The Washington Post: Heat And Smoke Are Smothering Most Of The U.S., Putting Lives At Risk
Much of the United States felt like a blazing inferno on Wednesday, as record heat attacked the South like a blowtorch, thick smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the Great Lakes region, and triple-digit temperatures threatened to wallop California for the first time this year. Scientists said climate change helped shape the weather conditions that were causing misery and putting lives at risk from Mexico to Canada. There was no disputing the impact: If it wasn’t way too smoky, it was way too hot. (Werner, Stillman and Selig, 6/28)

NBC4 Washington: DC Area Air Quality Alert Rises To Code Red Due To Wildfire Smoke  
Air quality worsened Thursday in the Washington, D.C., area because of smoke from Canadian wildfires, posing a health risk to anyone who spends time outside. D.C. had the second-worst air quality in the world Thursday morning, according to IQAir. A code red air quality alert is expected on Thursday, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), meaning the air is unhealthy to breathe and people should spend less time outdoors. It comes less than three weeks after D.C. was gripped by the worst air quality on record. (Swalec and staff, 6/29)

Bloomberg: New York City Air Quality Hit By Smoke From Canadian Wildfires
New York City, Long Island and New Jersey have been hit with air-quality alerts as another plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires swirls down across the Great Lakes and into the eastern US. The current forecast calls for the Air Quality Index in New York and Long Island on Wednesday to reach a range of 101 to 150, or unhealthy for sensitive groups. The air in western New York, including Buffalo and Rochester, is expected to fall into the unhealthy range with an AQI of 151 to 200. (Sullivan, 6/28)

CBS News: Can Air Quality Affect Skin Health? A Dermatologist Explains As More Canadian Wildfire Smoke Hits The U.S. 
As Canadian wildfire smoke continues to blanket parts of the U.S. and endanger the health of millions of people, experts say there is an organ that requires just as much attention as your lungs: your skin. "Pollution can damage the skin by a lot of the same mechanisms that UV radiation can," Dr. Shayan Cheraghlou, a resident dermatology physician in New York City, told CBS News. "That's by generating reactive oxygen species that can cause premature aging of the skin, [and] can exacerbate underlying skin conditions like eczema or other inflammatory skin conditions." (Rocha, 6/28)

More on the dangerous heat —

CBS News: Heat Blamed For More Than A Dozen Deaths In Texas, Louisiana. Here's How To Stay Safe
More than a dozen people across Texas and Louisiana have suffered heat-related deaths in recent days, as extreme temperatures are forecast to continue. Eleven of the Texas heat-related deaths happened in under two weeks in Webb County, which includes Laredo, Dr. Corinne Stern, the county's medial examiner, said. The dead ranged in age from 60 to 80 years old. (Chasan, 6/28)

USA Today: Heat Wave Forecast In US Shows 115 Degree Temperatures For Millions
The temperature is heating up across the country as we approach the Fourth of July, pushing the mercury to dangerous levels in southern states ahead of the holiday. Over 31 million people faced an excessive heat warning throughout the country on Wednesday, with temperatures over 115 degrees being recorded in parts of the U.S. by the USA TODAY Heat Index. (Perez, 6/28)

USA Today: Texas Heat, Worker Deaths A Concern As Local Authority Reduced
For eight hours on Wednesday, Juan Pedro Muñoz Olvera worked in the searing Texas heat, building new homes in the state capitol of Austin as the heat index reached 115 degrees. Less than 24 hours earlier, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a sweeping new law that will eliminate local rules mandating water breaks for construction workers like Muñoz. (Lee Myers, 6/29)

The New York Times: Surviving The Texas Heat In Prisons Without Air-Conditioning 
On the third day of 100-degree temperatures last week, locked without air-conditioning in a Texas prison north of Houston, Joseph Martire said he began to feel overwhelmed. His breathing grew heavy. An inmate for nearly 16 years, Mr. Martire was expecting to be released in a few weeks. But it was so hot that day, he recalled, that he wondered if he would make it that long. He was covered in sweat and felt so lightheaded that he had to brace himself against a wall. At some point, he passed out. (Goodman, 6/29)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Inmates Die In Stifling Prisons, But Heat Is Seldom Cited As A Cause
Tommy McCullough was exhausted and thirsty, living in a stifling Huntsville prison as the record-breaking and relentless heat wave bore down across Texas this month. But he got up Friday morning and set to work, mowing the sun-scorched fields outside the Goree Unit. By midday, he’d collapsed, dying of what the prison system says was cardiac arrest. He was 35. (McCullough, 6/28)

