The New York Times: Idaho Bans Out-Of-State Abortions For Minors Without Parent’s Consent
Idaho on Wednesday became the first state to make it illegal for minors to leave the state to get an abortion without parental consent. The new law, signed by Gov. Brad Little, would create a crime called “abortion trafficking,” carrying a penalty of two to five years in jail for anyone who helps a person under 18 get an abortion or obtain abortion pills without permission from a parent or guardian. (Chen, 4/5)

AP: Idaho Governor Signs 'Abortion Trafficking' Bill Into Law 
The law is the first of its kind in the U.S. and creates a new crime of “ abortion trafficking,” barring adults from obtaining abortion pills for a minor or “recruiting, harboring or transporting the pregnant minor” without the consent of the minor’s parent or guardian. Anyone convicted of breaking the law will face two to five years in prison and could also be sued by the minor’s parent or guardian. Parents who raped their child will not be able to sue, though the criminal penalties for anyone who helped the minor obtain an abortion will remain in effect. (4/6)

In related news from Idaho —

The Hill: ACLU, Planned Parenthood Sue Idaho AG Over Out-Of-State Abortion Referral Ban 
Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday separately announced they’re filing suit against the Idaho attorney general over an interpretation of state law that would punish medical professionals who refer patients out-of-state for abortion services. Idaho’s attorney general Raúl Labrador issued a legal opinion last week that said state law prohibits medical providers from referring a patient across state lines to undergo an abortion, or from prescribing abortion pills for a patient to pick up across state lines. (Mueller, 4/5)

Axios: Abortion Rights: Free Speech Battle Looms In Idaho With ACLU Lawsuit
Idaho could be at the center of a free speech battle over abortion care. Driving the news: The American Civil Liberties Union announced Wednesday that it's suing the Idaho Attorney General for "threatening health care providers who exercise their First Amendment right to give patients information about out-of-state abortion care." (Habeshian and Gonzalez, 4/5)

KTVB.com: ‘I Don’t Wish This On Anyone:’ Idaho Couple Travels Out Of State For Abortion
21 weeks into pregnancy, Kayla and James Smith discovered their son had serious heart defects, other fetal abnormalities. Doctors said they wouldn't be operable. (Davis, 4/5)

The 19th: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Repeals 1931 Abortion Ban
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed into law a bill that repeals a 1931 abortion ban, cementing access in the state and fulfilling a promise she made during her reelection campaign. Whitmer signed the legislation surrounded by Michigan doctors, lawmakers and abortion advocates. (Rodriguez, 4/5)

Detroit Free Press: Whitmer Repeals Michigan's 1931 Abortion Ban
With the stroke of her pen, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer repealed an unenforceable Michigan law Wednesday that makes it a felony to administer most abortions with no exception for rape or incest. For decades, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed a national constitutional right to abortion. But when the court overturned that decision, a Michigan Court of Claims judge issued an order temporarily blocking Michigan's abortion ban to ensure continued legal access to the procedure in the state. Michigan voters ultimately took up the matter directly during last year's midterm when they embraced an amendment to the state's constitution to enshrine an explicit right to seek abortions. While the constitutional amendment means the 1931 abortion ban is no longer in effect, Democratic lawmakers still wanted to repeal it. (Hendrickson, 4/5)

In abortion news from New Mexico —

AP: New Mexico Governor Signs Bill To Shield Abortion Providers 
Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill Wednesday that protects providers of abortions from related prosecution, professional disciplinary action or extradition attempts by out-of-state interests. A companion abortion-rights bill signed in March guarantees access to reproductive health care in response to a string of anti-abortion ordinances by cities and counties in eastern New Mexico where opposition to abortion access runs deep. (Lee, 4/5)

From Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and California —

AP: Narrow Abortion Exemption Bill Passed By Tennessee Lawmakers 
Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Senate gave final approval Wednesday to legislation that would add a narrow exemption to one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States, with it now heading to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his approval. The Senate passed the bill on a 26-1 vote, with several of the chamber’s Democratic lawmakers voting “present” rather than picking a side. (Kruesi, 4/5)

Salt Lake Tribune: A Texas Pastor Aims To Outlaw Abortion In Towns Bordering Utah
As Utah inches toward an abortion clinic ban that will likely end access to elective abortion, a Texas-based anti-abortion organization is working to enact de facto abortion bans in localities just across the border — starting with West Wendover, Nevada. (Anderson Stern, 4/5)

