Warnings That Surging H5N1 Bird Flu Could Lead To Human Infections

CIDRAP: Global Groups Warn Of Ongoing H5N1 Avian Flu Threat To People
Three global health groups today warned that, with H5N1 avian flu outbreaks continuing to devastate animal populations and increasing detections in mammals, the virus could adapt to more easily infect humans. The joint statement came from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). They urged countries to work together across sectors to protect both animals and people. (Schnirring, 7/12)

Reuters: Surging Bird Flu Outbreaks Raise Human-Infection Risk, UN Agencies Warn 
Three UN agencies on Wednesday warned that an ongoing rise in avian flu outbreaks globally raised concerns that the virus might adapt to infect humans more easily, and urged countries to strengthen disease surveillance and improve hygiene at poultry farms. Earlier this year, a new H5N1 strain of bird flu that is highly contagious among wild birds explosively spread to new geographical regions, infecting and killing a variety of mammal species and raising fears of a pandemic among humans. (7/12)

CIDRAP: Southern Hemisphere Flu Activity Rises; Central America Reports Hot Spots
Southern Hemisphere flu activity continues to rise in some countries, though levels have stabilized or are declining in others, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest update, which covers roughly the middle 2 weeks of June. (Schnirring, 7/12)

On news relating to teen mental health —

CIDRAP: More Emergency Visits For Teen Girls' Mental Health Seen During Second Year Of Pandemic
A new study in JAMA Psychiatry shows emergency department (ED) visits and stays for mental health needs soared for adolescent females in the United States in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising by 22% when compared to the year before the pandemic. In general, the authors of the study also found a significant increase (72%) in the percentage of youth in EDs with long onboarding (waiting in an ED or medical inpatient unit) times. (Soucheray, 7/12)

The New York Times: E.R. Visits For Teenage Girls Surged During The Pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic dragged through its second year, an increasing number of American families were so desperate to get help for depressed or suicidal children that they brought them to emergency rooms. A large-scale analysis of private insurance claims shows that this surge in acute mental health crises was driven largely by a single group — girls aged 13 to 17. (Barry, 7/12)

In other public health developments —

Stat: Why More Americans Aren't Using The 988 Crisis Hotline
It’s been a year since the U.S. launched its 988 national mental health hotline — and while the service is still dealing with logistical challenges, its biggest issue may be persuading more Americans to make use of it. Only 33% of Americans are at least somewhat familiar with the number and the service it provides, according to a survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted by Ipsos and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) conducted in June 2023. A larger percentage of Americans had at least heard of 988 (63%), but didn’t know much more about it. Still, this was an improvement compared with September 2022, when only 44% of Americans had heard about it at all. (Merelli, 7/13)

CBS News: Nearly 1 In 10 U.S. Children Have Been Diagnosed With A Developmental Disability, CDC Reports
The share of American children who have ever been diagnosed with a developmental disability increased again in 2021, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and now more than 1 in 10 boys have had an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder or another developmental delay. Among kids ages 3 to 17 years old, 8.56% have ever been diagnosed with any developmental disability as of 2021, according to the latest results from the agency's ongoing National Health Interview Survey. (Tin, 7/13)

CBS News: Norovirus Outbreaks Surging On Cruise Ships This Year
Norovirus outbreaks spiked on cruise ships this year, with data showing more outbreaks happened between January and June than over the course of any other full calendar year in the last decade. Thirteen norovirus outbreaks have been reported on cruises so far in 2023, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which keeps a record of annual case counts dating back to 1994. (Mae Czachor, 7/12)

Politico: Fatal Drug Overdoses Remain At Record Levels, CDC Data Shows
The number of people dying of drug overdoses in the U.S. was nearly the same between February 2022 and February 2023 as it was during that period the previous year, provisional data released by the CDC Wednesday showed. The CDC estimated that 109,940 people died of an overdose in that 12 month period, compared to 110,043 the previous year. (Paun, 7/12)

Reuters: How Aspartame Made The Agenda Of The WHO's Cancer Research Arm
The imminent move to label aspartame as a possible carcinogen comes after years of advocacy from a leading consumer group in the United States and a handful of cancer scientists hoping to settle a decades-long debate over the sweetener's safety. Reuters reported last month that the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), known as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was set to make that declaration on July 14, according to two sources with knowledge of the process. (Rigby, 7/13)

Also —

KFF Health News: Got Milk In School? Farmers Fight Health Advocates Over The Creamy ‘Whole’ Variety
Amanda Condo works at her family’s Pennsylvania dairy farm, but her son often won’t drink milk at school. He doesn’t like the flavor. That’s because the cafeteria at his elementary school serves only skim milk and 1%, which he contends tastes too watered-down, she said. “It’s a bad experience for kids who are our future milk drinkers, and it’s leaving a bad taste in their mouths.” (Galewitz, 7/13)