The New York Times: Cows Have Been Infected With A Second Form Of Bird Flu 
Dairy cows in Nevada have been infected with a new form of bird flu that is distinct from the version that has been spreading through herds over the last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday. The finding indicates that the virus, known as H5N1, has spilled from birds into cows at least twice — leading to these two sets of infections — and that it could continue to do so. ... The cows in Nevada were infected with a version of the virus known as D1.1, which has been spreading in wild birds and poultry. The D1.1 form of H5N1 has also shown itself to be dangerous to people. Of the 67 Americans known to have become ill with H5N1 so far, the only one who died was infected with this version. That person, a Louisiana resident older than 65, had cared for sick and dying birds and died in early January. (Anthes and Mandavilli, 2/5)

Virginia Mercury: Virginia Lawmakers To CDC: Restart Bird Flu Reports Now 
With bird flu cases cropping up across the country — including in Virginia — members of the Virginia’s Democratic congressional delegation are demanding the immediate reinstatement of disease and virus reports after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered a pause in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) communications. In a letter sent to the CDC’s acting director, Susan Coller Monarez, and U.S. Department of Agriculture acting director Gary Washington, the lawmakers urged the agencies to resume publishing critical public health data, warning that the delay could have serious consequences for both public health and the state’s economy. (Woods, 2/6)

WKYC.com: Ohio Leads US In Bird Flu Cases, Affecting Nearly 23 Million Birds
Bird flu has affected 126 flocks in Ohio over the past 30 days, representing a total number of 22.95 million birds on infected premises. Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge said Ohio could be such a bird flu hotspot because of its location. “We base this disease on migratory bird movements," he explained. "We know this time of year, there's a lot of birds moving. Unfortunately, there's maps out there that show, from our standpoint, we were in a migratory bird path." (Kay, 2/5)

The New York Times: Are Eggs Safe To Eat As Bird Flu Spreads? 
Researchers have stressed that bird flu still poses a minimal risk to the general public, though that may change as the virus continues to circulate and potentially mutate. But the many empty shelves in stores and higher prices on the eggs that people can find have raised concerns among consumers about the safety of the egg supply. At this point, experts say it’s unlikely that an egg contaminated with avian influenza would make it to grocery stores. Federal regulations require that commercially packaged eggs be washed and sanitized, which helps remove virus particles from the outside of the shell. (Blum, 2/5)

Colorado Sun: High Egg Prices Are Blamed On Bird Flu, But There’s More To The Story
Egg farms are still recovering from the 2022 outbreak but now there’s also the cage-free law, mutations and competition as bird flu devastates other states. (Chuang, 2/5)

Also —

CBS News: New Pitt Research Finds Groundbreaking Antibody To Prevent Severe Bird Flu In Monkeys
As avian influenza concerns soar and scientists search for ways to ground the virus, researchers have found new hope for preventing severe illness from bird flu. University of Pittsburgh, and National Institutes of Health researchers shared promising results on a groundbreaking antibody treatment they gave to monkeys. (Guay, 2/5)

Bloomberg: Elon Musk’s DOGE Team Mines For Fraud At Medicare And Medicaid Agency CMS
Elon Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency has been on-site at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to mine key systems for examples of what they consider fraud or waste, according to a person familiar with the matter. The DOGE representatives have gained access to payment and contracting systems, according to the person, who asked not to be named discussing internal matters. They have also been working to cancel diversity, equity and inclusion-focused contracts at CMS and more broadly across the Department of Health and Human Services, the person said, including with organizations like Deloitte. (Griffin and Muller, 2/5)

The Washington Post: DOGE Targets U.S. Health Agencies, Gains Access To Payment Systems
Representatives of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency fanned out across several agencies Wednesday, sending representatives to the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and meeting with the Labor Department, seeking access to sensitive data. The moves came on the heels of the DOGE team gaining access to sensitive health payment systems at the Department of Health and Human Services. (Diamond, Kaori Gurley, Sun, Knowles and Davies, 2/5)