KHN: Gov. Newsom Wanted California To Cut Ties With Walgreens. Then Federal Law Got In The Way.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared last month that California was “done” doing business with Walgreens after the pharmacy chain said it would not distribute an abortion pill in 21 states where Republicans threatened legal action. Since then, KHN has learned that the Democratic governor must compromise on his hard-line tweet. California is legally bound to continue doing business with Walgreens through the state’s massive Medicaid program, health law experts said. And according to a public records request, the state paid Walgreens $1.5 billion last year. (Young, 4/6)

In related election news —

The New York Times: Wisconsin Rout Points to Democrats’ Enduring Post-Dobbs Strength
Republicans are now heading into a series of coming races — for Kentucky governor this year and for president and an array of Senate seats in 2024 — with ample warning signs about the pitfalls of nominating candidates who hold positions on issues like abortion and elections that are unpopular with voters in the nation’s most competitive states. (Epstein, 4/5)

NPR: A N.C. Lawmaker Has Switched Parties, Creating A Path To Stricter Abortion Laws
A Democratic North Carolina lawmaker announced on Wednesday that she was switching to the GOP, giving Republicans a veto-proof majority in the state and paving a way for major legislative changes. (López Restrepo, 4/5)

In other reproductive health news —

Axios: Study: Black Women At Higher Risk Of Maternal Mortality Than White Women Regardless Of Where They Are
Black women in areas that have more access to maternal health care are at "disproportionately" higher risk of dying during or after childbirth than white women who live in underserved areas, according to a new study in The Lancet. The big picture: While women of color are known to be at greater risk, the study is the first to apply a geographic lens in this way, per the study's co-author. (Gonzalez, 4/5)

Bloomberg: Air Pollution Linked To Increased Dementia Risk In Harvard Analysis
Breathing polluted air was linked to an increased risk for dementia, underscoring the potential for stricter air quality measures to prevent conditions like Alzheimer’s disease that afflict millions of Americans. (Peng, 4/5)

The Washington Post: Air Pollution May Raise Risk Of Dementia, Analysis Shows 
It has long been known that inhaling these microscopic particles — also known as PM 2.5, particles less than 2.5 microns in width — can cause serious health issues. (In comparison, the width of a single human hair is 50 to 100 microns.) But “their relationship to the brain and dementia is a relatively recent thing,” said lead study author Marc Weisskopf, Cecil K. and Philip Drinker Professor of environmental epidemiology and physiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Dementia is a massive problem worldwide. If we can reduce exposure to these particles, we can reduce the burden of dementia.” (Cimons, 4/5)

The EPA has proposed stricter limits on mercury pollution —

AP: EPA Tightens Mercury Emissions Limits At Coal Power Plants 
The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening rules that limit emissions of mercury and other harmful pollutants from coal-fired power plants, updating standards imposed more than a decade ago. The rules proposed Wednesday would lower emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants that can harm brain development of young children and contribute to heart attacks and other health problems in adults. (Daly, 4/5)

The Washington Post: Biden EPA Clamps Down On Mercury From Coal Power Plants
The agency said its proposal will also cut emissions of soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and the leading contributor to climate change, carbon dioxide, nationwide. “America is leading the way in innovation, and our work to protect public health is no different,” Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “By leveraging proven, emissions-reduction measures available at reasonable costs and encouraging new, advanced control technologies, we can reduce hazardous pollution from coal-fired power plants, protecting our planet and improving public health for all.” (Puko, 4/5)

In other environmental health news —

Tampa Bay Times: Tampa Bay’s Redfish Are Contaminated With Pharmaceuticals, Study Shows
Over a four-day period last summer, Dustin Pack set out into Tampa Bay in search of one of the most coveted fish species in Florida. Armed with fishing rods, live bait and his shallow-water skiff, it would seem like any other week for Pack, a full-time fly fishing guide and captain. (Chesnes, 4/5)

ProPublica: Major Chemical Company Changes Tune on Asbestos, No Longer Opposes EPA Ban
For decades, chemical companies fought attempts to ban asbestos, claiming they needed the potent carcinogen to manufacture chlorine. As recently as last April, in fact, the CEO of one of the last major companies still clinging to the toxic substance argued for it to remain legal. Acceptable alternatives “do not exist,” Olin Corp. CEO Scott Sutton told regulators. In a dramatic turnaround, Olin said on Tuesday that it would support a federal ban on the deadly mineral. (McGrory and Bedi, 4/5)