The Hill: DOJ Charges Nearly 80 People In $2.5 Billion Health Care Fraud Scheme
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday it has charged 78 people relating to their alleged involvement in defrauding care programs for elderly and disabled people of more than $2.5 billion. Among the charges filed against the accused are allegations of telemedicine fraud, pharmaceutical fraud and accusations of opioid distribution. Many of the defendants obtained their funds by making fraudulent claims for Medicare reimbursement, often for items that were ineligible. (Choi, 6/28)

AP: Dozens In 16 States Charged With Health Care Fraud Schemes, Including $1.9B In Bogus Claims
In one case filed in the Southern District of Florida, investigators said they found nearly $2 billion in fraudulent telemedicine claims submitted to government-funded coverage programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which mainly cover people age 65 and over and those with low incomes, respectively. ... Those cases involved templates for fake doctor orders for braces and pain creams that were used in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, investigators said. (Whitehurst and Murphy, 6/28)

Hackers strike the US Health and Human Services Department —

Bloomberg: MOVEit Hacks Ensnare US Department Of Health And Human Services
The US Department of Health and Human Services was ensnared by a sweeping hacking campaign that exploited a flaw in file-transfer software called MOVEit, according to an official with the department. The attackers gained access to data by exploiting MOVEit software used by third-party vendors, the official said, adding that no HHS systems or networks were compromised. Congress was notified of a “major incident” on June 27, according to the official, indicating it may involve exposure of data from 100,000 or more people. (Griffin and Manson, 6/28)

On medical care from the US Border Patrol —

Los Angeles Times: Border Patrol Officials Complained Of 'Overuse Of Hospitalization' As 8-Year-Old Died 
As an 8-year-old was dying in Border Patrol custody last month, officials at the Texas detention center where she had been held were complaining about the facility’s “overuse of hospitalization,” according to an internal report obtained by The Times. Anadith Danay Reyes Álvarez, who suffered from sickle-cell disorder and a heart condition, had developed a 101.8 degree fever during the five days she was at the detention facility in Donna, Texas. (Aleaziz, 6/28)

Los Angeles Times: Internal Report Details Rampant Diarrhea Among Children At Overcrowded Border Facility
Diarrhea was rampant, children were losing weight, and parents had to clean soiled clothing in sinks because guards would not provide them with clean items, mothers at an overcrowded Texas border facility in Laredo told Department of Homeland Security investigators last month, according to an internal report obtained by The Times. (Aleaziz, 6/28)

In other news from the Biden administration —

Bloomberg: Biden Sleep Apnea: President Starts Using CPAP Machine At Night 
President Joe Biden has begun using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine to treat longstanding sleep apnea, according to the White House. (Jacobs and Leonard, 6/28)

Stat: Walensky Prepares To Leave CDC — And Congress — Behind
Rochelle Walensky, the outgoing director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will miss aspects of leading the nation’s top public health agency when her term ends Friday. But testifying before Congress is not likely to be among them. Walensky squared off against congressional committees 17 times during her 2 1/2 years as head of the CDC, most recently in mid-June, when she faced a grilling from Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. (Branswell, 6/29)

The Washington Post: Transgender Care Bans For Kentucky, Tennessee Minors Partly Blocked 
Judges in Kentucky and Tennessee on Wednesday temporarily halted some restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender youths shortly before the provisions were set to go into effect. Both federal courts blocked parts of respective state laws that would have prevented transgender minors from receiving hormone therapy and puberty blockers, which the Kentucky court described as “appropriate and medically necessary” in some cases. In Tennessee, the judge did not go as far as blocking a ban on surgeries for minors; in Kentucky, the case did not directly discuss surgeries. (Ables, 6/29)

Health News Florida, WUSF: Florida Appeals Two Rulings By A Federal Judge Regarding Gender-Affirming Care
Lawyers for the state filed two notices that are first steps in asking the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn decisions by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle. The state is appealing two rulings this month by a federal judge that rejected efforts to limit treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender people. (News Service of Florida, 6/28)

AP: New Georgia Laws Include Ban On Some Treatments For Transgender Minors 
On Saturday, Georgia’s new law banning gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies for those under 18 takes effect. Part of a nationwide effort by conservatives to restrict transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and drag shows, Senate Bill 140 is perhaps the most high-profile of the state’s new laws. For many, the law is seen as “devastating.” “It’s cutting off, literally, lifesaving care for many people in Georgia,” said Dr. Izzy Lowell, an Atlanta-based doctor who specializes in gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary individuals. (Amy, 6/28)

