Stat: Fauci Recovering At Home Following Hospitalization For West Nile Virus Infection
Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is recovering at home after being hospitalized for nearly a week for West Nile virus infection. Fauci, a leader of the U.S. Covid-19 response, spent six days in hospital as doctors tried to figure out what was responsible for his illness. It was thought he had a bacterial infection, or had been infected with a tick-borne disease, until a blood test showed he was “strongly positive” for West Nile virus. (Branswell, 8/24)

The Washington Post: Eastern Equine Encephalitis In Mass. Compels Parks To Close At Night
A rare but deadly disease spread by mosquitoes has nearly a dozen Massachusetts communities on alert, prompting some towns to close parks after dusk, restrict outdoor activities and reschedule public events. ... Ten communities are now designated at high or critical risk for the virus, health officials said Saturday. (Kaur, 8/25)

Stat: $3.2 Billion Antiviral Pandemic Plan Being Drained Of Funds And Time
Sixteen floors above Central Park, Kris White keeps his gentler pathogens behind an unlocked stainless steel freezer door, in brightly colored boxes caked with frost. There’s an orange box of Zika, looking little different from a forgotten package of Trader Joe’s Butter Chicken, and a weakened form of SARS-CoV-2 in forest green. What White calls “the dangerous viruses” — wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and MERS, the camel-borne coronavirus with a 35% fatality rate — are stored under tighter lockdown upstairs. (Mast, 8/26)

In news about mpox —

Reuters: WHO Boss Calls For $135 Mln To Stop Mpox Outbreak
The head of the World Health Organization called for global concerted action to control a new mpox outbreak, announcing a response plan that will require at least $135 million over the next six months. "Let me be clear: this new mpox outbreak can be controlled and can be stopped," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a speech to WHO member states on Friday, later posted on social media platform X. (8/23)

Reuters: Insight: Why Mpox Vaccines Are Only Just Arriving In Africa After Two Years
The first 10,000 mpox vaccines are finally due to arrive next week in Africa, where a dangerous new strain of the virus – which has afflicted people there for decades – has caused global alarm. The slow arrival of the shots – which have already been made available in more than 70 countries outside Africa – showed that lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic about global healthcare inequities have been slow to bring change, half a dozen public health officials and scientists said. (Rigby, 8/24)

Reuters: Exclusive: WHO Says Partners Can Start Talks To Buy Mpox Vaccines Before Its Approval
The World Health Organization said on Friday its partners such as Gavi and UNICEF can start buying mpox vaccines before they are approved by the U.N. health agency, to get inoculations to Africa faster as the continent battles an escalating outbreak of the virus. Traditionally, organisations like Gavi, which helps lower-income countries buy vaccines, can only start purchasing shots once they have approval from the WHO. But the rules have been relaxed in this instance to get talks moving, as the WHO's approval is due in a few weeks. (Rigby, 8/23)

St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis Doctors Urge Patients To Seek Mpox Vaccine 
St. Louis-area doctors say they’re seeing an increase in interest from patients wanting to get vaccinated for mpox, a virus related to smallpox. Although cases of the disease are not increasing in the region, health officials still recommend at-risk patients get the vaccination for the virus. (Fentem, 8/23)

USA Today: Trump Lockdown Claims Referenced COVID-19, Not Mpox | Fact Check
The claim: Trump warned mpox will be used as an excuse for electoral fraud and lockdowns. An Aug. 15 Facebook post shows former President Donald Trump delivering an address. “Trump warns of lockdowns and election fraud over monkeypox,” the post reads in Spanish. ... Our rating: False. Trump did not say that mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, would be used as an excuse for lockdowns or election fraud. The video is a year old and is referring to then-new COVID-19 variants, not mpox. (Morales, 8/23)

USA Today: Mpox Has No Link To COVID-19 Vaccines | Fact Check
The claim: Mpox is a reaction to COVID-19 vaccines. An Aug. 17 Instagram post includes a video of a woman making an assertion about the real nature of mpox.  “Everyone needs to detox now!!” the post reads in part. “This is NOT a virus!! This is a side effect of the Covid Vaccines.” ... Our rating: False. COVID-19 vaccines have nothing to do with mpox, which is caused by a virus identified more than 60 years ago. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were first administered in late 2020. (Trela, 8/23)

