Viewpoints: Changing Climate Makes Pandemics Likelier; HPV Vaccination Rates Have Plummeted
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health issues.
Los Angeles Times:
Climate Change Is Nudging Us Toward The Next Pandemic
For years, scientists have been warning us about an unsettling reality: that climate change will make pandemics more likely in our collective future. (Arjun V.K. Sharma, 9/25)
Bloomberg:
Progress On HPV Vaccines Is Too Important To Lose
HPV vaccinations among teens in the US dropped precipitously during the early pandemic, a disappointing reversal for shots that can prevent more than 33,000 cases of cancer each year. Worse, efforts to get vaccinations back on track could be stymied by legal challenges. (Lisa Jarvis, 9/26)
The New York Times:
Where Are All Our Post-Covid Patients?
Two years ago, during the worst of the Covid pandemic, my colleagues and I told ourselves what now seems like a naïve story. In the wake of this virus, we would develop a robust system of follow-up care for the patients who had been sickest in our hospital, many of whom were from medically underserved communities. (Daniela J. Lamas, 9/26)
The New York Times:
Will Digital Technology For Therapy Increase Inequality In America?
The way Americans receive mental health care has never changed as quickly as it has since the spring of 2020. When the Covid pandemic forced so many of us into our homes and onto Zoom, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and social workers followed. What started as a short-term fix is now becoming permanent. (Adrian Aguilera, 9/27)
The New York Times:
My Year With Woebot, An A.I. Chatbot Therapist
I first met Woebot, my A.I. chatbot therapist, at the height of the pandemic.I’m an anthropologist who studies mental health, and I had been doing fieldwork for my Ph.D. in China when news of the coronavirus started spreading. (Barclay Bram, 9/27)
Stat:
Hold Accountable Doctors Who Knowingly Spread Covid-19 Lies
The California State Legislature has sent a bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom that strengthens discipline for doctors who knowingly spread Covid-19 misinformation. Legislation like this is sorely needed across the country. (Juliana E. Morris, 9/27)
Stat:
The Inflation Reduction Act Will Improve Vaccine Access In The U.S.
One of the many achievements in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which President Biden signed into law in August, is aligning Medicare’s vaccine coverage with that of all private health insurance in the United States. (Richard Hughes IV, 9/27)