San Francisco Chronicle: U.S. EPA Hits Valero Refinery In Benicia With $1.2 Million Penalty
Oil refining giant Valero must pay a $1.2 million penalty for major flaring incidents at its Benicia facility that spewed dark plumes of pollutants into neighborhoods, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday. The “significant chemical incidents” occurred in 2017 and 2019 and forced people, including schoolchildren, to shelter in place because of the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals, according to the agency. (Johnson, 4/5)

Also —

The Boston Globe: Former Top Officials At Mass. Company Charged With Knowingly Selling Defective Lead-Testing Machines Used By Tens Of Thousands Of Children
Three former executives at a Massachusetts medical device company knowingly sold defective lead-testing machines between 2013 and 2017 that generated inaccurate results for tens of thousands of children across the country and for clients of at least one international relief organization, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. (Ellement and Lazar, 4/5)

Salt Lake Tribune: Gov. Cox Appointed A Democratic Physician To The Utah Air Quality Board. GOP Lawmakers Said ‘No.’
A legislative committee failed to advance Gov. Spencer Cox’s nomination of Democratic Salt Lake County Council member Suzanne Harrison to a slot on the Utah Air Quality Board on Tuesday. The no votes from Senate Republicans appeared to be motivated by a measure of political payback and worries Harrison’s environmental positions were out of sync with the GOP-dominated Utah Legislature. (Schott, 4/5)

The New York Times: China Publishes Data Showing Raccoon Dog DNA At Wuhan Market 
Chinese government scientists on Wednesday published a long-awaited study about a market in the city of Wuhan, acknowledging that animals susceptible to the coronavirus were there around the time the virus emerged. But the scientists also said that it remained unclear how the pandemic began. The study, published in the journal Nature, focused on swabs taken from surfaces in early 2020 at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a large market where many of the earliest known Covid patients had worked or shopped. The Chinese scientists had posted an early version of their genetic analysis of those samples in February 2022, but at the time downplayed the possibility of animal infections at the market. (Mueller, 4/5)

CIDRAP: With New Nature Study, Scientists Continue To Debate SARS-CoV-2 Origins
Chinese researchers who isolated three live SARS-CoV-2 viruses and viral DNA from environmental samples at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, say the findings don't definitively show that the pandemic spilled over into humans from animals, according to a study published today in Nature. ... On the Zenodo preprint server, the group posted its own analysis of the sequences, which it said support—but don't definitively prove—that the virus likely jumped from animals (eg, raccoon dog) to people at the market. (Van Beusekom, 4/5)

More on the spread of covid —

Stat: Where Is The White House’s New Pandemic Response Office?
In the wake of a pandemic that claimed more than 1 million American lives, Congress in December instructed the White House to create a new, permanent office to coordinate the government’s readiness for the next pandemic threat. The White House hasn’t gotten around to actually getting it up and running. The office was intended to be a permanent solution for the ongoing need for the White House to hire “czars” to handle public health threats like Ebola, AIDS, and Covid-19. But Biden hasn’t nominated anyone to lead it, just a month before a crucial turning point in the administration’s pandemic response. (Cohrs, 4/6)

FiercePharma: FDA Authorizes InflaRx's Anti-Inflammation Drug For Severe COVID
The FDA has granted an emergency use authorization for InflaRx’s vilobelimab to treat critically ill COVID patients, the German company said in a press release Monday. The drug also bears the moniker Gohibic, and it’s only allowed for use within 48 hours of a patient receiving invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which are typically utilized in the most severe patients experiencing acute respiratory failure. (Liu, 4/4)

The Boston Globe: Health Groups Call On Mass. To Keep Mask Mandates In Health Care Settings
A coalition of health groups is urging the Healey administration to maintain universal masking in health care settings when the federal and state public health emergencies for COVID-19 lift on May 11. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last fall eased its guidelines for masks in health care settings, saying they were not necessary in areas where COVID-19 transmission was not high. But Massachusetts was among several states that maintained universal masking. (Lazar, 4/5)

Becker's Hospital Review: Solidifying Long COVID-19's Definition Is Key, Researchers Say
While some aspects of long COVID-19 — sometimes referred to as post-COVID-19 condition, or PCC — are much better understood than before, researchers have yet to land on a unified definition for the condition. ... he major complications around research on the condition relate both to its various names and broad references to a collection of different symptoms after a coronavirus infection, which "makes assimilating and comparing findings from current studies difficult," U.K. researchers Daniel Pan, MD, and Manish Pareek, PhD, wrote in an April 5 report published in JAMA. (Hollowell, 4/5)