Bloomberg: Singapore Begins Screening For Mpox Symptoms At Airports, Sea Checkpoints
Singapore will screen for mpox symptoms at border checkpoints, boosting precautionary measures against the virus after its outbreak was declared a global health emergency. Temperature and visual screening will start Friday at the island nation’s Changi and Seletar airports, as well as sea checkpoints, for inbound travelers and crew arriving from places where there’s risk of mpox outbreaks, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Travelers who have fever, rash or symptoms compatible with mpox will be referred for medical assessment, it said. (Ossinger, 8/23)

Reuters: Philippines Says Two New Mpox Cases Are Milder Variant
he Philippines has confirmed two more mpox virus infections of the milder clade 2 variety, its health ministry said Monday, bringing the number of active cases to three. "We continue to see local transmission of mpox clade II here in the Philippines, in Metro Manila in particular," Health Minister Teodoro Herbosa said in a statement. (8/26)

AP: Government Announces More Free COVID-19 Tests Can Be Ordered Through Mail
On the heels of a summer wave of COVID-19 cases, Americans will be able to get free virus test kits mailed to their homes, starting in late September. U.S. households will be able to order up to four COVID-19 nasal swab tests when the federal program reopens, according to the website, COVIDtests.gov. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency that oversees the testing has not announced an exact date for ordering to begin. (Seitz, 8/23)

CNN: Free Covid Tests, Treatments Will Return To Help The Country Cope Over Fall And Winter, US Officials Announce
Government-purchased supplies of the antiviral drug Paxlovid will also be available at no charge to people who are uninsured or who are on Medicare or Medicaid. The CDC is giving state and local health departments additional funding to provide free Covid vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults, and free vaccines will continue to be available to children from low-income families through the government’s Vaccines for Children program. (Goodman, 8/23)

The Hill: COVID Spread Mitigation In Schools Urged By Health Experts
Health experts are urging school staff and families to take active steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 amid rising infections as school districts stick to their previous plans to combat the virus similarly to how they would the flu or strep throat. Weekly deaths from COVID-19 have steadily risen in the United States since mid-June, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID Data Tracker. (Lonas and O’Connell-Domenech, 8/25)

Salon: Long COVID Is A "Public Health Crisis For Kids," Experts Say
For years, public health experts have said that COVID-19 infections in children are “mild.” According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common symptoms of COVID in kids are a fever and cough. While some children with the coronavirus are admitted to the ICU and there are pediatric deaths, studies have found that underlying medical conditions including obesity, diabetes, cardiac and lung disorders, increase the risk of severe outcomes. (Karlis, 8/26)

CIDRAP: Unvaccinated Survivors Of Severe COVID Saw Rise In Mental Illness In Year After, Study Suggests
A study of nearly 19 million adults in England reveals a higher rate of mental illness among survivors of COVID-19 hospitalization—particularly among the unvaccinated—for up to a year. A team led by University of Bristol investigators evaluated the incidence of mental illness in patients before and after COVID-19 diagnosis within the past year. ... The research was published this week in JAMA Psychiatry. (Van Beusekom, 8/23)

Also —

KFF Health News: The New Covid Vaccine Is Out. Why You Might Not Want To Rush To Get It
The FDA has approved an updated covid shot for everyone 6 months old and up, which renews a now-annual quandary for Americans: Get the shot now, with the latest covid outbreak sweeping the country, or hold it in reserve for the winter wave? The new vaccine should provide some protection to everyone. But many healthy people who have already been vaccinated or have immunity because they’ve been exposed to covid enough times may want to wait a few months. (Allen, Fawcett and Grapevine, 8/26)

Politico: Trump’s Pledge To Be ‘Great For Women And Their Reproductive Rights’ Angers Advocates
Donald Trump attempted to strike a new tone on the issue of abortion this week, saying he would be “great for women and their reproductive rights” — to the frustration of anti-abortion advocates. The former president invoked the phrase in a post on Truth Social on Friday, reflecting his campaign’s frenzied attempt to reset the narrative in the race against Vice President Kamala Harris and present more moderately on the issue of abortion, which has plagued Republicans electorally since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. (Piper, 8/24)