In related news —

CBS News: EPA's Office Of Environmental Justice And External Civil Rights Likely To Close
More employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were informed Wednesday that their jobs appear in doubt. Senior leadership at the EPA held an all-staff meeting to tell individuals that President Trump's executive order, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," which was responsible for the closure of the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, will likely lead to the shuttering of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights as well. (Wholf, 2/5)

AP: VA Nurses Are In Short Supply. Unions Say Trump's Deferred Resignation Plan Could Make Things Worse
For the federal government’s largest group of employees — nurses caring for military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs — the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer and its looming Thursday deadline come amid longstanding staffing shortages, deemed severe at more than half of all facilities. Unions are discouraging nurses from accepting the offer, and leaders say an exodus would directly and immediately affect the care of its 9.1 million enrolled veterans. (Johnson and Witte, 2/5)

Axios: Academic Journals Push Back On Trump's Changes To Health Data
The scientific community is showing signs of pushing back against President Trump's blackout and selective changes to federal health websites and datasets. That data has long been considered the gold standard in public health. But the lack of visibility into to what's been altered is raising questions about the integrity of government reports. (Goldman, 2/6)

Also —

AP: Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order Is Put On Hold By A Second Federal Judge
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a second nationwide pause on President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. to someone in the country illegally, calling citizenship a “most precious right.” U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman said no court in the country has endorsed the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment. “This court will not be the first,” she said. (Kunzelman and Catalini, 2/5)

Fierce Healthcare: AHA Asks Trump To Exempt Medical, Pharma Products From Tariffs
The hospital lobby is petitioning President Donald Trump to grant carve-outs for medical devices and pharmaceutical products to the tariffs his administration has enacted, or may soon enact, on Mexico, Canada and China. In a letter sent Tuesday, the American Hospital Association (AHA) told the president that the country’s hospitals “stand with you” on the tariffs’ stated goals of curbing the entry of fentanyl and other addictive drugs from these countries. (Muoio, 2/5)

CBS News: As Trump Shuts Down USAID Missions, Officials Warn Ebola Outbreak In Uganda Will Spread
Some health officials in the U.S. fear the shutdown of U.S. Agency for International Development missions may have disastrous results, as the stalling of foreign aid has forced delays in what they said was the "chaotic" early U.S. response to Uganda's swelling Ebola outbreak. The outbreak marks Uganda's eighth from an Ebola virus. (Tin, 2/5)

AP: US Officials Advise Travelers To Be Careful In Uganda Because Of Ebola
U.S. health officials on Wednesday urged Americans traveling to Uganda to take precautions because of an Ebola outbreak — and said they are helping Ugandan health officials respond to the threat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel alert does not call on travelers to steer clear of Uganda, but it does urge enhanced precautions, such as avoiding people with symptoms and skipping visits to health care centers unless travelers have an urgent medical need. (Stobbe, 2/5)

The Hill: Former USAID Leaders Speak Out Against Trump’s Attempt To Dismantle Agency
A group of former administrators of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joined on Wednesday to issue a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency. In a joint statement, five former administrators who “served different presidents and voted for different political parties” stressed the global importance of the agency and said destroying it would only harm Americans. (Fortinsky, 2/5)

The New York Times: Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Leaves Millions Without HIV Treatment
Two weeks into President Trump’s sweeping freeze on foreign aid, H.I.V. groups abroad have not received any funding, jeopardizing the health of more than 20 million people, including 500,000 children. Subsequent waivers from the State Department have clarified that the work can continue, but the funds and legal paperwork to do so are still missing. With the near closure of the American aid agency known as U.S.A.I.D. and its recall of officers posted abroad, there is little hope that the situation will resolve quickly, experts warned. (Mandavilli, 2/5)

In related news —

KFF Health News: Biden Rule Cleared Hurdles To Lifesaving HIV Drug, But In Georgia Barriers Remain
Latonia Wilkins knows she needs to be on PrEP due to her non-monogamous lifestyle. But the 52-year-old Atlanta mother has faced repeated challenges getting the lifesaving drug that can prevent new HIV infections. Years ago, Wilkins was dating a man newly diagnosed with HIV and went to get tested, she said, but was not offered PrEP. Since then, Wilkins said, doctors either have told her she doesn’t need the drug or were reluctant to prescribe it. (Grapevine, 2/6)