From Michigan, North Carolina, and Kansas —

AP: Michigan Legislature Approves Ban On 'Conversion Therapy' For LGBTQ+ Minors 
Michigan lawmakers gave final approval to legislation banning so-called conversion therapy for minors as Democrats in the state continue to advance a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in their first months in power. The legislation would prohibit mental health professionals from engaging youths in the scientifically discredited practice of trying to convert people who are LGBTQ+ to heterosexuality and traditional gender expectations. (Cappelletti, 6/28)

North Carolina Health News: Health Care Landscape For LGBTQ Youth Unclear With New Bills
Since the recent passage of several bills affecting LGBTQ youth in the North Carolina General Assembly, there’s not much that people in those communities can do besides strategize for what lies ahead. After more than 50 minutes of debate on the Senate floor Tuesday, lawmakers passed House Bill 808, which restricts gender-affirming care for minors and prohibits state funds from being used for that care, by a party-line vote of 29-16. (Thomae, 6/29)

AP: The Number Of Kansas Residents Officially Changing Genders Quadrupled This Year Ahead Of A New Law 
Four times as many Kansans changed their gender on birth certificates and driver’s licenses this year ahead of a new state law that prevents residents from identifying themselves differently than the sex assigned them at birth. The legislation is part of a raft of measures lawmakers across the U.S. have passed to roll back transgender rights. It has provisions meant to restrict transgender people’s use of restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities and applies to a person’s identity listed on state documents. (Hanna, 6/28)

AP: Judge Considering Blocking Parts Of North Carolina Abortion Law Won't Halt Broader 12-Week Ban 
A federal judge said Wednesday that she won’t temporarily block most of a newly revised abortion law from taking effect this weekend in North Carolina, including a near-ban on the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy. U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles said at a court hearing that she won’t grant the request by lawyers for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and a physician to set aside most of the new restrictions before they are to come into force on Saturday, calling it overbroad. (Robertson, 6/28)

NBC News: Crisis Pregnancy Center Failed To Spot Ectopic Pregnancy, Lawsuit Alleges
A crisis pregnancy center in Massachusetts failed to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy, causing a life-threatening emergency for the patient, a lawsuit filed last week alleges. The complaint, filed Thursday, says the anti-abortion Clearway Clinic in Worcester, about 50 miles southwest of Boston, engages in deceptive advertising, aiming to persuade women to forgo abortions rather than "providing them with the range of medically appropriate options." (McShane, 6/29)

Iowa Public Radio: A Year After The Dobbs Decision, The Future Of Abortion In Iowa Is Still Unclear
Even as abortion has remained legal, Planned Parenthood officials say the nonprofit provided 13% fewer abortions in Iowa in the year since the Dobbs decision. They attributed that to staff shortages and the state’s 24-hour abortion waiting period that took effect last summer. At the same time, the five-state Planned Parenthood region that includes Iowa provided 9% more abortions in the past year, as the number of patients coming from other states nearly doubled. (Sostaric, 6/29)

FiveThirtyEight: Nonreligious Americans Are The New Abortion Voters 
Surveys conducted by the American Enterprise Institute’s Survey Center on American Life and the Pew Research Center found that abortion has become much more important to religiously unaffiliated Americans than it was in the past, while becoming less of a critical concern for white evangelicals. These findings suggest that an entirely different group of people could become the next generation of “abortion voters” — a label once associated with the religious right. (Cox and Thomson-DeVeaux, 6/29)

PBS NewsHour: Why Post-Roe Abortion Restrictions Worry Domestic Violence Experts 
Domestic violence, which includes intimate partner violence, is often misrepresented as a private family issue, according to Justice. But this form of violence is “extremely pervasive,” she said, and people should “really talk about it in terms of a public health crisis, impacting millions of people in the U.S.” (Santhanam, 6/28)

On the abortion pill —

Reuters: US Abortion Pill Access Could Hinge On Whether Doctors Had Right To Sue
A prominent U.S. lawsuit to ban the abortion pill mifepristone has focused on the drug's safety and approval process. But the outcome may ultimately rest on a different issue: whether Ingrid Skop, an anti-abortion doctor in Texas, and other physicians behind the lawsuit can justify suing in the first place. That’s because of the legal concept known as standing, which holds that plaintiffs must have suffered harm or face an imminent injury traceable to the defendant — in this case, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approved the pill in 2000. (Hals, 6/29)