And a vaccine skeptic is running for president —

The New York Times: Robert Kennedy Jr., A Noted Vaccine Skeptic, Files To Run For President
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political activist known most recently for his campaign to discredit coronavirus vaccines, filed paperwork on Wednesday to run for president as a Democrat, offering a potential long-shot challenge to President Biden. (Gabriel, 4/5)

Stat: Medicare Advantage Plans Will Have To Stop Denying Required Care
The Biden administration is moving forward with proposals that would crack down on Medicare Advantage insurers that deny care inappropriately — including if companies use algorithms to turn down coverage. Starting next year, Medicare Advantage plans cannot reject coverage of procedures, prescription drugs, tests, or supplies that would otherwise be covered if someone were enrolled in the traditional Medicare program, according to final regulations issued Wednesday. (Herman, 4/5)

Modern Healthcare: CMS’s Medicare Advantage Final Rule To Speed Prior Authorizations
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D final rule for 2024 aims to further the agency's efforts to strengthen federal oversight of health insurance companies. CMS published the regulation Wednesday, which includes major changes to the standards for quality metics, prior authorizations, marketing and health equity. The agency issued the proposed rule in December. (Turner, 4/5)

Also —

Axios: Nursing Homes Get A Payment Boost, But Staffing Standards Loom
With the threat of mandated staffing ratios looming over some long-term care facilities, the Biden administration on Tuesday said it will bump up Medicare payments to skilled nursing providers next year. Why it matters: Nursing homes are dealing with acute staffing shortages and operating with financial losses, and concerns about how CMS finalizes staffing regulations this spring have the industry on edge. (Dreher and Goldman, 4/5)

In other health care industry news —

Becker's Hospital Review: Judge Denies Challenge To Measure That Would Cap LA Hospital Exec Pay
A Los Angeles judge has denied a challenge from the California Hospital Association to a ballot measure that would cap pay of hospital executives. The Los Angeles measure backed by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West would cap hospital executive pay at the compensation of the U.S. president, or $450,000 per year. The California Hospital Association filed suit challenging the measure, arguing that the U.S. president earns more when factoring in travel expenses, discretionary funds and residence in the White House. (Gooch, 4/5)

AP: Hospital: Treatment, Discharge Of Woman Who Died Appropriate 
A woman who died after being discharged from a Tennessee hospital and forced to leave despite her pleas for more help received appropriate medical treatment, the hospital said, but changes were being made to security procedures. The findings from an internal investigation by Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville over its treatment of 60-year-old Lisa Edwards were released Tuesday, news outlets reported. (4/5)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Independence Health Group's Profit Fell In 2022 As Utilization Increased
Independence Blue Cross’ parent company on Wednesday reported a steep decline in profits in 2022, as the pandemic waned and people again started using medical care in greater numbers. The biggest health insurer in Philadelphia — whose coverage lines include Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and private insurance — had $575 million in operating income last year, down from $1.4 billion the year before. Revenue climbed to $27.4 billion from $24.7 billion. (Brubaker, 4/5)

KHN: The Big Squeeze: More Enrollees And Smaller Networks Plague Some ACA Plans 
The Affordable Care Act may be struggling with its own success. Record enrollment over the last two years brought more consumers into the market. At the same time, many insurers began offering smaller networks of doctors and hospitals, partly to be price-competitive. That combination left some patients scrambling to find an available in-network physician or medical facility. That can be a challenge, especially when enrollees must rely on inaccurate provider lists from their insurance company. (Appleby, 4/6)

Reuters: Pfizer RSV Vaccine 82% Effective Vs Severe Infection In Infants, Final Data Shows 
Pfizer Inc's experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was 82% effective in preventing severe infections in infants when given to expecting mothers in the second half of their pregnancy, according to trial details published on Wednesday that confirm preliminary data from the study. Final data from the study that was halted early when it became clear the vaccine was effective was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (4/5)

In other pharmaceutical news —

AP: Novel Treatment Shows Promise Against Rare Cancer In Kids
A novel treatment using supercharged immune cells appears to work against tumors in children with a rare kind of cancer, researchers reported Wednesday. Nine of 27 children in the Italian study had no sign of cancer six weeks after the treatment, although two later relapsed and died. The treatment — called CAR-T cell therapy — is already used to help the immune system fight leukemia and other cancers in the blood. This is the first time researchers have achieved such encouraging results in solid tumors, experts in the field said, and raises hopes that it can be used against other kinds of cancers. (Johnson, 4/5)

