even In Healthy Places
Colorado is ranked as one of the nation’s healthiest states. It often doesn’t feel that way to David Rosenbaum. The Colorado Springs cardiologist regularly sees men and women in their 30s and 40s with heart problems, such as high blood pressure, an irregular heart rhythm, heart attacks. A visit from a young patient was rare when he started practicing there 17 years ago. Not anymore. “People say, oh, Colorado, we’re so healthy,” said Dr. Rosenbaum, who works for UCHealth, a not-for-profit health-care system. “Not so much.” (McKay and Overberg, 1/14)
The New York Times: Run A First Marathon, And Your Arteries May Look 4 Years Younger
Complete a first marathon and rejuvenate a major artery. That is the message of an inspiring new study of novice runners and their aortas. The study finds that training for and finishing a marathon can spruce up arteries, leaving them more flexible, healthy and biologically younger than before, even if runners are older or slow. But the study also raises some pointed questions about whether a lone marathon is the ideal goal for people hoping to improve their arterial health over the long term. (Reynolds, 1/15)
NBC News: How To Lose Weight: Doctor Shares Daily Dozen Checklist For Healthy Weight Loss
Healthy weight loss comes with its own checklist. Dr. Michael Greger, a physician who specializes in clinical nutrition, calls it his Daily Dozen — a summary of all the "healthiest of healthy foods" and habits he tries to fit into his daily routine to stay slim and prevent disease. Eating all of the items on the list is filling, but it adds up to 1,250 to 1,500 calories — about 500 fewer than people normally eat — leading to weight loss, Greger said. (Pawlowski, 1/15)
NPR: A New Solution For Postpartum Depression: A Help Line For Obstetricians
As a young woman, Jennifer Ford struggled with anxiety and depression. When she got pregnant, her physician advised her to stay on the antidepressant she took to manage her symptoms. Her first pregnancy and childbirth went smoothly, she says, but things were different after she gave birth the second time. "It's when I hit my wall," says Ford. She remembers feeling overcome by grief, immediately after she got home. (Chatterjee, 1/15)
Kaiser Health News: No Shield From X-Rays: How Science Is Rethinking Lead Aprons
Patients have come to expect a technician to drape their torsos with a heavy lead apron when they get an X-ray, but new thinking among radiologists and medical physicists is upending the decades-old practice of shielding patients from radiation. Some hospitals are ditching the ritual of covering reproductive organs and fetuses during imaging exams after prominent medical and scientific groups have said it’s a feel-good measure that can impair the quality of diagnostic tests and sometimes inadvertently increase a patient’s radiation exposure. (Jaklevic, 1/15)
MPR News: The Challenges Home Care Workers Face
As the elder population grows - and wants to stay at home rather than turn to a nursing home or hospital - the need for home health aides does, too. Employment in this field is expected to increase more than 30 percent over the next decade, much faster than the overall average.With fast growth, however, come growing pains. (Farrell and Schossow, 1/14)