On the World Health Organization —

CIDRAP: Argentina Says It, Too, Plans To Pull Out Of World Health Organization
Two weeks after US President Donald Trump took office and said the United States would be withdrawing for the World Health Organization (WHO), Argentina President Javier Milei said today his country, too, would be pulling out of the international organization. (Soucheray, 2/5)

The New York Times: Donald Trump Signs Executive Order To Block Transgender Athletes From Women’s Sports
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to stop transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports unless they were assigned female at birth, promising to deny federal funding to high schools and colleges that do not comply. “With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Trump said from the East Room of the White House. (West and Schnell, 2/5)

On gender-affirming care for minors —

The Hill: Trump's Order On Gender Care For Minors Faces Legal Pushback
More than a dozen Democratic state attorneys general on Wednesday affirmed their support for gender-affirming health care for transgender youth after an executive order issued late last week by President Trump threatened federal support for treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for young people. (Migdon, 2/5)

Military.Com: How Trump's Moves To End Protections For Transgender People Could Hurt Veterans Health Care
The overall health and well-being of transgender veterans will be harmed by erasing transgender people from official federal policy, veterans and experts told Military.com. While the Department of Veterans Affairs has not publicly announced any formal guidance on how it will implement President Donald Trump's order to eliminate all federal policies that are supportive of transgender people, gender identities are already being scrubbed from patient records, a source familiar with the situation told Military.com. (Kheel, 2/5)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois To Protect Gender-Affirming Care, Despite Trump Order
An Illinois teenager’s chest surgery was canceled last week after President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to end gender-affirming care for minors, his mother said in a court document filed Wednesday. (Schencker, 2/5)

Bloomberg: New York's Presbyterian, Sinai, NYU-Langone Halt Some Gender Affirming Care
Three of New York’s most prominent hospitals are curbing gender affirming care for minors after President Donald Trump’s executive orders put at risk billions of dollars in federal funding. New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, who represents parts of downtown Manhattan, said that NYU Langone had recently stopped allowing new patients to make appointments for gender-affirming care for minors. Mount Sinai also canceled some appointments for gender-affirming care, New York City Council Member Tiffany Caban said in a statement. Meanwhile, NewYork-Presbyterian has removed references to gender-affirming care for trans youth from its website, The City reported. (Butler and Nahmias, 2/5)

CBS News: Colorado Hospitals Comply With Trump's Transgender Health Order As Families Scramble To Seek Care
Hospitals in Colorado have begun responding to new federal mandates from President Trump restricting transgender rights. Denver Health says it's complying with the order to maintain access to federal programs, but families across the state are grappling with the impact. One Boulder family, fearful for their safety, spoke anonymously about their struggles. "We're terrified. I can't get her out of the country and I can't get her care," said a Boulder father, identified only as Manny. "It seems like a death sentence to me." (Horbacewicz, 2/5)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Senate Votes To Make Restrictions On Transgender Care For Minors Permanent
Missouri state senators on Wednesday voted to make permanent restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The 22-8 vote came as the Republican-controlled chamber was weighing unrelated legislation to get rid of two other expiration dates in state law. (Suntrup, 2/5)

Modern Healthcare: Kroger Health, Express Scripts Sign New Agreement
Kroger has inked a new deal giving more than 100 million Express Scripts members access to the grocery chain’s pharmacies, the companies announced Wednesday. The agreement applies immediately to Medicare prescription drug plans and TRICARE military health plans. The pharmacy benefit manager's commercial and Medicaid clients can opt to add Kroger pharmacies to their networks, according to a news release. (Berryman, 2/5)

