Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Measles Outbreak Is An Opportunity To Tackle Vaccine Hesitancy; Covid Altered Public Health
Stat: How Parents Of Unvaccinated Kids Respond When They Get Measles
The ongoing measles outbreak in west Texas and a neighboring county in New Mexico has grown to more than 200 cases, concentrated in unvaccinated children. Twenty-three people have required hospitalization, and, tragically, a previously healthy, unvaccinated 6-year-old has died of the disease. An adult with measles in neighboring Lea County, New Mexico, has also died. (Adam Ratner, 3/8)
The New York Times: Covid’s Deadliest Effect Took Five Years To Appear
Covid didn’t just change billions of individual lives. It changed our country’s basic approach to public health, in fundamental ways that are becoming fully visible only now — and which the Trump administration looks likely to render irreversible. (Siddhartha Mukherjee, 3/10)
The CT Mirror: Treat All Diseases Equally
I’m 14 years old, and I live with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). On an average day, I monitor my blood sugar levels, take insulin, and follow my doctor’s suggestions. Despite these challenges, I am grateful for the medical resources and support I receive from family, friends, and the healthcare community. However, my family faced another struggle that highlights an important difference in how diseases are treated in this world. My older brother, Alec, whom I will always look up to, had a substance use disorder (SUD), and our experiences couldn’t have been more different. (Kalyan Pelletier, 3/10)
The New York Times: Kennedy Wants To Cure Chronic Disease. Here’s What He’s Up Against.
Our health care system has failed patients when it comes to preventing and managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. I see the consequences every day. (Daniela J. Lamas, 3/9)
Stat: Some Clues About How The FDA’s Biologics Office May Change
With all the uncertainties surrounding the Food and Drug Administration under Trump 2.0, the recent agency workshop I attended remotely on cell therapies and tissue-based products was reassuring in its normalcy. Still, a few things surprised me and could have major implications for the field moving forward. (Paul Knoepfler, 3/10)
Also —
The Marshall Project: At My Texas Prison, Solitary Confinement All But Guarantees Sexual Exploitation by Guards
In women’s prisons, sexual intrusion, harassment, coercion and violence are daily realities. And in solitary confinement, this conduct is so routine that many women — particularly the younger ones — don’t even think of it as abuse. They believe it’s simply an inevitable part of their incarceration. For the record, sexual contact with people in prison is a felony in Texas, and the state's department of corrections has a “zero tolerance” policy against it. But the biggest obstacle to reporting abuse in prison is getting someone to actually file your complaint. In solitary, you depend on staff to put your letters in the mailbox. Some simply discard them, which can cause you to miss the 15-day deadline for filing a grievance. (Kwaneta Harris and Deborah Zalesne, 3/10)