Reuters: Five Doctors Backing The US Legal Case Against The Abortion Pill
A legal case making its way through the courts could remove the abortion pill mifepristone from the market or restrict access to the drug. The case is being led by medical groups and doctors who are opposed to abortion and hinges in part on the testimony of the doctors to establish the right to bring the case, a legal doctrine known as standing. Here is a closer look at some of them. (Hals, 6/29)

In other reproductive health news —

Reuters: Menopause Hormone Pills Associated With Dementia, Causation Unclear 
Use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to ease the effects of menopause, even for short periods, was associated with a higher risk for dementia in a nationwide study from Denmark, but the cognitive declines may not have been due to the treatment, researchers said on Wednesday. The study, published in The BMJ, contradicts some earlier studies that suggest HRT may protect against cognitive decline if the treatments are started near menopause onset. (Lapid, 6/28)

Axios: Health Systems Plagued By Spot Shortages Scramble For Essentials
Health systems that had to ration supplies during the pandemic are now facing disruptions of basic needs like syringes, surgical tourniquets, chest tubes and compounds for CT scans — and spending huge sums on workarounds. The big picture: Drug shortages aren't the only supply problem plaguing U.S. health care as providers navigate an increasingly volatile environment characterized by acute spot shortages and manufacturing and logistics issues. The crunch isn't expected to ease for at least a year. (Bettelheim, 6/29)

In other health care industry news —

ProPublica: How Often Do Health Insurers Deny Patients’ Claims? No One Knows
It’s one of the most crucial questions people have when deciding which health plan to choose: If my doctor orders a test or treatment, will my insurer refuse to pay for it? After all, an insurance company that routinely rejects recommended care could damage both your health and your finances. The question becomes ever more pressing as many working Americans see their premiums rise as their benefits shrink. (Fields, 6/28)

USA Today: Health Rankings Report: Which States Are Best, Worst For Access?
A new report sheds light on glaring disparities and preventable deaths in the U.S., finding surges in deaths from treatable causes, gaps in maternal health care and inequities in health care access. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2023 Scorecard on State Health System Performance ranked states based on health care access and affordability, reproductive health care access and outcomes, premature death rates, medical debt and other factors between 2019 and 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Hassanein, 6/29)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Tests Payment Models To Identify Underserved Communities 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is testing new ways to distribute Medicare funding based on need. Last year, CMS started using the area deprivation index to adjust payment rates and quality incentives in some models to encourage participating providers to offer care to disadvantaged populations. (Hartnett, 6/28)

Los Angeles Times: Harassment Is Routine For Doctors, Scientists On Social Media
It began with life-saving advice in the midst of the pandemic. It ended with death threats. “When I posted a picture of myself with my badge in my white coat after my COVID-19 vaccination I received hundreds of harassing anti-vaxx messages including death threats.” The medical professional on the receiving end of those threats was hardly alone. A new survey of physicians and biomedical scientists in the U.S. found that nearly two-thirds experienced harassment on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Errico, 6/28)

Modern Healthcare: Behavioral Health At Home Grows In Popularity
As patient care increasingly moves into the home, some home health providers are adding services to tap into the $80 billion behavioral health sector. Some companies are providing in-home treatment and support for mild anxiety and depression, while others are targeting more serious mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse and autism. (Eastabrook, 6/28)

Also —

AP: Relatives Of Man Who Died During Admission To Psychiatric Hospital Seek Federal Investigation
Lawyers for the family of a Virginia man who died of asphyxiation after he was pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes while being admitted to a psychiatric hospital have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. ... Irvo Otieno, 28, died March 6 as he was being admitted to Central State Hospital. Video from the hospital showed Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and hospital staff attempting to restrain Otieno — who was in handcuffs and leg shackles — for about 20 minutes. For most of that time, Otieno was on the floor being held down by a group that at one point appeared to include 10 people. (Lavoie, 6/28)

Reuters: Exclusive: WHO's Cancer Research Agency To Say Aspartame Sweetener A Possible Carcinogen - Sources
One of the world's most common artificial sweeteners is set to be declared a possible carcinogen next month by a leading global health body, according to two sources with knowledge of the process, pitting it against the food industry and regulators. Aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks, will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm, the sources said. (Rigby and Naidu, 6/29)