Stat: Can U.S. Cancer Drug Shortages Be Fixed?
Roughly two million Americans are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis this year. Some members of this already vulnerable group will wind up facing what physician Andrew Schuman recently called “a tragedy happening in slow motion” — an ongoing, nationwide shortage of critical oncology drugs that routinely save or extend the lives of children and adults. Speaking at a March 22 Senate hearing on drug shortages, Schuman, a head and neck surgeon at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, described the agonizing decisions that doctors must make when critical medicines are in short supply. (Neimark, 4/5)

The Wall Street Journal: These Drugs Are So Futuristic That Doctors Need New Training 
Promising therapies include antisense oligonucleotides (or ASOs) which affect how proteins inside cells are made; Crispr gene editors that can cut, rewrite, or replace faulty genes; and other novel approaches. But there’s a hitch. Some of these drugs, as well as therapies in development for other conditions, are administered through lumbar punctures, which aren’t a routine part of doctors’ daily practices. They may involve infusions of a gene packaged inside the shell of a virus, which can lead to potential immune complications and can require close monitoring of patients. Some drugs need to be stored in special conditions, which can take complicated planning and coordination that few doctors have experienced. (Marcus, 4/5)

Bloomberg: ADM Targets Gut Health In Partnership With Startup Brightseed 
One of the world’s biggest nutrition companies is zeroing in on the human gut to find breakthroughs in how plant molecules can be combined with food to help everything from the immune system to mental well-being. Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. announced on Thursday a partnership to develop products that target gut microbiome with Brightseed, a San Francisco-based startup that uses artificial intelligence to uncover molecules in plants that have direct links to human health. The companies didn’t disclose the size of the investment. (Chipman and Veloso Ribeiro, 4/5)

Military Times: Suicide Surges Among Soldiers Not Inherently Tied To Wars, Study Finds
Suicide rates among active duty soldiers do not appear to be significantly impacted during times of war, a recent study found. Despite an uptick in suicides amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, historically times of combat are not solely accountable for surges in self-harm among troops, according to the study slated for the May issue of Psychiatry Research. (Lehrfeld, 4/4)

Military Times: Military Still Mismanaging Troops’ Traumatic Brain Injury Care
Nearly half a million service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the past two decades, but the Defense Department isn’t sure exactly how many, how they are being treated or how they are doing now, according to the Pentagon’s inspector general. A DoD inspector general report released Monday found inconsistencies with how the military health system handles screening, tracking and treating brain injury, often because the existing process is cumbersome. It concluded that DoD is “unable to accurate identify, treat and track” incidents of brain injury across the forces. (Myers, 4/5)

If you are in need of help —

Dial 9-8-8 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

In other health news from the military —

Roll Call: Veterans Health Accounting Move A New Headache For Appropriators
On the surface, providing veterans the health care they need is one of the most bipartisan issues in Congress’ appropriations process. Even in a year where Republicans are pursuing major spending cuts, appropriators have signaled that veterans funding will be protected. But a debate over how that funding should be provided, specifically relating to last year’s law establishing new aid to veterans exposed to toxins while serving overseas, is emerging as an early flashpoint in the fiscal 2024 process. (Quigley, 4/5)

Military.Com: Guardsmen, Reservists Would Get Expanded Parental Leave Under Senate Bill
On the heels of Congress securing a win for active-duty military parents by expanding their parental leave, a bipartisan pair of senators wants National Guardsmen and reservists to have comparable benefits. Under the Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act, the text of which was obtained by Military.com ahead of its release, Guardsmen and reservists on drill status who are non-birthing parents, adoptive parents or foster parents would get parental leave -- not just birth mothers, as is the case right now. (Kheel, 4/5)

Fox News: ADHD Numbers Climbing Dramatically In The U.S., Especially Among Women, Says New Study
The number of people diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is climbing steadily in the U.S. — especially among women, a new study found. While cases have risen across all age groups, the spike has been most significant among women. The share of females between the ages of 23 and 49 years of age diagnosed with the disorder nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022. (Rudy, 4/5)

