Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric Is Dangerous; The MAHA Movement Is Destroying The CDC’s Credibility
The CT Mirror: Vaccines Are Crucial To Maintaining Public Health
I will never forget when as a young physician doing a volunteer year in Haiti seeing a mother with her 6-month-old baby. The baby’s muscles were totally rigid so that it was impossible for him to lie flat. His jaw was clamped shut and when he attempted to cry, an eerie humming emanated from his clenched lips. It was an obvious case of tetanus. (Joe Bentivegna MD, 9/11)
The New York Times: Who Is MAHA Even For?
It’s been a destructive reign since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was narrowly confirmed as the secretary of health and human services in February — the proposal to cut some agency budgets by almost half, the thousands of layoffs and resignations, the mass firing of the country’s vaccine advisory panel and the weakening of programs designed to protect Americans from cancer, heart attacks, strokes and other conditions. (David Wallace-Wells, 9/10)
Stat: Where Is MAHA On Sweeteners Like Aspartame And Stevia?
This week, the Make America Healthy Again Commission released its “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy” — a national plan to improve the diets and health of U.S. children. While the commission’s May report spotlighted the dangers of added sugars, the new strategy is virtually silent on them. That omission is striking given both a wealth of evidence on sugar’s harms as well as MAHA’s own efforts to curb added sugar consumption — including its support for state waivers to restrict soda and candy purchases using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (Allison Sylvetsky and Priya Fielding-Singh, 9/11)
Newsweek: Republicans' MAHA Contradiction Hands Democrats An Opportunity
While the conventional wisdom is that MAHA is all about vaccine skepticism, much of the movement's energy and attention is focused on reining in toxic chemicals in industrial agriculture—an issue on which Democrats have a far stronger record and a far more credible policy program than Republicans. Many in the movement are also focused on progressive priorities like addressing the proliferation of microplastics, ensuring access to healthy school meals, and even reversing threats to public lands. (Tim Ryan and Justin Zorn, 9/8)
Chicago Tribune: How I Took Steps In My 20s As A 'Previvor' To Avoid Getting Cancer
I’ve never had cancer. But it has still shaped my entire life. I’m a BRCA1 “previvor.” You may never have heard that term before; it was coined by an organization called FORCE over 25 years ago. I carry a gene mutation that increases my risk for breast and ovarian cancer and other kinds, and that’s why, even though I’m in my late 20s, I’ve already undergone high-risk surveillance and a preventative mastectomy. (Maggie Wickman, 9/11)
Stat: Ebola Has Broken Out In The DRC Amid U.S. Global Health Retreat
On Aug. 20, in Bulape, a small town in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kasaï province, a 34-year-old pregnant woman was admitted to the local hospital with sudden fever, bloody vomiting, and profound weakness. Despite supportive care, her condition rapidly deteriorated, and five days later, she died. Her death was not just a personal tragedy. Laboratory testing confirmed she had Ebola. (Krutika Kuppalli, 9/11)