In other pharmaceutical news —

The Boston Globe: Head Of Drug-Pricing Watchdog Group To Step Down 17 Years After Founding The Boston Nonprofit 
Steven Pearson, who 17 years ago founded a watchdog group in Boston that has wielded growing influence over what some of the world’s biggest drugmakers charge for their products, plans to step down as head of the nonprofit on Jan. 1. (Saltzman, 6/28)

Reuters: Sanofi Says It's Back To The Drawing Board On MRNA Flu Vaccines
Sanofi said that trials show the currently available mRNA technology behind the most successful COVID-19 shots will not be effective against influenza and it is already working on a next generation of shots. The French drugmaker, one of the world's largest vaccine makers, said early-stage testing on humans of its experimental influenza shot based on mRNA, or messenger RNA, showed a strong immune response against A strains of the virus but missed the mark on less prevalent B strains. (Burger, 6/29)

Bloomberg: Ipsen Gets FDA Advisers’ Backing For Rare Bone Disease Drug
Ipsen SA’s drug for a rare bone disease got support from a panel of US drug regulatory advisers, moving the first treatment for the condition closer to approval. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 11-3 Wednesday that the benefits of the treatment, palovarotene, outweigh its risks. The FDA isn’t required to follow the recommendations of its advisers, but frequently does. (Griffin and Kresge, 6/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Ozempic Can Make You Thin, Not Necessarily Healthy 
Ozempic and Wegovy can make you thinner, but the drugs alone won’t guarantee good health. For those taking these drugs, exercise is still vital to keep your heart healthy and muscles strong. Exercise lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, according to scientific studies. And strength-training is especially important when you lose a lot of weight quickly. (Petersen, 6/28)

NPR: Opioids No More Effective Than Placebo For Common Back Pain, A Study Suggests 
Back and neck pain afflicts millions of American adults, driving many to seek relief from their family doctor or even the local emergency room. When these episodes of pain are acute and nonspecific — meaning there's no clear cause or explanation — it's generally advised to start off with everyday remedies like over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, and alternatives like heat therapy, massage or exercise. (Stone, 6/28)

Axios: Oregon Pharmacies Are Well Stocked With Opioid Addiction Treatment Meds
Across the country, it can be difficult to receive medication for opioid addiction, a recent study found, but Oregon has a better supply than most other states. Why it matters: In Multnomah County, there have been 580 confirmed or suspected drug overdose deaths since June 2022, according to the most recent data from the Tri-County Opioid Safety Coalition. Federal data suggests only slightly more than one in 10 people with opioid use disorder receive medication for it. (Gebel, 6/28)

AP: German Police Warn Of 'Blue Punisher' Ecstasy Pills After 2 Teenage Girls Die 
German police warned Wednesday of a potentially lethal “Blue Punisher” variety of ecstasy in circulation after the death of two teenage girls was linked to the drug. Police in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg Western Pomerania said that a 13-year-old girl from the town of Altentreptow died Monday at a hospital after taking one of the blue pills featuring a skull logo associated with the Marvel comic book character The Punisher. (6/28)

KFF Health News: Once-Resistant Rural Court Officials Begin To Embrace Medications To Treat Addiction
Rachel Solomon and judges hadn’t been on the best of terms. Then Judge O. Duane Slone “dumbfounded” her. Solomon was given her first Percocet at age 12 by a family member with a medicine cabinet full. It made her feel numb, she said. “Nothing hurt.” By 17, she was taking 80-milligram OxyContins. A decade later, she was introduced to heroin. During those years, Solomon was in and out of trouble with the law. (Sisk, 6/29)

In news about psychedelic drug use —

Military.com: Research On Psychedelics, Marijuana As Alternative Treatment For Vets Advancing In Congress
Psychedelic drugs and marijuana could be evaluated as treatments for post-traumatic disorder and other conditions afflicting veterans under bills advancing through Congress. The version of the annual defense policy bill approved by the House Armed Services Committee last week would require the Pentagon to conduct a clinical trial on treating service members' PTSD, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy with drugs including MDMA, commonly called ecstasy, and psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. (Kheel, 6/28)

Stat: Psychedelics Group Wrestles With New Pharma Identity
He could have been a rock star, a religious icon, the way ecstatic applause from thousands of attendees greeted the man dressed in a crisp, all-white suit as he strode onto a backlit stage. He was neither. This was Rick Doblin, the founder and evangelist of a movement to legalize psychedelic MDMA and bring the drug into mainstream medicine. The scene in a Denver conference hall last week was a world away from the first conference Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) held in 1990, when Doblin spoke alongside Timothy Leary — the ex-Harvard professor who popularized the phrase “turn on, tune in, and drop out.” That was just a few years after MDMA, also known as ecstasy, was criminalized, deemed a Schedule 1 drug “of no medical use.” (Goldhill, 6/29)