On the gun violence epidemic —

CNN: Gun Violence In The US Has Become More Lethal, Research Suggests
A record number of people are dying from firearm injuries in the US, and new research suggests that shootings are becoming more lethal, too. Most victims of fatal firearm injuries die at the scene of the shooting, before they can be treated in a health care setting. But that has become increasingly common over the past two decades. (McPhillips, 4/5)

In other health and wellness news —

CBS News: Migrane Treatment With Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Can Help, Study Finds
It's estimated that 1 in 10 people worldwide suffers from migraines. With so many different triggers, they can be difficult to treat and can affect your health, your work and your relationships. But a new clinical trial by Yeshiva University shows promising results with an unconventional treatment. It's called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. (George, Moniuszko and Carullo, 4/5)

The Washington Post: How Exercise Leads To Sharper Thinking And A Healthier Brain
To build a better brain, just exercise. That’s the message of two important new studies of how physical activity changes our minds. In one, scientists delved into the lives, DNA and cognition of thousands of people to show that regular exercise leads to much sharper thinking. Another study helps explain why exercise is good for the brain. Researchers found that just six minutes of strenuous exertion quintupled production of a neurochemical known to be essential for lifelong brain health. (Reynolds, 4/5)

The Texas Tribune, ProPublica, NBC: Federal Regulators Advance New Portable Generator Safety Rule
The federal government is moving forward with sweeping new regulations to make portable generators safer, citing the increasing number of deaths they cause and the failure of manufacturers to protect consumers. On Wednesday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to advance a proposal that would require portable generators to emit less carbon monoxide and to shut off automatically when the deadly gas reaches a certain level. The invisible and odorless gas emitted by the devices claims an average of 85 lives a year, making generators one of the deadliest consumer products the CPSC regulates. (Trevizo and Khimm, 4/6)

Also —

Bloomberg: WHO Warns Europe At Risk Of Dengue, Zika Summer Outbreaks
Northern countries are at risk of outbreaks of dengue, Zika and chikungunya as climate change increases the range of the mosquitoes that carry these illnesses, according to the World Health Organization. (Kew, 4/5)

CIDRAP: Canada Reports H5N1 Avian Flu In Pet Dog
Canadian health officials yesterday announced that H5N1 avian influenza has been detected in a domestic dog, the country's first such case, adding to the list of mammal species infected in ongoing activity involving the 2.3.4.4b clade of the virus. ... The dog got sick after chewing on a dead goose and died. A necropsy revealed respiratory symptoms involvement, and further investigation is underway. (Schnirring, 4/5)

AP: Indiana, Idaho Governors Sign Bans On Gender-Affirming Care 
Republican governors in Indiana and Idaho have signed into law bills banning gender-affirming care for minors, making those states the latest to restrict transgender health care as Republican-led legislatures continue to curb LGBTQ+ rights this year. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed legislation Wednesday that will prohibit transgender youth from accessing medication or surgeries that aid in transition and mandate those currently taking medication to stop by the end of the year. Idaho Gov. Brad Little had signed legislation Tuesday evening that criminalizes gender-affirming care for youth. (Rodgers, 4/6)

USA Today: Kansas Enacts Transgender Athletes Ban Over Veto Of Gov. Laura Kelly
After years of failed efforts, Kansas legislators successfully enacted a bill to ban transgender athletes in women’s sports over the veto of Gov. Laura Kelly, joining 19 other states with similar measures. The Kansas Legislature on Wednesday voted to overide the Democratic governor's third veto in three years of a bill to ban transgender athletes and came a day after state lawmakers passed a 'bathroom bill.' (Bahl, Tidd and Ngyuen, 4/5)

NBC News: North Dakota Advances Record-Setting 10 Anti-LGBTQ Bills In One Day, Advocates Say
North Dakota’s Legislature advanced 10 bills Tuesday that advocates say target the state’s LGBTQ community, setting a single-day record for such legislation, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. The state Senate passed all 10 bills, which had already passed the House, on Monday. Eight of them are headed to Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, for either a signature or a veto. (Yurcaba, 4/5)

WUSF: The Florida Senate Passes A Measure Blocking Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 27-12 mostly along party lines to pass the bill. Only Sen. Gayle Harrell joined Democrats in opposing the bill, which next go to the House, where it is expected to pass. The Florida Senate on Tuesday passed a plan that would bar doctors and other health care providers from offering transgender treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to minors. (Saunders, 4/5)

