Viewpoints: An Earlier Measles Vaccine Would Protect Infants; Expand Wastewater Testing To Control Bird Flu

Stat: Measles Vaccine Guidelines Should Be Updated To Protect Babies 
With vaccination rates declining, cases rising, and health care providers encountering their first cases of a disease once eliminated, we believe it is time to reevaluate national measles immunization guidelines, particularly to safeguard a vulnerable group still not fully accounted for in vaccination recommendations: our youngest infants. (Rochelle Walensky, Benjamin Rader and John S. Brownstein, 3/21)

Stat:  Bird Flu Is Spreading. Wastewater Monitoring Can Help Us Stop It
Mandatory culling, inadequate government reimbursement, and prevention costs have led to $1.4 billion in losses for the poultry industry, hurting both farmers and everyday Americans. But despite these soaring costs, the U.S. is about to sunset a relatively affordable, very effective tool we have for stopping bird flu — and other deadly viruses. (Temitope Ibitoye, Jennifer Nuzzo and Diane Meyer, 3/21)

Bloomberg: What We're Getting Right Fighting The Overdose Epidemic
Last fall, when initial data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a surprising drop in drug overdose deaths, the universal response was relief. We were finally getting something right in addressing the opioid epidemic, which accounted for most of the decrease and has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/21)

Stat: Poultry Biosecurity, Vaccines May Be The New Normal 
Wholesale egg prices have dropped by more than 40% since late February, a decline that should soon translate into broader savings for consumers at grocery stores. This welcome respite has largely resulted from the lull in significant bird flu outbreaks in recent weeks, perhaps due to seasonal patterns in the virus’s transmission. North American flyways typically remain quiet in February as migratory birds have yet to start their journeys from their winter habitats. (Scott Gottlieb, 3/20)

Newsweek: Autism Awareness Still Has A Long Way To Go 
More than 25 percent of individuals with autism experience its most severe forms. Their daily realities can include profound communication limitations, self-injurious behaviors, seizures, catatonia, sleep problems, and other ongoing medical and behavioral challenges that usually require around-the-clock assistance. (Mark Kendall, 3/20)

Miami Herald: Florida Needs Congress To Keep Healthcare Affordable For Small Businesses
Unless Congress acts soon, health insurance costs will rise sharply next year for millions of Americans, including more than 4 million working Floridians and their families. (Julio Fuentes, 3/20)