Viewpoints: Protect Migrant Children In Detention Centers By Giving Them Flu Vaccines; Lessons On Heart Disease And How To Put It Behind Us
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
The Washington Post:
Flu Season Is Coming. The Trump Administration Isn’t Ready To Protect Migrant Children From Disease.
You might think, given the widespread condemnation of the abhorrent conditions at U.S. detention centers, that the Trump administration would do everything possible to minimize future scandals. And you might think, given the six migrant children who died in U.S. custody, that the government would be taking extraordinary steps to protect the most vulnerable detainees. You would be wrong. As a group of doctors from Harvard and Johns Hopkins recently highlighted in a letter to Congress, government facilities are still putting migrant children at high health risk, placing them in facilities where influenza threatens to proliferate. And the government is making no concerted effort to protect the children in its custody against flu by making sure they have access to the appropriate vaccines. (Robert Gebelhoff, 8/6)
The New York Times:
Evolution Gave Us Heart Disease. We’re Not Stuck With It.
For much of history, there were three great threats to human survival: infections, injuries and starvation. By striking early and often, all three prevented us from fulfilling the most important reason for our existence: reproduction. Humans, therefore, evolved mechanisms to stave off these life-limiters. These days most of us die of heart disease. The reason our species finds itself in the ever-constricting clutches of atherosclerosis — the insidious buildup of cholesterol-filled plaques in blood vessels leading to heart attacks and stroke — might be that human evolution inadvertently led us into its labyrinthine lair. If that is true, is it possible for us find our way out? (Haider Warraich, 8/6)
Bloomberg:
Chronic Lyme Disease Shows Limits Of Modern Medicine
Lyme disease exposes how overrated medicine is. People have come to expect modern science to be able to detect and cure bacterial infections, at the very least – and yet for Lyme, a bacterial disease transmitted by ticks, the tests are shockingly inaccurate, and antibiotic treatment doesn’t always take away the often debilitating symptoms like joint pain, fatigue, brain fog and headaches. Some doctors admit they aren’t sure of the answer. (Faye Flam, 8/6)
Stat:
Toy Magnets Are Harming Kids. They Need To Be Banned For Good
Over the course of little more than a month, we removed 54 tiny toy magnets from the digestive systems of four children. They were lucky: Despite invasive procedures and operations to repair holes in their intestines, their injuries were treated in time and they will make full recoveries. In the past, others across the nation have not been so fortunate. These tiny magnets have been linked to many serious injuries and at least one death. If urgent measures aren’t taken to prevent access to these dangerous toys, we fear that history may soon repeat itself. (Amy Garcia and Sanjay Krishaswami, 8/6)
Bloomberg:
Mallinckrodt Opioid Risks Can’t Be Engineered Away With Spinoff
There’s no quick fix to the opioid crisis, and there’s no easy way out for the companies who allegedly helped spur it. Mallinckrodt Plc announced on Tuesday that it’s suspending a planned spinoff of its generic and opioid drug unit. The move could have helped shield its branded drug business from legal risk. The culprit for the delay? “Current market conditions and developments, including increased uncertainties created by the opioid litigation,” according to a statement. The update overshadowed second-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street expectations, and Mallinckrodt shares slumped as much as 20%. (Max Nisen, 8/6)
The Hill:
Misleading Information On E-Cigarettes Risks Lives
As the popularity of e-cigarettes has surged in recent years, so has the public’s confusion over the health risks these products pose. Last year, more than 10 million American adults used e-cigarettes, or “vaped,” and e-cigarette use has rapidly grown among teens. Meanwhile, some surveys indicate that the majority of Americans believe e-cigarettes are as harmful as combustible cigarettes, with an additional 10 percent believing e-cigarettes are more dangerous than combustible cigarettes. In addition, the share of Americans with these beliefs has grown sharply in recent years. (Liam Sigaud, 8/5)
Los Angeles Times:
California Leaders Downplay Danger Of Sprawl In Wildfires
The devastating and deadly wildfires that swept across California were supposed to be a wake-up call that would finally force local governments to rethink new housing development in high-fire-risk areas. (8/7)
Louisville Courier-Journal:
Kentucky's Drug Addiction Treatment System Is Broken And Must Be Fixed
When it comes to treating substance use disorder, I’ve noticed a concerning trend. The treatment has become too much of a competition between different modalities, often leading to poor access and results for those suffering from this burdensome disease. While 10.7% of Kentucky’s annual budget goes toward programs for substance use disorder treatment, we have to consider whether our resources are going to the right places and if we are truly acting in the best interests of people struggling with addiction when you realize our annual rate of opioid-related fatalities remains one of the highest nationwide. (Chris Harlow, 8/3)
Lexington Herald Leader:
Some KY Babies Born To Mothers With Substance Use Disorder Are Becoming Special Education Students
Letcher County Special Education Director Regina Brown said her district has more pre-school students this year with special education needs than without — a sharp and unprecedented uptick that’s reflected across the state, and many, including Brown, surmise early opioid exposure is to blame. “We do have students that are enrolling in our school system, and so do every other school system across the state, that have kids ... with significant developmental delays,” Brown, who has taught for 31 years, said this week. (Alex Acquisto and Valerie Spears, 8/5)
Austin American-Statesman:
Austin Must Rescind The Homeless Camping Ordinance Now
Austinites are compassionate about our homeless population, and this is complicated problem. But enacting a policy that destroys downtown, jeopardizes public safety, risks public health, and harms tourism is not the answer. Why would Austin emulate Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle or Honolulu by allowing homeless people to set up tents in public areas? (Mackowiak, 8/6)
