Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: The Power Of The Flu, Other Infectious Diseases; Smartphone Addiction
The New York Times: We’re Not Ready For A Flu Pandemic
The influenza season is just getting started in the United States, and it already promises to be more severe than usual. Hospital emergency rooms are filling up with flu sufferers, and pharmacies have reported medicine shortages. Twelve children had died as of last month. ... Yet as bad as this winter’s epidemic is, it won’t compare with the flu pandemic that is almost certainly on the horizon if we don’t dedicate energy and resources to a universal vaccine. (Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker, 1/8)
The Washington Post: Why Infectious Diseases Are Making A Comeback
Every day during the evening commute, my classical music station runs a segment with the memorable tagline, “reminding you that all music was once new.” The same holds true for infectious diseases: They, too, without exception, were once new. A scan of the headlines might make it feel like we are surrounded by novel dangers. Unfamiliar germs with unsettling names such as monkeypox virus and Marburg virus, Zika and Ebola regularly stir sensational news reports and raise genuine alarm in the global health community. But even our truly ancient enemies — bacteria and viruses that cause colds and diarrhea, opportunistic stomach bugs, crafty microbes such as herpes and so on — were once newcomers on the scene. (Kyle Harper, 1/8)
Bloomberg: Smartphone Addiction Is A Problem Apple Won't Solve
Two big shareholders of Apple Inc. are right to add their influential voices to those concerned with smartphone addiction. If they are serious about finding a solution, however, they’ll start looking elsewhere for progress on the issue. Like tobacco companies before them, tech companies are incapable of studying their products dispassionately and then regulating themselves for the common good. (Leonid Bershidsky, 1/9)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Why Risk It? Protect Your Child Against Cancer
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection with more than 100 different strands in existence. ... Often, it has no apparent symptoms, which makes it difficult to know when someone is infected. At least two strands of the virus have been shown to cause cervical, vaginal and vulva cancers in women, penile cancer in men, and head and neck cancers in both men and women. ... In the past decade, HPV vaccination for adolescents has been shown to protect against at least five types of cancer, including some that can cause infertility, or worse. This vaccine is now recommended for all preteens, boys and girls, during their annual checkups. ... Unfortunately, Missouri falls well below the national average rate for HPV vaccinations. (Dr. Lindsay Kuroki, 1/8)
Miami Herald: Florida Must Confront Opioid Crisis
According to a report released in November by the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission, there were 5,725 opiate-related deaths in Florida in 2016. My brother-in-law and good friend, David Abrams, was one of them. But my family’s loss, unfortunately, is all too common in Florida. Opiate addiction and death are approaching the ubiquity of diseases like cancer — where none among us are left untouched by its impact on ourselves and our loved ones. In 2016, there was a 35 percent increase in opiate-related deaths from the previous year. Nearly 1,500 more lives were lost. Complete data for 2017 isn’t available yet, but preliminary and anecdotal reports suggest the problem is only getting worse. (Florida Rep. Nicolas X. Duran, 1/8)
Louisville Courier-Journal: Increase The Tobacco Tax By $1.60 For A Healthier Kentucky
Kentucky has the highest rate of smoking in the nation and, not surprisingly, the highest rate of cancer in the nation. And, according to the recently released Louisville Health Equity report, the top three causes of death in Louisville over the past five years – cancer, heart disease and COPD – are directly linked to smoking. We also have one of the lowest tobacco tax rates in the nation, which works against efforts to curb smoking and deaths related to smoking. (Drs. Sarah Moyer and Karen M. Cost, 1/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Make It Easier To Work Without A License
Each state decides how best to protect the health and safety of its citizens, and professional licensure plays an important role. No one wants to be operated on by an unlicensed doctor or share the road with an unlicensed truck driver. But too often, overly burdensome licensure requirements weaken competition without benefiting the public. ... Consider telemedicine. It has helped many Americans, especially in rural and other underserved areas, receive treatment based on phone consultations rather than driving hundreds of miles to a clinic. Allowing licensed medical professionals to serve patients via telemedicine may be a solution for struggling hospitals that need to extend their reach into rural communities. (Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, 1/8)
The Kansas City Star: Colyer Should Be A Doctor First, Politician Second
Dear Lieutenant Gov. Jeff Colyer, It seems that you may be the face of Kansas soon. Gov. Sam Brownback might be leaving to become ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, to the jubilation of some. But I don’t take pleasure in the failure of others. I don’t know the governor personally, but there is no denying his decisions have had consequences. I have seen the damage to my uninsured patients when the governor chose political ideology over pragmatic decision making. You supported the governor in his vision. But soon your own vision might need defining. (Taimur Safder, 1/8)
