Want To Prevent The Next Pandemic? Think Of The Bats, Says Study
NPR highlights the role that viruses leaping from animal populations into human hosts have played in past pandemics, and how the same may be true for the next one. Meanwhile, an mpox outbreak in Congo is worrying experts.
NPR:
Bats Are Key To Stopping The Next Pandemic, Says New Study
Almost every pandemic we've seen over the last century has come from a virus that's spilled over into humans from an animal. "Generally, pandemics are seen as a biomedical problem," says Raina Plowright, an infectious disease ecologist at Cornell University. "Certainly, once the pandemic is underway, it is a biomedical problem ..." she says. "But the genesis of the pandemic is actually an ecological problem," says Plowright. That is, it's due to the complex interactions between wildlife, habitat, climate and people. (Danielm 3/26)
NPR:
Mpox Outbreak In Democratic Republic Of Congo Is A Worry To Disease Docs
"It's just a matter of time, if nothing is done, that the transmission crosses the border in the African region and, again, globally," says Dr. Jean Nachega, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Nachega is one of a number of public health experts expressing alarm over a major outbreak of mpox – formerly called monkeypox – in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They say the current situation represents a triple threat. (Emanuel, 3/27)
On other public health developments —
USA Today:
U.S. Life Expectancy Increased Slightly In 2022
Life expectancy rose to 77.5 years on average in 2022, a slight increase of 1.1 years from 2021, according to new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Life expectancy at birth increased 1.1 years...largely because of decreases in mortality due to COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and homicide," the report stated. (Chernikoff, 3/26)
Fortune:
Is Medicare Keeping Pace With Our Aging Population? Experts Say 'We Need To Double Down And Go Faster'
Americans are living longer than they did in 1965, when Medicare was established. Back then, average U.S. life expectancy was about 70; today it’s about 77 and a half—down slightly from a pre-pandemic high of nearly 79. ... That also means needing Medicare benefits for another 20 years. ... But Medicare was never designed to help us live this long, and services have sometimes been slow to adjust to the needs of the aging population, say some experts. (Seegert, 3/26)
KFF Health News:
The Burden Of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients
Susanne Gilliam, 67, was walking down her driveway to get the mail in January when she slipped and fell on a patch of black ice. Pain shot through her left knee and ankle. After summoning her husband on her phone, with difficulty she made it back to the house. And then began the run-around that so many people face when they interact with America’s uncoordinated health care system. (Graham, 3/27)
Newsweek:
Dementia Risk May Fall As Younger Generations Have Larger Brains
Human brains are getting bigger, which might spell good news for our overall brain health.Alzheimer's disease affects roughly 6.7 million Americans today over the age of 65, according to a 2023 report by the American Alzheimer's Association. Barring the discovery of medical breakthroughs in Alzheimer's treatment, this number is expected to double by 2060. But despite the absolute numbers of Alzheimer's cases rising, in line with America's aging population, the percentage of the population affected by the dementia disease is actually decreasing. (Dewan, 3/26)
The New York Times:
An Open-Air Approach To Mental Health Treatment
Timal and Grant are the faces of a pilot project, now in its fourth week, called Open Air Connections. It was billed as seeking to remove the stigma around mental health care through a community outreach effort. The two men were trained to assess the concerns of the people they approach ... and make referrals to agencies that can provide help. “Most people are doing life and just need a little extra,” said Shola Thompson, an official from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene who devised the program. (Barron, 3/26)
Minnesota Public Radio:
A Look At The Risks Of CTE In Hockey Following Former Wild Player Chris Simon’s Death
Former Minnesota Wild player Chris Simon died of suicide last week, and it’s renewing the conversation about a degenerative brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. (Wurzer and Kuznetsov, 3/26)
Also —
The 19th:
Tighter Regulations Are Reducing The Risk Of Lead Exposure In Public Housing
A new study suggests that lead inspection and removal regulations for public housing have been effective over time, reducing the risk of lead exposure for residents. After decades of high lead levels in its housing stock, it’s a sliver of hope for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that remediation and safety efforts are working. (Kutz, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
How Often Do You Really Need To Check Your Blood Sugar Levels?
How closely should you be tracking your blood-sugar levels? People with diabetes have long used devices to monitor their glucose fluctuations. In the past few years, a broader group of people have become interested in doing so to try to optimize their health, obtaining prescriptions for wearable monitors to see how their bodies react to different foods and activities. (Janin, 3/26)