AP: Trump Would Veto Legislation Establishing A Federal Abortion Ban, Vance Says
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance says Donald Trump would not support a national abortion ban if elected president and would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk. “I can absolutely commit that,” Vance said when asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether he could commit to Trump not imposing such a ban. “Donald Trump’s view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue.” (Colvin, 8/25)

The Hill: Elizabeth Warren On Trump-Vance Pledge To Veto Abortion Ban: ‘American Women Are Not Stupid’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Sunday pushed back against Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) ... “American women are not stupid, and we are not going to trust the futures of our daughters and granddaughters to two men who have openly bragged about blocking access to abortion for women all across this country,” Warren said in an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” when asked about Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, saying he thinks Trump would veto a ban. (Fortinsky, 8/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Kamala Harris Says Republicans Are 'Out Of Their Minds' On Abortion
Vice President Kamala Harris had a sharp line about Republicans who back abortion restrictions: “They are out of their minds.” Harris blamed former President Donald Trump for appointing three justices to the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade. She said she has heard harrowing stories from families in states with restrictive laws and argued that Republicans will continue to work to block access. “Why exactly is it that they don’t trust women?” she said. (Lucey, 8/23)

The New York Times: Abortion Rights, On Winning Streak, Face Biggest Test In November
Ballot measures on abortion rights have succeeded beyond what even their proponents imagined when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. ... Now the strategy — and an unbroken winning streak — faces its biggest test ever, with 10 states asking voters whether to establish a right to abortion in their constitutions. On Friday, Nebraska became the final state to certify — it will be the only state with two measures, one sponsored by abortion rights supporters and the other by opponents. (Zernike, 8/23)

In other reproductive health news —

Arkansas Advocate: Arkansas Abortion Amendment Off The Ballot Due To Paperwork Errors
A proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment that would have created a limited right to abortion will not be on the statewide November ballot, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 ruling Thursday. The reason, the court said, is that supporters did not submit the correct paperwork to Secretary of State John Thurston’s office at the right time. (Vrbin, 8/22)

Missouri Independent: Lawsuit Seeks To Knock Abortion Amendment Off Missouri's Ballot 
A pair of Republican state legislators and an anti-abortion activist filed a lawsuit Thursday asking a judge to block an abortion-rights constitutional amendment from appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot. State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, state Rep. Hannah Kelly and Kathy Forck sued last year challenging the cost estimate for a proposed constitutional amendment rolling back Missouri’s ban on abortion. The campaign behind the proposal ultimately turned in enough signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot, where it is set to appear as Amendment 3. (Hancock, 8/23)

AP: Judge Declines To Order New York To Include ‘Abortion’ In Description Of Ballot Measure
A New York judge said Friday he won’t force state election officials to tell voters that a proposed antidiscrimination amendment to the state’s constitution would protect abortion rights, dealing a blow to Democrats who pushed for the change. The decision from Judge David A. Weinstein came in a lawsuit over the language that voters will see on ballots this November explaining what the proposed Equal Rights Amendment would do if passed. (Hill and Izaguirre, 8/24)

Reuters: NY Crisis Pregnancy Centers Can Speak About 'Abortion Pill Reversal,' Judge Rules
U.S. District Judge John Sinatra in Buffalo, New York, wrote in a preliminary order, opens new tab late on Thursday that the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment guarantee of free speech protects the right of Gianna's House, Options Care Center and the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) to "speak freely" about abortion pill reversal and "to say that it is safe and effective for a pregnant woman to use in consultation with her doctor." (Pierson, 8/23)

The Hill: Nebraska Voters To Decide On Two Competing Abortion Initiatives
Nebraska voters will see two competing questions about abortion on the ballot in November after activists on both sides of the issue met the signature requirements needed, the state’s top election official said Friday. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) said this year is the first time rival initiatives will appear on the same ballot. (Weixel, 8/23)

KFF Health News: Her Life Was At Risk. She Needed An Abortion. Insurance Refused To Pay
Ashley and Kyle were newlyweds in early 2022 and thrilled to be expecting their first child. But bleeding had plagued Ashley from the beginning of her pregnancy, and in July, at seven weeks, she began miscarrying. The couple’s heartbreak came a few weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion. In Wisconsin, their home state, an 1849 law had sprung back into effect, halting abortion care except when a pregnant woman faced death. (Varney, 8/26)

