Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Wildfire Smoke Causes Air Quality Health Alerts In California
Los Angeles Times: Wildfires Prompt Air Quality Advisories In Northern California
Smoke from a dozen major wildfires is spreading across Northern California, darkening skies, dropping ash and creating health hazards from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco. Officials have issued air quality alerts warning of hazardous conditions that could last into the weekend. “Overall, there’s smoke pretty much covering most of Northern California,” said Bill Rasch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. (Smith, 8/19)
The New York Times: Sacramento Air Quality Worsens Amid Wildfires
The wildfires burning in Northern California, including the rapidly expanding Caldor fire east of Sacramento, are affecting more people than simply those forced to evacuate. On Thursday, air pollution was projected to remain at unhealthy levels — above 150 on the air quality index — in Sacramento and other cities near the blaze. (Paybarah, 8/19)
Sacramento Bee: Wildfire Smoke: How To Protect Yourself From Particles
California wildfires including the Dixie, Caldor, Monument and McFarland blazes all grew overnight, and more fires means more smoke. Jamie Arno, spokesperson for the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, said though the air looks ugly in Sacramento today, it’s going to get worse on Wednesday and Thursday. A wind from the north is going to push smoke down to ground level throughout the region, Arno said. “When you can smell smoke, that means it’s there, it’s unhealthy to breathe,” Arno said. “So the suggestion is you either go indoors or move to another location where you’re not breathing the smoke.” (Jasper, 8/19)
In related news about heat and climate change —
Bloomberg: Extreme Heat Is Clear And Growing Health Issue, Two Studies Find
More than 356,000 people died in 2019 as a result of extreme heat and that number is likely to grow, according to a study published in The Lancet this week. The Global Burden of Disease review, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found while cold temperatures still cause a greater number of deaths, mortality rates attributable to heat are growing faster, particularly in hotter regions of the world. (Leon, 8/19)
The Washington Post: Philadelphia’s 1993 Heat Wave Killed More Than 100 And Taught City Important Lessons
The water trickled down quickly, enough to coat the sun-bleached concrete basin in a city park with a layer of wetness. A toddler danced, smiling as water from the park’s sprinklers rained down on her, keeping her cool. It was a blistering midsummer day in July, the kind that as recently as 30 years ago would have proven disastrous for vast numbers of this city’s most vulnerable residents. In the early 1990s, heat pounded Philadelphia’s most at-risk communities, killing or sickening scores. After a raft of changes, including the creation of an extensive heat warning system and opening “spraygrounds,” the city has been able to largely diminish the heat’s threat to its residents. And in a world where climate change is making extreme weather the norm, some say the city could be a model. (Suggs, 8/19)
In other news from California, Kentucky and Tennessee —
San Francisco Chronicle: Did Algae Bloom Kill Family Hiking In Mariposa County? Authorities Checking All Possibilities In Mysterious Deaths
Authorities are considering whether a dangerous algae bloom may have killed a young family whose bodies were found here on a hiking trail this week, and friends and investigators are pinning their hopes on a pending toxicology report for answers. Mariposa County sheriff’s officials are awaiting toxicology results and told The Chronicle that they aren’t ruling out any potential causes of death. The bodies of John Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Muji, and their dog were discovered with no obvious signs of trauma by searchers on Tuesday on the Hite Cove Trail near an area known as Devil Gulch. The family had taken off on a day hike Sunday and was reported missing when they failed to return. (Gafni and Cassidy, 8/19)
AP: HIV Cases Climb In Kentucky City, More Screenings Offered
Health officials in Kentucky’s largest city say an increase in HIV cases has led the agency to offer more screenings and prevention measures. The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness also urged local health care providers on Thursday to start conducting HIV testing as a routine part of medical care. There have been 126 people diagnosed with HIV in the first five months of 2021, Louisville health officials said in a statement. Twenty-four of those cases were diagnosed in May, which is the most recent data available, officials said. The average number of cases annually from 2017 to 2020 was 144. (8/20)
AP: Tennessee Adds 3 Counties Under Mental Health Initiative
Tennessee officials have expanded an initiative for youth and young adults who have experienced a first episode of psychosis. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says OnTrack TN will be newly available in Montgomery County through the Mental Health Cooperative, Anderson County through Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services, and Rutherford County through Volunteer Behavioral Health Care Services. The growth of the program for people 15 to 30 years old comes through federal COVID-19 pandemic funding. (8/20)