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Sen. Sullivan Signs Onto Republican Letter Criticizing Gender-Affirming Care
The March 29 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra from Sullivan, signed by 10 other Republican senators and four Republican U.S. House members, expresses concern that the HHS department is “encouraging medical providers, who should have the best interest of a child as their top priority, to perform ‘gender affirming care.’” The three-page letter calls gender-affirming care “far from proper healthcare” and suggests that the HHS department’s guidance on the treatments could be “ideologically motivated.” (Rogerson, 4/5)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Gender-Affirming Care Protected In New Jersey, Murphy Guarantees Protections For Trans, Non-Binary Health Care
A governor’s order this week made New Jersey a safe haven for people seeking gender-affirming health care. The order from Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, ensures access to health care that supports people whose gender identity doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth. This can include counseling, surgery, and hormone replacement therapy. (Laughlin, 4/5)

USA Today: Catholic Sex Abuse: Report Details Claims Against 150 Baltimore Priests
More than 150 Catholic priests and clergy members associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore were accused of "horrific and repeated" sexual abuse of at least 600 children since the 1940s, according to a Maryland Office of the Attorney General report made public on Wednesday. (Santucci, 4/5)

The Baltimore Sun: Survivors, Experts Offer Advice On How To Process Baltimore Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Report
Reading the long-awaited report detailing 80 years of child sexual abuse throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, as well as the impending news cycle, can bring mixed, complex feelings to victims reliving their trauma. But with preparation, the catharsis can outweigh the pain, victims’ advocates and survivors say. The report released Wednesday is nearly 500 pages long and tells how 158 clergy sexually abused and tortured more than 600 children and young adults, as well as how the church covered it up and protected abusers. (Belson, 4/5)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

The Hill: South Carolina House Votes To Repeal Period Tax
The South Carolina House voted on Wednesday to remove the state’s sales tax from period products in an effort to up the affordability of menstrual necessities. The bill passed unanimously 114-0, with 10 state lawmakers absent or not voting. ... South Carolina is among many states with a so-called “period tax” or “tampon tax” in place, meaning menstrual products — like tampons, menstrual pads, liners and cups — don’t get the sales tax exemption often afforded to other basic necessities. (Mueller, 4/5)

MPR News: Minnesota May Soon OK Free Menstrual Products In Schools. These Teens Led The Way
Elif Ozturk could not have made it clearer to the lawmakers sitting in front of her. “We cannot learn while we are leaking,” the 16-year-old Hopkins High School student told a legislative hearing in January as she and other teens made their case for Minnesota to provide free menstrual products in public schools. (Stroozas, 4/6)

Dallas Morning News: Bill To Repeal Unlawful State Sodomy Ban Advances In Texas House
A House committee has passed a bill that would repeal the state’s unconstitutional and unenforceable law criminalizing gay sex. House Bill 2055 by Rep. Venton Jones, D-Dallas, would remove the state’s ban on “homosexual conduct” from state statute two decades after it was deemed unconstitutional. The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence voted unanimously in favor of the bill on Wednesday, after Jones amended it to keep portions of current law that say “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public.” (McGaughy, 4/5)

Des Moines Register: House Democrats Want To Cap Iowa Insulin Costs, Freeze College Tuition
As the Iowa Legislature begins negotiating the state's budget for the upcoming year, House Democrats are proposing a package to lower child care costs, increase affordable housing assistance and freeze tuition at the state's public universities. "Too many Iowans are still struggling to make ends meet today," said House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights. "Wages simply aren’t keeping up with the rising costs of health care, child care, utility bills and more." (Gruber-Miller, 4/5)

AP: Massachusetts Weighs Letting Judges Order Mental Health Care 
A bill before Massachusetts lawmakers would let family members and mental health professionals ask courts to order outpatient mental health care for adults with a persistent mental illness and significant history of serious physical harm to themselves or others. The court would be allowed to order a personalized treatment plan, including a monthly assessment by a mental health professional to see if the person should remain in court-ordered community treatment, according to the bill’s author, Democratic state Sen. Cindy Friedman. The bill is still in the very early stages of making its way through the Legislature. (LeBlanc, 4/6)

Los Angeles Times: Norovirus Outbreaks Grow In California. How To Avoid Infection
The highly contagious norovirus, sometimes referred to as the stomach flu, is on the rise in California, prompting state health officials to urge healthcare providers to step up disinfection efforts in a bid to check the spread. There have been at least 25 outbreaks of norovirus since Feb. 1, likely adding up to hundreds of cases statewide, according to a recent advisory from the California Department of Public Health. (Lin II and Money, 4/5)

