USDA Conditionally Licenses Vaccine Against Lyme Disease Bacteria
The vaccine is sprayed onto pellets, which are distributed in natural settings for mice to eat, and it targets the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Separately, AP says Minnesota is preparing for a near-total ban on "forever chemicals." Also in the news, a mystery deepens over a mercury spill in the Bay Area.
CIDRAP:
USDA Green-Lights Lyme Disease Vaccine That Targets Mice Hosts
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has conditionally licensed an oral vaccine designed to limit the spread of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The vaccine is sprayed onto pellets and distributed in natural settings to be consumed by mice. (Schnirring, 5/9)
More environmental health news —
AP:
Minnesota Prepares For Near-Total Ban On 'Forever Chemicals'
Minnesota is on the verge of banning non-essential uses of “forever chemicals.” And lawmakers say they are naming the legislation after a woman who spent the last months of her life campaigning for restrictions that will be some of the toughest in the country. Legislators, environmentalists and family members paid tribute Tuesday to Amara Strande. She died two days shy of her 21st birthday last month from a rare form of liver cancer. She grew up in a St. Paul suburb where the groundwater is contaminated by PFAS and believed the chemicals were part of what caused her cancer, which was diagnosed when she was 15. (Karnowski, 5/9)
Detroit Free Press:
Marcus Garvey Academy Reopened; Haemophilus Influenzae Confirmed In 4
The Detroit Health Department has confirmed four cases of a bacterial infection at a Detroit school that closed temporarily last week because of an increase in illnesses among an undisclosed number of children. The Detroit Health Department identified the illness as Haemophilus influenzae disease found in the four people from Marcus Garvey Academy, with the cases limited to a single classroom. (Hall, 5/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Mystery Deepens Over Hazmat Mercury Spill At Bay Area Train Station
Martinez police Tuesday said they still don’t know how 1 pound of liquid mercury ended up near a public garbage can at the East Bay city’s new Amtrak train station. (Johnson, 5/9)
Axios:
Illinois May Harbor Second Worst Lead Problem In U.S.
Lead removal experts have long believed Illinois had the nation's biggest network of lead water lines. But last month an Environmental Protection Agency report suggested that Florida's inventory of lead lines (an estimated 1.16 million) exceeds our 1.04 million lines. (Eng, 5/9)
In other health and wellness news —
Becker's Hospital Review:
Smart Toilet Seat That Detects Heart Rate, Oxygen Levels Gets FDA Clearance
A smart toilet seat that measures people's vital signs has received FDA clearance. The Heart Seat from Casana got approved to detect heart rate and oxygen levels. The company says it plans to launch its first product by the end of 2023 and pursue systolic and diastolic blood pressure monitoring in future filings. (Bruce, 5/9)
Houston Chronicle:
Could Avocados Lower Your Risk For Developing Type 2 Diabetes?
Good news, avocado lovers: Eating the “superfood” may also be helping to prevent Type 2 diabetes, according to a study from Baylor College of Medicine researchers. The study, published last month in the Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, found that eating avocados was associated with a 20 percent reduction in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes over a six-year period. (MacDonald, 5/9)
KFF Health News:
Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
This week on the KFF Health Minute: air pollution’s effects on mental health, and how the end of the public health emergency could leave Americans at high risk for covid-19 without information they need to stay safe. (5/9)