Modern Healthcare: Prospect Medical Holdings' Bankruptcy Has Its Hospitals In Limbo
Prospect Medical Holdings’ downward spiral into bankruptcy left many of its 16 hospitals and related facilities in limbo as the for-profit company looks to condense that portfolio and sell off facilities. Los Angeles-based Prospect, once majority-owned by private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, has struggled for months under piles of debt and rising expenses. Those financial woes culminated in Prospect's decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. (Hudson, 2/5)

Modern Healthcare: Teladoc Health To Acquire Catapult Health For $65M
Teladoc Health plans to acquire home diagnostic company Catapult Health for $65 million to bolster its employer and health insurer businesses. The virtual care company said Wednesday it will add Catapult’s technology to support its existing products. Catapult Health’s clinicians will be able to directly enroll eligible members into Teladoc's programs and refer patients to the telehealth company's mental health and primary care providers. (Turner, 2/5)

Becker's Hospital Review: Medicare's 2025 Physician Pay Cut, Explained
As of Jan. 1, Medicare is paying physicians almost 3% less than last year for services provided to the country's 66 million Medicare patients. The decreased payments aren't a surprise or anything new, as CMS, by law, must keep physician payments budget neutral (cannot raise total Medicare spending by more than $20 million in a year). As a result, since 2020, Medicare has cut physician pay each year, despite rising costs for physicians to run their practices. Congress has introduced special legislation four times since 2020 to try to roll back the pay cut, and this year is no different. (Asin, 2/5)

Becker's Hospital Review: The Growing Movement To Destigmatize Mental Health In Nursing Licensure
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing is working on national recommendations to remove invasive mental health questions from nursing licensure applications, Medscape reported Feb. 5. The potential changes come amid a growing movement to destigmatize mental health among providers. Here are four things to know about this trend: 1. Nursing licensing boards in 30 states ask questions about mental illness on their applications and 22 boards ask about past mental health diagnoses and require predictions of future impairment. (Taylor, 2/5)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Can’t Find A Therapist? NH Clinicians Say Insurance Companies Are Partly To Blame
Dave Meichsner spent 25 years in the tech industry before going back to school to become a clinical social worker. “My wife was a social worker, and she would tell me about the things that she was doing and helping people,” he said. “And frankly, I was jealous.” He and his wife now run Women’s Counseling of Nashua, a practice with about 20 clinicians. But these days, Meichsner spends only half his week seeing clients. The rest of his time goes to chasing down insurance payments. (Cuno-Booth, 2/5)

Becker's Hospital Review: Access Tops List Of Americans' Healthcare Concerns: 4 Survey Findings
A quarter of Americans rank healthcare access and affordability as the top public health priority they want government leaders to focus on, according to poll findings from Gallup and Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. A greater percentage of respondents — 52% — placed access and costs among the top three public health priorities. The Rollins-Gallup Public Health Priorities survey asked 2,121 U.S. adults about their biggest public health concerns, how the government could most effectively address them and what sources of information they trust most. The online survey was conducted between Dec. 2-15. (Carbajal, 2/5)

Axios: Black Maternal Mortality Rate Isn't Improving, CDC Data Shows
The mortality rate for Black mothers in the U.S. has not improved, per data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pregnancy-related death rate for Black women is more than three times the rate for mothers of other racial and ethnic groups. (Mallenbaum, 2/6)

In other health and wellness news —

MedPage Today: New Migraine Prevention Guideline Strays From Expert Recommendations
The American College of Physicians (ACP) issued a clinical guideline for episodic migraine prevention that varied from what migraine experts recommend. The ACP guideline, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, includes three recommendations centered around monotherapy. (George, 2/5)

MedPage Today: Thyroid Cancer Still Overdiagnosed In The U.S., Study Finds
Despite efforts to curb overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer, the issue has continued to plague U.S. healthcare, according to results from a retrospective, population-based study. Researchers found that while the incidence of thyroid cancer plateaued over the period from 2009 to 2019, it did so at peak levels after a period of substantial increase between 1975 and 2009, "suggesting that overdiagnosis remains a crucial unresolved health issue," reported Zachary Zumsteg, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues, in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. (Bassett, 2/5)