The Washington Post: D.C. Elementary Students Hospitalized After Sharing ‘Gummies,’ Officials Say 
Five students at Key Elementary School were hospitalized Wednesday for what appeared to be reactions to drugs after consuming “gummies,” officials said. They are in stable condition. Officials at the Northwest Washington school said a student brought “gummies containing an unidentified controlled substance” to school and shared them with other fifth-graders. Students started to feel unwell and were evaluated by the school’s nurse, according to a letter Assistant Principal Jennifer Green sent to families. (Lumpkin and Davies, 4/5)

CIDRAP: Study: More Pneumonia Patients Could Be Switched Early From IV To Oral Antibiotics
A retrospective study of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) suggests many more could be switched early from intravenous (IV) to oral antibiotics without compromising outcomes, researchers reported this week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 4/5)

New England Journal of Medicine: Understanding The Genetic Risk Of IDH-Mutant Glioma 
A recent study dissecting a germline susceptibility locus associated with the risk of glioma pinpoints a specific genetic variant and shows how it releases the brakes on an oncogene. (Batchelor, M.D., M.P.H. and Walsh, Ph.D., 4/6)

The Lancet: Genetically And Environmentally Predicted Obesity In Relation To Cardiovascular Disease
Evidence indicates that the adverse health effects of obesity differ between genetically and environmentally influenced obesity. We examined differences in the association between obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) between individuals with a genetically predicted low, medium, or high body mass index (BMI). (Ojalehto, et al, 4/6)

ScienceDaily: Study Shows How To Prevent A High-Fat Diet From Throwing Metabolism Out Of Whack
Eating lots of fats increases the risk of metabolic disorders, but the mechanisms behind the problem have not been well understood. Now, biologists have made a key finding about how to ward off harmful effects caused by a high-fat diet. (University of California - Irvine, 4/5)

Scientific American: We Need An Operation Warp Speed For Long COVID 
In August 2022, the Brookings Institution estimated that Long COVID is keeping the equivalent of two million to four million full-time workers out of the American labor force, resulting in about $170 billion of lost earnings per year. (Esther K. Choo and Scott Kominers, 4/5)

Los Angeles Times: Why Our Life Expectancies Are Shrinking
Years of widening economic inequality, compounded by the pandemic and political storm and stress, have given Americans the impression that the country is on the wrong track. Now there’s empirical data to show just how far the country has run off the rails: Life expectancies have been falling. (Michael Hiltzik, 4/5)

The New York Times: A Doctor’s Life After Roe: ‘There Are Weeks When I Commit Multiple Felonies’
When Roe fell last year, Tennessee became the state with the strictest abortion ban in the country — no abortions, no exceptions. Any doctor who performed one was knowingly committing a class C felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. That is a risk Dr. Elise Boos, an obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies, has been willing to take for patients who need lifesaving care. (Lulu Garcia-Navarro, 4/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: As A Doctor, I Thought I Knew About Death. Here’s What I Was Missing
Dear Patient: I know now what I didn’t know then. My 16-month-old son died unexpectedly last summer, and I experienced life on the other side of the exam table, in horrid slow-motion technicolor. I sat on the other end of a 911 call. I rode in the ambulance as a caregiver, not a first responder. I waited outside the emergency room as I heard the doctor call out for vital signs and medications, and most tellingly to my ears, a social worker. I experienced the silence after the gloves came off and the team walked wearily out of the room. This time, I was the one to wail. (Bonnie Chen, 4/4)

Tampa Bay Times: Here’s How Florida’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager System Hurts Patients
Health care is complicated. But for many patients, it’s made even more complicated and challenging by middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers — or PBMs — who often manipulate the system to the detriment of patients. Fortunately, state lawmakers have an opportunity to take a giant leap toward curbing these abuses and putting Florida patients first.(Michael Diaz, 4/5)

Miami Herald: Florida Republicans' Union-Busting Bill Is A Sexist Assault On Front-Line Workers 
As a civil-rights attorney, I cannot help but note that by singling out the teachers’ and the nurses’ unions, HB 1445 targets those dominated by women, codifying structural sexism. By creating an exception for the unions dominated by men, the GOP creates a skewed system that weakens the organizing power of the unions whose membership is predominantly women. (Dotie Joseph, 4/5)