AP: Biden's Brother Says The President Is 'Very Open-Minded' About Psychedelics For Medical Treatment 
President Joe Biden’s youngest brother said in a radio interview Wednesday that the president has been “very open-minded” in conversations the two have had about the benefits of psychedelics as a form of medical treatment. Frank Biden made the comments during a call into The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM. The host had just interviewed a Wall Street Journal reporter who recently wrote about powerful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and employees who believe the use of psychedelics and similar substances can help lead to business breakthroughs. (Madhani and Bedayn, 6/28)

The Washington Post: Torn ACL Injuries Can Heal Without Surgery, New Study Finds
In the new study published this month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 90 percent of 80 ruptured ACLs studied showed signs of healing and repair on scans about three months later. The patients had followed a newly developed protocol of bracing and physical therapy. (Reynolds, 6/28)

In other health and wellness news —

The Washington Post: Living Near Green Spaces Could Add 2.5 Years To Your Life
Want to live longer? Living near more green spaces could be part of the answer. A study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances suggests that if you have long-term exposure to more greenery where you live, on average you may be adding 2.5 years to your life. (Chiu, 6/28)

NBC News: Tick And Mosquito Season Is Shaping Up To Be Severe This Year
Summer is peak tick and mosquito season, and the insects may pose a particularly acute threat this year, experts say. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert about the first locally acquired cases of malaria in the U.S. in 20 years, detected in Florida and Texas. (Pandey, 6/28)

NBC News: Have A Summer Cold? Common Viruses Return From Pandemic Hiatus
After retreating during the pandemic, colds are back in full force in some parts of the U.S. this summer. Rhinoviruses — the most frequent cause of the common cold — circulate year-round, but summer gatherings such as weddings, barbecues and graduations may have accelerated their spread, according to disease experts. (Bendix, 6/28)

Fox News: Uterine Cancer Deaths Could Soon Outnumber Deaths From Ovarian Cancer, Oncologist Says: ‘We Need To Do Better’ 
The most common type of gynecologic cancer in the U.S. has been on the rise in recent years — and there’s no standard screening for it. Uterine cancer will affect about 66,200 women in 2023 in the U.S. — and around 13,000 will die from the disease, per the American Cancer Society (ACS). (Rudy, 6/29)

Axios: Gen Z’s Mental Health Divide
Older members of Gen Z who are lesbian, gay or bisexual are more anxious and less happy than their straight counterparts, per a Gallup-Walton Family Foundation American Youth Survey released Thursday. Why it matters: Studies have shown that the cohort born between the late 1990s and early 2010s is experiencing a sustained decline in mental health, but the poll indicates stigma and harassment is placing an extra burden on lesbian, gay and bisexual members. (Moreno, 6/29)

On the gun violence epidemic —

The Washington Post: More Americans See Gun Violence As Major Problem, Poll Finds 
A growing number of Americans, including Democrats and Republicans, now view gun violence as a significant problem, and a majority expect it to get worse over the next five years, according to a new poll released Wednesday from Pew Research Center. While the poll found that twice as many Democrats as Republicans said gun violence is a “very big” problem in the nation, at 81 percent of Democrats compared with 38 percent of Republicans. Pew noted that, over the last year, the number of people in both parties who said gun violence is a “very big” problem has increased 11 percent. (Alfaro, 6/28)

NPR: Growing View Of Gun Violence As An Epidemic May Help U.S. Limit It
Six months into the year, more than 21,000 people have died because of gun-related injuries in the United States. Doctors and public health officials have a word to describe the rising number of people killed or hurt by guns in recent years: epidemic. (Adams, 6/29)

Reuters: Nursing Home Owners Stole $83 Million While Neglecting Residents, New York Lawsuit Says 
New York's attorney general on Wednesday accused nursing home operator Centers Health Care and its owners of stealing $83 million in government funds while understaffing its facilities, resulting in widespread neglect, illness and death among residents. (Pierson, 6/28)

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

9news.Com: Plague Case Reported In Person In Southwest Colorado 
An adult in southwestern Colorado has tested positive for the plague, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said on Tuesday. CDPHE said it's working closely with Montezuma County Public Health on monitoring plague activity and investigating how the person became infected. The person was likely exposed to the disease on private property, CDPHE said in a news release. (Whitehead, 6/27)