The Hill: Kamala Harris, Tim Walz Lean Into Erasing Medical Debt
The economic plan Harris released last week called for Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), to work with states to erase medical debt for millions of Americans “to help them avoid accumulating such debt in the future, because no one should go bankrupt just because they had the misfortune of becoming sick or hurt.” (Weixel, 8/24)

The New York Times: Care Policies Take Center Stage In Harris’s Economic Message
The “care economy” — a broad set of policies aimed at helping parents and other caregivers — was the great unfinished work of President Biden’s domestic agenda. Vice President Kamala Harris has made it a central aspect of her campaign to succeed him. Ms. Harris, the Democratic nominee, has spoken frequently on the campaign trail about making it more affordable to raise children. She chose a running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, whose signature policy accomplishments include the creation of a paid family leave program. (Ngo and Casselman, 8/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Kamala Harris Is Proposing A $6,000 Baby Bonus. Would It Make A Difference?
The first year of a baby’s life is costly and stressful for new parents, who often lose income as well as sleep as the bills mount. Vice President Kamala Harris proposes giving families of newborns a $6,000 bonus in the form of a tax credit to support their finances and well-being—an approach used in a handful of other countries. (Brown, 8/24)

KFF Health News: For Pharma, Trump Vs. Harris Is A Showdown Between Two Industry Foes
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have a rare point of agreement in their otherwise bitter and divisive contest: It’s up to the government to cut high U.S. drug prices. Harris cast the tie-breaking Senate vote in 2022 for legislation that allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices for its more than 60 million beneficiaries. ... As president, Trump would likely retain Medicare price negotiations unless the pharmaceutical industry can come up with something more compelling that they’d put on the table, people close to him say. (Armour, 8/26)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Exclusive | FDA Widens Probe Of Ecstasy-Based Drug Studies
The Food and Drug Administration is ramping up its investigation of the clinical trials that tested an Ecstasy-based therapy, after the agency earlier rejected the application for its approval. FDA investigators this week interviewed four people about the clinical trials sponsored by company Lykos Therapeutics, people familiar with the matter said. Investigators asked about whether side effects went unreported. (Essley Whyte, 8/23)

Reuters: US FDA Classifies Recall Of Inari's Catheter Devices As 'Most Serious'
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday classified a recall of Inari Medical's (NARI.O) ClotTriever catheter that helps capture and remove large clot from big vessels as "most serious". The affected products include all devices and lot numbers with labeled dates prior to Aug. 1, 2024, whose use might cause serious adverse health consequences, including device entrapment, vessel damage, and/or blockage of lung arteries and death, the FDA said. (8/24)

The New York Times: Judge Blocks E.P.A. From Using Civil Rights Law In Pollution Case
A federal court in Louisiana has dealt a serious blow to the Biden administration’s effort to protect communities heavily affected by toxic industrial pollution. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ruled on Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency is barred from using the federal civil rights law to prevent Louisiana from granting permits for numerous polluting facilities in minority and low-income communities. (Friedman, 8/23)

AP: Federal Lawsuit Challenges Mask Ban In Suburban New York County, Claims Law Is Discriminatory
A disability rights organization is challenging a suburban New York ban on wearing masks in public except for health and religious reasons, arguing it is unconstitutional and discriminates against people with disabilities. The federal class action lawsuit, filed by Disability Rights of New York on behalf of individuals with disabilities, seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to immediately stop enforcement of Nassau County’s Mask Transparency Act. (8/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Exclusive | J&J Takes Aim At Hospital Drug-Discount Program
Johnson & Johnson is opening a new front in the pharmaceutical industry’s fight against lucrative drug discounts for hospitals. Johnson & Johnson told certain hospitals around the U.S. Friday, in a letter reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, they will have to pay full price for two drugs that the company has sold at a discount under the drug-savings program and can apply later for a rebate. (Evans and Loftus, 8/23)