Newsweek: Fiji Water Lawsuit Raises Concerns About Microplastics
The Plastic Pollution Coalition has accused The Wonderful Company, LLC and FIJI Water, LLC of misleading consumers about the purity and environmental impact of FIJI Water. Filed in the District of Columbia Superior Court on January 31, 2025, the lawsuit claims that despite FIJI Water's marketing as "natural artesian water," independent tests have found the presence of microplastics and bisphenol-A (BPA), which are harmful to human health. (Dickey, 2/5)

NPR: Shoppers Face Tough Time Telling Legal Weed From Black Market
On the one hand, weed is now as normal to many consumers as a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. A growing number of companies offer government tested, well-regulated products. But a huge amount of the cannabis being sold in the U.S. still comes from bootleg operations. California officials acknowledge illegal sales still far outpace transactions through licensed shops and vendors. (Mann, 2/5)

The New York Times: Child Welfare Agency Has No Right To Target Abused Parents, Court Rules 
New York City’s practice of requiring child welfare investigations of parents who are victims of domestic violence is illegal, a state appellate court ruled on Wednesday. The decision came in an appeal filed by a Brooklyn woman who said her ex-boyfriend beat and slapped her and pulled out her dreadlocks in front of their infant daughter. The woman is identified in court documents as Sharneka W. (Newman, 2/5)

The Washington Post: Florida Surgeon Removed Wrong Organ Then Covered It Up, Widow Alleges
Beverly Bryan was confident on Aug. 21 as her husband headed to surgery to have his spleen removed at a Florida hospital. Bryan, a retired registered nurse, knew the procedure — a laparoscopic splenectomy — was safe, and the surgeon assured her “it would be quick and over and done.” ... In a 114-page complaint filed on Jan. 30 in Florida’s First Judicial Circuit Court in Walton County, Bryan alleges that Shaknovsky killed her husband by mistakenly removing his liver instead of his spleen, then participated in a conspiracy — that included the hospital’s CEO and chief medical officer — to cover up the fatal error by doctoring the death certificate and other state records. (Edwards, 2/6)

News Service of Florida: Jason Weida Is Leaving Post Atop Florida's Medicaid Agency To Be DeSantis' Chief Of Staff
Jason Weida, who has led the state Agency for Health Care Administration during the past two years, will serve as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ next chief of staff. Weida will succeed James Uthmeier, who is leaving the chief of staff position to become attorney general. (2/5)

WUSF: Hillsborough County Commissioners Decide To Keep Fluoridating Its Water Supply
Hillsborough County will keep fluoridating its water supply. A motion to end the practice died by a 3-3 tie vote by the county commissioner on Wednesday. Commissioners Harry Cohen, Ken Hagan and Chris Boles voted no. Commissioner Gwen Myers was absent. (Newborn, 2/5)

North Carolina Health News: A Rural Health Pilot Could Go Statewide, If Politics Don’t Get In The Way
In 2022, North Carolina launched an experimental initiative to address the nonmedical health needs of low-income residents by using Medicaid dollars. This first-in-the-nation effort, known as the Healthy Opportunities Pilot, has provided assistance to nearly 30,000 people across three largely rural regions of the state. Beneficiaries get deliveries of food, rides to doctor’s appointments and other services that are designed to combat the various social, economic and geographic issues that contribute to health disparities. (Baxley, 2/6)

KFF Health News: California Housing Officials Recommend State Protect Renters From Extreme Heat 
Citing the hundreds of lives lost to extreme heat each year, California state housing officials are urging lawmakers to set residential cooling standards long opposed by landlords and builders who fear such a measure would force them to make big-ticket upgrades. In a 60-page report sent Monday to the legislature, the California Department of Housing and Community Development recommended lawmakers set a maximum safe indoor air temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit for the Golden State’s estimated 14.6 million residential dwelling units. (Castle Work, 2/5)

