Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Russia's Melting Permafrost Contains Health Threats Worse Than The Plague; Kids' Screen Time Isn't The Real Issue
Bloomberg: What's In Russian Permafrost May Be Scarier Than Plague
After the Covid pandemic, we’re all a little jumpy when it comes to new disease outbreaks. So it’s understandable that the death of a lab technician working at a plague research institute in Siberia has put everyone on high alert. But while there’s still much we don’t know about that case, there is another health threat brewing in Russia that deserves more attention and alarm. (Lara Williams, 10/9)
The New York Times: I’m A Child Psychiatrist. Screens Are Not The Problem.
If we make screens the villain, then we let the people who control children’s health care — Congress, insurers and health systems — off the hook for their failures. (Jonathan Slater, 10/9)
Stat: 3 Census Changes Would Undermine U.S. Public Health
In 2030, U.S. mortality and morbidity rates will suddenly jump. This will happen not because there is a new pandemic or a sudden rise in cases of existing diseases or injuries, or a sudden decline in access to health care. These jumps in rates will occur throughout the U.S., more in some states than others. Within states, these rate changes will be especially noticeable among four groups: college-age people, retirement-age people, people of color, and immigrants. (Nancy Krieger, 10/9)
The Washington Post: Far Too Few Patients Are Being Screened For Lung Cancer
Only 1 in 6 eligible patients have spoken to their clinicians about getting this simple test. (Leana S. Wen, 10/8)
Stat: Robert Gallo: ‘You Can’t Just Fund The Obvious Science’
September marked 50 years since my colleagues and I published a paper describing what became known as interleukin-2, or IL-2, one of the first cytokines to be discovered and a protein essential to the growth and regulation of T cells. Science marked that anniversary with a perspective by renowned immunologists Rafi Ahmed and Steven Rosenberg examining the discovery. Their perspective prompted me to reflect on a question I’ve been asked many times over the years: What has been IL-2’s greatest legacy? (Robert C. Gallo, 10/9)