Stat: U.S. Agency Slaps Down A J&J Plan To Switch Payments For 340B Hospitals 
A U.S. government agency said that a planned move by Johnson & Johnson to alter payment methods for some hospitals participating in a controversial drug discount program was “inconsistent” with federal law and requires approval before the company can proceed. (Silverman, 8/23)

Also —

Reuters: Nestle To Keep Health Science Unit After CEO's Exit, Chairman Tells Paper
Nestle intends to keep its Health Science unit, Chairman Paul Bulcke said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday, after the food giant announced it was replacing its CEO Mark Schneider with company veteran Laurent Freixe. The health business is among the Nestle units which some analysts say could be sold over the medium turn. (8/25)

Axios: Surprise Billing Law Helped PE-Backed Providers
A select group of private equity-backed physician practices benefited from the federal process for resolving billing disputes for out-of-network care, collecting payouts well above what insurers would have paid in-network, an analysis of 2023 data shows. (Bettelheim, 8/26)

Reuters: Ozempic On Wall Street's List For 2027 Medicare Drug Negotiations
Now that the U.S. government has negotiated prices for some Medicare program drugs effective in 2026, Wall Street analysts are betting on a 2027 list that will include Novo Nordisk's blockbuster (NOVOb.CO) Ozempic for diabetes and have a limited impact on Big Pharma. Other possible 2027 candidates include Pfizer's (PFE.N) cancer drugs Ibrance and Xtandi, GSK's (GSK.L) asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ... according to five analysts as well as researchers and company executives. (Erman, 8/23)

ProPublica: Therapists Are Leaving Health Insurance Networks. Here's Why
Although federal law requires insurers to provide the same access to mental and physical health care, these companies have been caught, time and again, shortchanging customers with mental illness — restricting coverage and delaying or denying treatment. These patients — whose disorders can be chronic and costly — are bad for business, industry insiders told ProPublica. (Waldman, Miller, Blau and Eldeib, 8/25)

Modern Healthcare: Some Nursing Homes' Infection Control Staffing Falls Short: HHS
Many for-profit nursing homes may not be following federal rules requiring infection control workers, according to a government audit. ... Some for-profit nursing homes have failed to designate a person responsible for their infection prevention and control programs, while others tapped people for the role who had not completed specialized training, according to a report the Health and Human Services Department Office of Inspector General published this week. (Devereaux, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: In-Home Care For Homebound Seniors Challenges Providers, Insurers
Around 8 million Medicare-eligible adults have two or more chronic conditions and functional impairments that make it hard for them to leave their homes to seek care, according to healthcare research and advisory firm ATI Advisory. However, providing regular, home-based primary care to manage these complex patients can be difficult and unprofitable for providers through traditional fee-for-service Medicare. That is why some home-based primary care practices are trying to negotiate value-based contracts with Medicare Advantage carriers. (Eastabrook, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: Medically Home CEO Graham Barnes On Reducing In-Home Care Costs
The new CEO of hospital-at-home technology company Medically Home, Graham Barnes, is focused on reducing the cost of home-based care and extending it to more health systems. Boston-based Medically Home provides the technology platform and some staffing that helps about 20 health systems to extend hospital-level care to patients where they live. (Eastabrook, 8/22)

CNN: Human Brains Contain Surprising Levels Of Plastic, Study Says
Human brain samples collected at autopsy in early 2024 contained more tiny shards of plastic than samples collected eight years prior, according to a preprint posted online in May. A preprint is a study which has not yet been peer-reviewed and published in a journal. (LaMotte, 8/25)

CIDRAP: Study Reveals How Microbiota-Based Treatment May Help Prevent Recurrent C Diff
Analysis of data from a phase 3 clinical trial provides some clues as to how a microbiota-based treatment helps prevent recurrent Clostridioides difficile (rCDI) infection, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. For the study, researchers analyzed stool samples from participants in PUNCH CD3, a randomized clinical trial that found the fecal microbiota-based live biotherapeutic Rebyota (RBL) was clinically superior to placebo in preventing rCDI. (Dall, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: Steward Health Care Layoffs To Impact 944 Ohio Hospital Workers
Steward Health Care will cut more than 900 jobs as it prepares to close additional hospitals next month. The 935 layoffs at Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital — both in Warren, Ohio — will go into effect Oct. 20, but Steward plans to shutter the facilities Sept. 20, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notices filed this week. (Hudson, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: UNC Health Launches 'Transparent' PBM For Employers
As pressures mount against the largest pharmacy benefit managers, a new disruptor is entering the field: UNC Health. The University of North Carolina-affiliated health system announced a plan this month to launch UNC Health Pharmacy Solutions, a "transparent" PBM for employers seeking an alternative to CVS Health subsidiary CVS Caremark, Cigna division Express Scripts and UnitedHealth Group unit OptumRx, which dominate the market. (Berryman, 8/23)

