Latest KFF Health News Stories
To Stem the Spread of Monkeypox, Health Departments Tap Into Networks of Those Most at Risk
Although the disease is currently spreading almost exclusively among men who have sex with men, some cases are turning up in other populations — and that number is likely to grow if public health officials don’t effectively nip the outbreak in the bud.
Critics Worry Government Surveillance of HIV May Hurt More Than It Helps
Some people living with HIV and some state health officials are raising concerns about part of the federal effort to end the HIV epidemic: a new technology that analyzes blood samples to find emerging outbreaks. The critics say it’s too invasive and stigmatizing and might not be more effective than older public health approaches.
Watch: Why the Public Health System Is Having Trouble Containing Monkeypox
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber appeared on CBS News’ streaming network to discuss “Fighting Monkeypox, Sexual Health Clinics Are Underfunded and Ill-Equipped,” an article she wrote with KHN senior correspondent Liz Szabo. It details how ill-equipped the nation’s sexual health clinics and public health system are to tackle monkeypox after decades of underfunding. Weber described […]
¿Ponerse el refuerzo ahora o esperar? Muchos se preguntan cómo navegar la próxima ola de covid
Aproximadamente el 70% de los estadounidenses de 50 años o más que recibieron una primera vacuna de refuerzo contra covid, y casi la misma cantidad de personas de 65 años o más, no han recibido un segundo, según datos de los CDC.
Boost Now or Wait? Many Wonder How Best to Ride Out Covid’s Next Wave
As the country faces a rise in new infections driven by the omicron BA.5 subvariant of the coronavirus, about 70% of people 50 and older who got a first covid-19 booster shot haven’t received the recommended second one, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many undervaccinated Americans have lost interest, and others aren’t sure whether to get boosted again now or wait for vaccines reformulated to target newer strains of the virus.
A Free-for-All From Readers and Tweeters, From Medical Debt to Homelessness
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
La neumonía adquirida en el hospital está matando pacientes. Aunque es fácil de prevenir
Esta forma de neumonía generalmente se desarrolla cuando bacterias en los dientes “viajan” a los pulmones. Por eso la higiene bucal es esencial en los hospitales.
Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Is Killing Patients. Yet There Is a Simple Way to Stop It.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia not tied to ventilators is one of the most common infections that strike within health care facilities. But few hospitals take steps to prevent it, which can be as simple as dutifully brushing patients’ teeth.
Igual que con covid, atraso en pruebas y vacunas para la viruela del simio
Los casos de la viruela del simio siguen aumentando, pero la respuesta sanitaria es lenta: escasean las pruebas y las dosis de la vacuna que puede prevenir la infección.
Vaccine and Testing Delays for Monkeypox Echo Failures in Early Covid Response
Public health officials say monkeypox is not as dangerous as covid and can be handled well with current treatments and if those at risk use caution. But the rollout of vaccines has been slow and led to angst among some at-risk people.
Feds Want a Policy That Advocates Say Would Let Hospitals Off the Hook for Covid-Era Lapses
The pandemic disrupted all sense of normalcy for U.S. hospitals, so federal officials are proposing to pause financial penalties against the facilities and to block public access to key hospital safety data — such as the frequency of falls and sepsis — because of concerns that the data isn’t accurate enough. But consumer advocates are furious about the proposal.
Cómo Pfizer le ganó a la pandemia, alcanzando influencia y ganancias descomunales
Su éxito en el desarrollo de medicamentos contra covid le ha dado a la farmacéutica un peso inusual en la determinación de la política de salud de Estados Unidos. Algo que preocupa a expertos.
How Pfizer Won the Pandemic, Reaping Outsize Profit and Influence
The drugmaker has the best-selling vaccine to prevent covid and the most effective drug to treat it. Its success has overshadowed the government’s covid-fighting strategy.
Tribu entrena perros para detectar enfermedades y contaminantes
El proyecto pretende proteger la salud de los miembros de la tribu haciéndoles saber dónde se ha detectado la enfermedad y dónde se han encontrado residuos tóxicos, y preservar así espacios seguros para la realización de prácticas tradicionales.
Montana’s Blackfeet Tribe to Use Dogs to Sniff Out Disease and Contaminants
The Blackfeet Nation is experimenting with a new way to detect chronic wasting disease in animals used by tribal members for food and cultural practices.
Lo que debes saber sobre la viruela del simio
Generalmente es una enfermedad leve, pero puede ser grave o incluso mortal para las personas inmunodeprimidas, embarazadas, fetos o recién nacidos, mujeres lactantes, niños pequeños y personas con enfermedades de la piel, como eccema.
What You Need to Know About Monkeypox
For now, monkeypox poses a low risk to the U.S. public, but it could become a problem if the spread is left unchecked. Here’s what everyone should know about it.
Readers and Tweeters Weigh In on Medical Debt, the Obesity Epidemic, and Opioid Battles
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Will the US Overcome Its Covid Complacency Even as the Threat Returns?
One million Americans have died from covid-19 — far more per capita than in any other developed country. A new variant is doubling case rates in some states, and more than 300 people are dying a day. But our nation’s pandemic response has become mild-mannered and performative, backed by neither money, urgency, nor enforcement.
Covid Funding Pries Open a Door to Improving Air Quality in Schools
Researchers say the billions in pandemic funding available for ventilation upgrades in U.S. schools provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to combat covid-19, as well as making air more breathable for students living with allergies, asthma, and chronic wildfire smoke.