Axios: Virginia Syphilis Cases Are Increasing, And Now There's A Treatment Shortage
An increase in syphilis cases continues to vex state health officials. What's happening: A surge in cases in Virginia and nationwide is causing a shortage of a key treatment for the disease, Bicillin, a long-acting form of penicillin. (Oliver, 6/28)

The New York Times: A Record 100,000 People In New York Homeless Shelters 
New York City passed a woeful milestone this week, spurred by an influx of migrants from the nation’s southern border: For the first time, there are now over 100,000 people in homeless shelters here, city officials said on Wednesday. Days earlier, the city said that the number of migrants in shelters had passed 50,000 and that, for the first time, they made up the majority of people in homeless shelters in the city. (Newman, 6/28)

Oklahoman: Vaping Among Oklahoma Youth Drops, Remains Higher Than National Data
As e-cigarette sales have been increasing across the United States, the number of Oklahoma high school students using e-cigarettes has been going down — but state numbers are still higher than that of high school students nationally. In 2022, 14.1% of high school students across the nation used e-cigarettes. In Oklahoma, 21.7% of high school students vaped in 2021, a decrease from 27.8% in 2019, said Thomas Larson, the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust's director of public information and outreach. (Aston, 6/28)

Health News Florida, WGCU: Florida Attorney General Seeks To Snuff Out Recreational Marijuana Proposal
Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a brief urging the Florida Supreme Court to reject a proposed amendment, arguing the ballot summary would be “misleading to voters in several key respects.” Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging the Florida Supreme Court to reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana by people 21 and older, arguing a ballot summary would be “misleading to voters in several key respects.” (Kam, 6/28)

AP: Belgium-Based Solvay To Pay $393M To Clean Up And Compensate For PFAS Contamination In New Jersey 
A Belgium-based chemical company will spend nearly $393 million under a settlement announced Wednesday to clean up contamination from its so-called forever chemicals in New Jersey’s drinking water and soil and to compensate for the environmental damage they caused. Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, LLC reached a legal settlement with New Jersey’s Attorney General’s Office and Department of Environmental Protection on contamination at and near its West Deptford plant in southwestern New Jersey near Philadelphia. (Parry, 6/28)

KFF Health News: More States Drop Sales Tax On Disposable Diapers To Boost Affordability 
Shirley Bloxom can’t forget the pride-swallowing shame she felt asking friends and church members for financial help. After surgery left her husband partially paralyzed, he needed to use disposable underwear at least three times a day, said Bloxom, 72. Living on a fixed income, the couple couldn’t afford them. Bloxom’s husband is among the estimated 2.5 million older Floridians who use incontinence products, like pads and adult diapers, daily. But with over a tenth of the Sunshine State’s seniors living in poverty, many struggle to pay for the supplies they need. (Critchfield, 6/29)

Stat: First New TB Shot Since The BCG Vaccine Enters Trial Phase
The Gates Foundation unveiled plans Wednesday to fund a long-awaited trial for what, if proven effective, would be the first new tuberculosis vaccine in over a century. The 26,000-person, Phase 3 study, set to begin next year, will test a vaccine known as M72/AS01 that showed promising results from a smaller trial in 2019. The findings stoked excitement at the time. But a larger, confirmatory study was delayed as GSK, the company then developing it, transferred the shot to the Gates Medical Research Institute, an affiliate of the foundation, rather than move forward with the vaccine itself. (Mast, 6/28)

CIDRAP: Decolonization Protocol Tied To Dramatically Reduced MRSA In Critically Ill Infants 
A decolonization protocol normally used in older patients was associated with a sharp reduction in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in critically ill infants, providers at Children's Hospital New Orleans reported today at the annual conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). (Dall, 6/26)

Reuters: Scientists Isolate Human Gene Able To Fend Off Most Bird Flu Viruses 
UK researchers have homed in on a human gene implicated in thwarting most bird flu viruses from infecting people. Bird flu chiefly spreads among wild birds such as ducks and gulls and can also infect farmed birds and domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys and quails. Although the viruses largely affect birds, they can spill into bird predators, and in rare cases, humans typically in close contact with infected birds. (Grover, 6/28)

CIDRAP: Researchers Say Bats In UK Harbor Novel Coronaviruses 
In Nature Communications researchers describe finding four species of circulating coronaviruses, including two novel ones, among 16 native bat species in the United Kingdom. Though none are currently capable of infecting humans, the viruses have similarities to those that cause COVID-19 and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). (Soucheray, 6/28)

