Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Warnings Issued About Mexican-Border Cancer Surgeries
AP: Americans Urged To Cancel Surgeries In Mexico Border City After Meningitis Cases, 1 Death
State and federal health officials are warning U.S. residents to cancel planned surgeries in a Mexico border city after five people from Texas who got procedures there came back and developed suspected cases of fungal meningitis. One of them died, officials said. The five people who became ill traveled to Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, for surgical procedures that included the use of an epidural, an anesthetic injected near the spinal column, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Tuesday. Four remain hospitalized, and one of them later died. (5/18)
In other health and wellness news —
CNN: Children As Young As 4 Can Learn What To Do In A Medical Emergency, American Heart Association Says
Leading heart health organizations are urging schools and parents to teach young children life-saving skills such as how to call 911 and how to administer CPR. On Wednesday, the American Heart Association, the European Resuscitation Council and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation published a scientific statement in the journal Circulation that details evidence showing schoolchildren as young as 4 know how to call for help in a medical emergency and that, by age 10 to 12, children can administer effective chest compressions when performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, better known as CPR. (Howard, 5/17)
NPR: The Death Cap Mushroom Can Be Lethal. Now There's New Hope For An Antidote
They don't call it the "death cap" mushroom without good reason. It's one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the world. Eating only half a cap can shut down your liver – and if you don't get medical attention fast enough, that shroom just might turn out to be your last meal. Mushroom poisonings are tough to track reliably, but some scientists estimate that they cause about 10,000 illnesses and 100 deaths a year globally. Until now, effective treatments for death cap poisonings were few and far between with no proven antidote available. (Barnhart, 5/17)
The Washington Post: When Too Much Exercise Is Bad For Your Heart
Exercise is, without question, good for our hearts. But can we potentially get too much of a good thing? A growing body of science, including a new report of the health of almost 1,000 longtime runners, cyclists, swimmers and triathletes, finds that years of heavy endurance training and competition may contribute to an increased chance of developing atrial fibrillation, especially in men. (Reynolds, 5/17)
Bloomberg: Michelle Obama Lobbied for Healthy School Meals. Her New Drinks Wouldn’t Qualify
Now a co-founder and strategic partner at Plezi Nutrition, a maker of sweetened beverages for kids ages 6 and up, Michelle Obama says she’s offering a lower-sugar alternative to steer them away from sugary drinks. ... But Plezi’s first product is a flavored juice drink blend that, under the very standards Obama championed, could not be served in US schools. (Shanker, 5/17)
The New York Times: Heat Will Likely Soar to Record Levels in Next 5 Years, New Analysis Says
Global temperatures are likely to soar to record highs over the next five years, driven by human-caused warming and a climate pattern known as El Niño, forecasters at the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday. ... “This will have far-reaching repercussions for health, food security, water management and the environment,” said Petteri Taalas, the secretary general of the meteorological organization. “We need to be prepared.” (Plumer, 5/17)
