Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Strep Is The Newest Anxiety For Parents; Misinformation Has Brought Back Measles
Bloomberg: Rise In Strep Throat Infections Should Worry Parents
As if parents don’t have enough to worry about between the flu, RSV, Covid and all the other viruses circulating, here’s something new to add to the list of anxieties: severe cases of bacterial infections caused by strep A. (Lisa Jarvis, 12/19)
Stat: Stopping Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Starts With Kids
Americans have been warned — again — about lax attention to routine vaccinations. This time the warning comes from measles, an age-old, vaccine-preventable disease, with an outbreak in central Ohio among nearly 80 children and counting, almost all of them unvaccinated against measles. (Rhea Boyd, Bruce Lesley and Alexandra Quinn, 12/20)
Scientific American: RSV Is Surging. Progress In Preventing It Looks Promising
Currently, we have no vaccine to prevent RSV. This may be partly why RSV is so unknown, as flu shot campaigns have made the influenza virus a part of our culture. We have only one preventative treatment for RSV that we save for the most vulnerable babies, a monoclonal antibody administered as a monthly injection during RSV season. (Janet A. Englund, 12/19)
CNN: Don't Send Grandma To The ICU This Christmas
It started with one person releasing a long, productive unmasked cough into the stale, recycled air on the rush hour train. The bodily fluids hung in the air like a certified holiday wrecking ball. In a matter of days, that single exhalation had transformed into a chorus of viral aerosols reverberating, unbridled coughs and sneezes and gargled throat clearings working in a sort of crude, sick harmony backed by a nose blowing percussion I envisioned infecting all bystanders, myself included. (Allison Hope, 12/20)
Houston Chronicle: Report Shows Poor Outcomes For Pregnant Women In Texas. Again
It took more than three months for the state of Texas to release its report Thursday documenting wide racial disparities and an increase in severe medical complications for pregnant women. (12/20)
Modern Healthcare: Healthcare, Philanthropy Leaders Must Join Up To Aid Children's Health
Healthcare leaders must harness the power of partnerships—and the fuel of philanthropy—in order to meet the rising needs of our patients. (Katy Welkie, 12/20)