KFF Health News: Officials Seek To Dismantle Appeals Board For Montanans Denied Public Assistance
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration is reviving efforts to do away with a panel that hears appeals from people who were denied public assistance to afford basics such as food and health care. The effort, billed as a way to reduce red tape in government, would leave district court as the only option outside of the state health department for people to fight officials’ rejections of their applications for Medicaid, temporary financial assistance, food aid, and other programs. (Houghton, 2/6)

In mental health news —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: How Georgia Left Intellectually Challenged Men Forgotten On Death Row For Decades
An intellectually disabled Georgia man inexplicably sat on death row for more than three decades waiting on a court to hear his case, despite state and federal rulings saying it is illegal to execute those who don’t have their full intellectual capacities. Dallas Bernard Holiday, of Wrens in Jefferson County, was convicted of the 1986 killing and robbery of a senior citizen who was out on his daily walk. His lawyers, in court filings, have said that Holiday reads on or at a third grade level and has a low IQ, scoring 69 and 70 on separate exams. Anything 70 or below is considered intellectually disabled in the court’s eyes. (Peebles and Papp, (2/6)

The Colorado Sun: Mental Health Treatment Center Opens In The Vail Valley, Where Suicide Is A Leading Cause Of Death 
In the last week of 2024, six residents suffering a mental health crisis in the Eagle River Valley had to be transported to metro Denver for treatment. “The need is here. That just shows how great it would be for us to have this for our community,” said Chris Lindley, who has led a nearly five-year effort to improve mental health in Colorado’s high country. (Blevins, 2/5)

If you need help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

CIDRAP: PAHO Warns Of Rise Of Yellow Fever In The Americas 
Yellow fever infections are on the rise in several Americas countries, with the virus expanding its reach outside the zone where cases are typically reported, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said yesterday in an epidemiologic alert. PAHO is one of the regional offices of the World Health Organization (WHO). (Schnirring, 2/5)

CIDRAP: Case Study: Mpox In Nursing Home Worker Resulted In No Spread
Despite widespread exposure, residents in a Kentucky nursing home in 2023 did not contract mpox from an infected worker, suggesting that routine caregiving is not a robust risk factor for mpox transmission. A study spotlighting the case was published last week in the American Journal of Infection Control. In 2023, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) worked three shifts while infectious with mpox, exposing as many as 56 residents to the virus. (Soucheray, 2/5)

MedPage Today: Biomarker Screening In Second Trimester May Improve Neonatal Outcomes 
Among those at low-risk for preterm birth, a blood-based biomarker screening test during the second trimester identified pregnancies at higher risk for preterm birth, and a treatment plan improved neonatal outcomes, the PRIME randomized control trial found. Compared to usual care, those who were identified as higher risk and received low-dose aspirin, progesterone, and extra nursing calls had lower scores on the Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality Index (NMI) scale ... reported Brian Iriye, MD, of Hera Women's Health in Las Vegas. (Robertson, 2/5)

AP: A Spine-Zapping Implant Helped 3 People With A Muscle-Wasting Disease Walk Better
Three people with a muscle-destroying disease destined to worsen got a little stronger – able to stand and walk more easily – when an implanted device zapped their spinal cord. On Wednesday, researchers reported what they called the first evidence that a spine-stimulating implant already being tested for paralysis might also aid neurodegenerative diseases like spinal muscle atrophy – by restoring some muscle function, at least temporarily. (Neergaard, 2/5)

CIDRAP: Unproven Lyme Disease Treatments Regularly Offered In US, New Data Show 
Recently in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, researchers from the University of Minnesota reported that many non-traditional clinics for Lyme disease exist in states where the tick-borne disease is endemic, and the treatments offered at such clinics are often unproven and costly and raise safety concerns. (Soucheray, 2/5)

MedPage Today: Common Bacterial Infection Might Be Key To Lung Transplant Rejection 
After lung transplantation, infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa independently predicted antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), researchers found. Individuals found to carry the bacteria after receiving a new lung had a more than four-fold increased risk of developing definite AMR ... and nearly three-fold elevated risk of probable AMR ... Andrew E. Gelman, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues reported in Science Translational Medicine. (Phend, 2/5)