North Carolina Health News: Building Eastern NC's Community Health Workforce, In Barbershops, Beauty Salons
In an ongoing effort to get essential health information to people in nontraditional settings, one organization in eastern North Carolina is using an approach that empowers their community’s trusted voices. Shackle Free Community Outreach Agency helps train barbers and beauticians to share important information on vaccines and chronic disease prevention and treatment. They also share information about accessing food, housing and other resources. (Nandagiri, 8/26)

Axios: Concierge Medicine Comes To College Campuses
The growing concierge medicine market has a new target demographic: college students and their anxious parents. It's the latest example of how expanded access to health care is available to those willing to pay, which critics say drives up costs without necessarily improving outcomes. (Goldman, 8/26)

The Wall Street Journal: A Court-Ordered Therapy That Separates Kids From A Parent They Love Stirs A Backlash
Tori Nielsen was 16 when she and her 12-year-old brother were whisked away from their mother at the Maricopa County courthouse by four strangers in a white minivan on the morning of May 27, 2021. The strangers wouldn’t tell Tori and her brother where they were going, she recalled, as the siblings held hands and cried in the back seat. After hours on the interstate, they arrived at a hotel somewhere by the ocean. The strangers, three men and one woman, barricaded the door to their room with furniture so they couldn’t leave, Tori said. (Frosch, 8/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Another California Gun Law Blocked Over ‘Historical Tradition' Test
In another blow to California’s efforts to restrict carrying guns in public, a federal judge has barred the state from allowing only California residents to seek concealed-carry licenses. (Egelko, 8/21)

Also —

KFF Health News: Journalists Talk Shooting's Toll On Children And State Handling Of Opioid Settlement Funds
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in the last two weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (8/24)

USA Today: Great Value Apple Juice Sold At Walmart Recalled Over Arsenic
A voluntary recall for 9,535 of the eight-ounce Great Value Apple Juice sold at Walmart stores in a six-pack with PET plastic bottles (UPC 0-78742-29655-5) has been issued, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the recall number F-1746-2024 issued on Aug. 15, the federal agency said that the apple juice “contains inorganic arsenic above the action level set in industry guidance.”  On Aug. 23, the recall was upgraded to Class II, which is defined by the FDA as a product that "may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”  (Forbes, 8/24)

Newsweek: Parasite Warning: 'Profuse' Diarrhea Cases Spiking In Yellowstone
Health officials have launched an investigation into an outbreak of a diarrhea-causing parasite in Yellowstone County. City-County Public Health Department RiverStone Health have reported 26 confirmed cases so far this year—nearly triple the caseload in 2023—with 29 additional suspected infections. (Dewan, 8/23)

CIDRAP: CDC Reports 2 More Variant Flu Cases, Both With Swine Exposure
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported two more variant influenza cases, one in Ohio and the other in Pennsylvania, in people who had contact with pigs. Both patients are adults, recovered after hospitalization, and had underlying health conditions, the CDC said in its weekly influenza report. (Schnirring, 8/23)

CIDRAP: CDC Ends Its Probe Of Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak After 551 Cases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday declared its investigation into a multistate Salmonella outbreak tied to cucumbers over after 551 cases and 155 hospitalizations, an increase of 102 cases and 30 hospitalizations since its last update on July 2. (Wappes, 8/23)

CIDRAP: Tularemia Identified In Biologist, Dead Seal That She Dissected
A wildlife biologist who injured herself last fall while performing a necropsy—an autopsy on an animal—on a harbor seal contracted tularemia, a highly infectious disease caused by Francisella tularensis, which is deemed a high-priority bioterrorism agent in part because so few bacteria are required for infection. ... Tularemia, or "rabbit fever," is an occupational risk for farmers, foresters, and veterinarians and is listed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of six category A biological warfare agents. It occurs most often in rabbits, hares, and rodents. About 200 US cases are recorded each year, according to CDC data. (Wappes, 8/23)