CIDRAP: Tropical Diseases Not Linked To Long COVID, But Rate Of Prolonged Symptoms High In Amazon Basin 
A cohort study in the Amazon Basin suggests long COVID symptoms—reported in almost two thirds of COVID-19 patients—may be more likely in people who reported COVID reinfections over a 1-year period, but not in those with a history of tropical diseases, including dengue, malaria, and Zika. The study was published yesterday in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. (Soucheray, 6/27)

CIDRAP: New Guidelines Recommend Antibiotic Stewardship For Preventing MRSA
A collection of experts from US medical organizations today released updated recommendations to help acute-care hospitals prevent one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Among the changes in the updated guidelines, to be published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (ICHE), is the elevation of antimicrobial stewardship to an "essential practice" for preventing infection with and transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a pathogen that causes roughly 10% of HAIs in US hospitals and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. (Dall, 6/28)

The Atlantic: The Gene That Explains Statins’ Most Puzzling Side Effect
Statins, one of the most extensively studied drugs on the planet, taken by tens of millions of Americans alone, have long had a perplexing side effect. Many patients—some 5 percent in clinical trials, and up to 30 percent in observational studies—experience sore and achy muscles, especially in the upper arms and legs. A much smaller proportion, less than 1 percent, develop muscle weakness or myopathy severe enough that they find it hard to “climb stairs, get up from a sofa, get up from the toilet,” says Robert Rosenson, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai. He’s had patients fall on the street because they couldn’t lift their leg over a curb. (Zhang, 6/27)

The Hill: Why Europe And America Are Going In Opposite Directions On Youth Transgender Medicine
In stark contrast to groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which urges clinicians to “affirm” their patient’s identity irrespective of circumstance and regards alternatives to an affirm-early/affirm-only approach “conversion therapy,” European health authorities are recommending exploratory therapy to discern why teens are rejecting their bodies and whether less invasive treatments may help. (Leor Sapir, 6/28)

The Hill: America’s Youths Are Under Attack 
Last month, my daughter turned 2 years old, and while I don’t yet have to explain it to her, she is growing up in a world where she has fewer rights than I did. She, like so many other young people in this country, will have to face the consequences of right-wing, anti-abortion extremists attacking her bodily autonomy and violating her reproductive rights. ... What many don’t realize is how severely young people are affected. Their rights are in crisis, and we need policymakers to open their eyes. (Kimberly Inez McGuire, 6/28)

The Hill: Democrats Are Eyeing The Wrong Approach To Tuberville’s Blanket Hold 
Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) blanket hold has some Democrats considering changes to the Senate’s rules that would make it harder to obstruct nominations in the future. ... Yet changing the Senate’s rules will not end the impasse. This is because the rules are not responsible for Tuberville’s “dangerous blockade.” They do not allow Tuberville — or any other senator — to singlehandedly block military nominations for five months and counting. Democrats give Tuberville that power instead by asking for his permission — or consent — to waive the Senate’s rules to confirm the nominations by unanimous consent. Democrats can overcome Tuberville’s obstruction by using the same rules they claim are the problem. (James Wallner, 6/28)

The Hill: State Laws Legalizing Assisted Suicide Violate The Americans With Disabilities Act 
Despite more than 30 years of the ADA being on the books, physician perceptions of the lives of people with disabilities remain abysmal. A recent Harvard study reports, “In [a] survey of 714 practicing U.S. physicians nationwide, 82.4% reported that people with significant disability have worse quality of life than nondisabled people. … [T]hese findings about physicians’ perceptions of this population raise questions about ensuring equitable care to people with disability. Potentially biased views among physicians could contribute to persistent health care disparities affecting people with disability.” (Matt Valliere, 6/28)

The New York Times: Pandemic Divisiveness In The U.S. Wasn’t What It Seemed 
I’d like to tell you a story about the pandemic, one that may sound so gauzily hopeful, it would qualify today as a public health fairy tale. The story is this. When Covid arrived on American shores, the United States did not have to collapse into Covid partisanship, with citizen turning against citizen and each party vilifying the other as the source of our national misery. Instead, political leaders could have moved forward more or less in unison, navigating epidemiological uncertainties unencumbered by the weight of the culture war. You may be laughing, but this is actually a pretty good description of what genuinely happened in the spring and summer of 2020, despite how you may remember those days now. (David Wallace-Wells, 6/28)