NPR: Vagus Nerve Stimulation May Tame Autoimmune Diseases
Tiny pulses of electricity may provide the next big advance in treating diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. The pulses would be delivered via implanted devices that stimulate the vagus nerve, and they are showing promise in people with arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's, and multiple sclerosis. (Hamilton, 2/3)

MedPage Today: Omega-3 Daily May Slow Biological Aging 
Consuming 1 g of omega-3 per day may slow down the rate of biological aging in humans, a post-hoc analysis of DO-HEALTH trial data suggested.DO-HEALTH tested the effects of three daily interventions -- 2,000 IU of vitamin D, 1 g of omega-3, or a strength-training program -- on older adults in Europe. (George, 2/3)

Also —

CIDRAP: Report: Severe COVID Can Catalyze Arterial Plaque Growth, Sparking Deadly Heart Problems 
Severe COVID-19 infection can trigger extensive inflammation, resulting in the rapid growth of plaque in the coronary arteries and a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and other life-threatening cardiovascular events for as long as 1 year, reports a Fudan University–led research team in China. (Van Beusekom, 2/5)

CIDRAP: Nursing Homes Used Unproven COVID Measures And Didn't Use Vaccines, Antivirals Enough, Review Finds 
Few of the many nonpharmacologic efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes during the pandemic were evidence-based, and vaccinations and antiviral drugs were underused, concludes a scoping review published late last week in JAMA Health Forum. Boston University–led researchers analyzed the federal COVID-19 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Database to determine trends over time in rates of infection, death, testing, vaccination, and treatment among residents and staff, as well as shortages of staff and personal protective equipment (PPE) from 2020 through 2023. (Van Beusekom, 2/4)

CIDRAP: Nearly 30% Of Cats, Dogs Owned By COVID Patients Had SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies By 2021 
Nearly 30% of cats and dogs belonging to COVID-infected patients in central Texas tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, signaling previous infection, from 2020 to 2021, according to a study published yesterday on the preprint server bioRxiv. (Van Beusekom, 2/5)

Bloomberg: Managing Health Records Shouldn't Be This Maddening
Over the past decade and a half, the government has spent more than $35 billion attempting to modernize health data-sharing. Yet the typical patient experience has hardly improved. Designing a saner, more user-friendly system isn’t only a matter of convenience; it should improve care, boost efficiency and lay the groundwork for technological advances to come. (2/5)

Bloomberg: How Conspiracy Theories Took Hold Of America
Stephan Lewandowsky, a psychologist at the University of Bristol who has studied conspiracy theories, said more data rarely brings satisfaction. “There’s always going to be more that people think you’re hiding,” he said. That said, more transparency about the Covid vaccines and mandates might have prevented the increasing distrust driving some parents to forgo well-established childhood immunizations for their kids. (F.D. Flam, 2/5)

Stat: Every School Needs A Full-Time Nurse 
In an era punctuated by school shootings and ongoing debates about gun control and gun rights, America’s public schools continue to be riddled with safety concerns. According to the New York Times, “Since 2017, tens of millions have been spent by the federal government on mass shooter training, and states have spent even more.” The result of our culture’s focus on crisis management over prevention is more security staff in high schools than there are full-time registered nurses. (Sherrie Page Guyer, 2/6)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Latinos Need Access To Health Information They Trust. Here’s What’s Missing. 
Despite efforts to address health care disparities in recent years, Hispanic and Latino Americans continue to face uphill battles. As a 2023 commentary by Yanira Cruz pointed out, the nation must change “a health care system that systematically marginalizes Hispanic lives.” (Tayla Mahmud, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: The Reality Of Private Equity In Hospital Ownership 
In recent months, the bankruptcies of Steward Health Care (May 6, 2024) and Prospect Medical Holdings (Jan. 11, 2025) have drawn heightened attention to private equity ownership of hospitals. It’s understandable. Today, about 460 community hospitals, or 8% of U.S. hospitals, are owned by private equity funds. But that number is increasing as most independent community hospitals face shrinking margins and higher costs. (Paul Keckley, 2/3)