Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
West Nile Cases Up; Many People Don't Know The Right Way To Use Bug Spray
9news.com: West Nile Cases, Deaths Continue To Climb In Colorado
West Nile virus cases are climbing higher in Colorado. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado has had 235 cases of West Nile this year. Twelve people have died. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Colorado has more than double the cases of any other state. (Krause, 9/28)
Boston.com: Mass. Health Officials Announce Additional Human Cases Of West Nile Virus
State health officials on Friday announced two new human cases of West Nile virus in Massachusetts this year. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), one case involves a woman in her 60s who was exposed to the mosquito-borne illness in Middlesex County. The second case involves a man in his 50s who was exposed in Suffolk County. These bring the total number of confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus this season to eight. (Rousseau, 9/27)
Rhode Island Current: R.I. Reports First Probable Human Case Of West Nile Of 2025
A Providence County resident in their 60s is the first probable human case of West Nile virus in Rhode Island this year, the state Department of Health announced Thursday. The case will be confirmed through further testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health officials did not disclose where the person was exposed, but said they began showing symptoms in early September and have remained hospitalized since. (Shea, 9/25)
CIDRAP: US Poll Shows West Nile Anxiety Low, As Is Insect Repellent Knowledge
A new Annenberg poll finds that, despite an increase in US infections, worry about West Nile virus remains low among Americans, and most people don't know how to correctly apply insect repellent in certain situations. West Nile is the leading mosquito-borne illness in the continental United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tracked 1,137 cases so far in 2025 in 42 states. (Soucheray, 9/29)
More health and wellness news —
Newsweek: Why Millennials Need To Rethink Eye Care To Avoid Blindness
If you're in your 20s or 30s, eye disease or vision care might not be high on your list of priorities. But experts warn that this is exactly the time to start protecting your sight to avoid serious problems later in life. Newsweek spoke to two leading eye specialists who explained how everyday lifestyle choices can set the stage for poor eye health—and what you can do now to prevent blindness in the future. (Notarantonio, 9/29)
Stat: Why Risk Factors Matter: 99% Of Heart Attack, Stroke Victims, Had One
Heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes don’t come out of nowhere, a new study concludes. The first time they strike, patients, clinicians, and researchers might think there were no red flags. But a prospective cohort study reports that more than 99% of people who experienced these illnesses had at least one of four risks for cardiovascular disease. (Cooney, 9/29)
Newsweek: Chemical Body Odors May Help Detect Cancers Early
Volatile chemicals released by the body—through urine, feces and odor—could one day help to noninvasively detect cancer early. In mouse models, researchers at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could offer helpful clues in screening for multiple types of cancer at once. (Millington, 9/29)
The New York Times: ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ Noodle Cup Trend May Increase Burn Risks For Kids
TikTok users have rushed to get their hands on the instant noodles that appear in the film. One prominent Boston hospital has sounded the alarm. Dr. Colleen Ryan, a doctor at the hospital, said in the statement that she had been treating children two to three times a week for burn injuries from instant noodles. Even before the movie, burn injuries from instant noodles made up almost a third of overall pediatric scald burn injuries, according to a study. (Young, 9/29)
AP: Arkansas Egg Producer Recalls Eggs Over Salmonella Contamination Risk
An Arkansas egg producer is recalling 12-count and 18-count cartons of free-range large brown eggs after federal health inspectors detected salmonella contamination at a processing site. ... The move came after U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors collected samples from the processing site and found 40 that were positive for salmonella bacteria. Seven different strains of salmonella were identified, including some known to cause human illness. (Aleccia, 9/29)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Speak Up For Patients Who Can't, And For Kids With Disabilities
Too Close a Call With Organ Donation. When I was a third-year med student doing a rotation on the trauma surgery team, we had a patient in the surgical intensive care unit who had arrived 12 hours earlier with bullet holes in his abdomen. We worked to stabilize him all night; the next day, he was still alive. (9/30)