The New York Times: Why Are Extreme Heat-Related Deaths So Hard To Track?
Researchers estimate that heat kills more people than any other extreme weather event, and the number of heat-related deaths reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has steadily risen in recent years. In 2023, the agency reported that heat played a role in approximately 2,300 deaths, though this number may be revised as more records are processed. But some researchers say the actual number is far higher. ... The C.D.C. relies on death certificates reported by local authorities for its tally, but the way these certificates are completed varies from place to place. (Selig, 8/23)

AP: Wearable Tech Sensors Can Read Your Sweat. Privacy Advocates Are Concerned
As the world experiences more record high temperatures, employers are exploring wearable technologies to keep workers safe. New devices collect biometric data to estimate core body temperature - an elevated one is a symptom of heat exhaustion - and prompt workers to take cool-down breaks. ... But there are concerns about how the medical information collected on employees will be safeguarded. Some labor groups worry managers could use it to penalize people for taking needed breaks. (Bussewitz, 8/24)

In other public health news —

Stat: AI In Medicine: A National Registry Could Help Increase Transparency
The use of artificial intelligence in hospitals is ramping up so fast — and with such little transparency — that it is impossible to track how any given product is impacting the cost or quality of care. Whether AI is monitored at all is entirely up to individual health systems. (Ross, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: Johns Hopkins, CareFirst Join Accelerator Targeting AI
Johns Hopkins University is working with insurer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and venture capital firm TechStars to create an early-stage artificial intelligence startup accelerator, the organizations said Friday. The 13-week accelerator program will be called Techstars AI Health Baltimore powered by Johns Hopkins and CareFirst. The university and companies aim to provide capital and guidance for entrepreneurs focused on improving care with AI. (Turner, 8/23)

Also —

KFF Health News: Turning 26 And Struggling To Find Health Insurance? Tell Us About It
A hard-won provision of the Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their family’s health insurance until age 26. But after that, those without employer-sponsored insurance face an array of complicated choices, including whether to shop on the insurance plan exchange, apply for Medicaid, or roll the dice and go uninsured. ... Whatever your story, we want to hear from you for a project we are doing with The New York Times. (Rosenthal, 8/26)

Houston Chronicle: Biden Rule Seeks Water Breaks To Save Workers From Heat Deaths. Who Could Oppose That?
His body temperature soared over 100 degrees at one point. They found blood in his urine. The construction worker and father of three, Candido Batiz Alvarez, knew what that meant. (8/25)

Dallas Morning News: Abbott’s Order On Texas Hospitals Will Alienate Vulnerable Populations
Recently, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order directing the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect and report health care costs associated with undocumented immigrants. Although the stated goal is to refute the effects of the Biden-Harris administration’s “open border policies,” this directive presents significant and practical issues that we cannot afford to ignore. (Suleman Lalani, 8/26)

The Washington Post: The Abortion Endgame Comes Into View
For all the esoteric talk about the meaning of freedom, the Democratic Party is making a simple bet: that abortion restrictions in red states are an effective election wedge, even against a Republican opponent trying to distance himself from traditional pro-life positions. (Jason Willick, 8/23)

Los Angeles Times: November Election Could Make — Or Break — Reproductive Freedom 
“Our bodies are on the ballot!” Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, got it right when she declared that during her speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday. (8/26)

The Boston Globe: World Needs To Act On Mpox - And Prepare For The Next Public Health Crisis
The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency earlier this month, and the ongoing outbreak is a brutal reminder of the fragility of world health systems and the deadly consequences of inaction. (Vanessa Kerry, 8/26)

Stat: Harvard, Penn, Columbia Tap Doctors To Lead Troubled Campuses
Recently, Columbia University’s president resigned after months of chaos, following in the footsteps of Harvard and my own institution, Penn. Besides struggling with encampments, building takeovers, and commencement challenges, the three universities have something else in common: They have all chosen M.D.s as president or interim president. (Guy David, 8/26)