Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Young Kids Eating Cannabis Edibles By Accident Rose Sharply Over 5 Years
NBC News: Reports Of Young Children Accidentally Eating Marijuana Edibles Soar
More young children are getting sick from inadvertently eating marijuana edibles, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics. (Lovelace Jr., 1/3)
CNN: Number Of Young Children Who Accidentally Ate Cannabis Edibles Jumped 1,375% In Five Years, Study Finds
In just five years, the number of small children in the US exposed to cannabis after accidentally eating an edible rose 1,375%, a new study says. There were more than 7,040 exposures to edible cannabis in kids under 6 between 2017 and 2021, according to an analysis of records from the National Poison Data System, a central repository for data from America’s Poison Centers. (Christensen and LaMotte, 1/3)
Also —
AP: Alfalfa Sprout Recall Tied To Salmonella Outbreak Expanded
A Nebraska company on Friday expanded a recall of alfalfa sprouts after more than a dozen cases of salmonella were linked to the food. SunSprouts Enterprises doubled its recall that was first announced Thursday, Nebraska health officials said. (12/30)
The Washington Post: This Doctor Prescribes Ketamine To Thousands Online. It’s All Legal
In the past two years, Scott Smith has become licensed to practice medicine in almost every U.S. state for a singular purpose: treating depressed patients online and prescribing them ketamine. (Gilbert, 12/30)
On new mpox health guidelines —
CIDRAP: WHO's New Mpox Guidance: All Contacts Should Avoid Sex For 21 Days
For the first time since August, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its mpox guidance, recommending that known case contacts avoid sexual contact with others for 21 days, whether symptomatic or not, given that transmission may occur before symptom onset. (Soucheray, 12/27)
In news on the health of Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills —
The New York Times: Damar Hamlin Of Buffalo Bills In Critical Condition After Collapsing During N.F.L. Game
Damar Hamlin, a 24-year-old safety in his second season with the Buffalo Bills, was in critical condition in a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during a Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills said. (Morgan and Belson, 1/2)
The Washington Post: Bills' Damar Hamlin May Have Suffered Heart Arrhythmia, Experts Say
The blow to the chest of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin may have thrown his heart’s pumping mechanism out of rhythm, disrupting blood flow to his brain and causing his on-field collapse, two experts said Monday night. (Bernstein, 1/3)
