- WHO declares monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern
- With a sniff or a swallow, new vaccines aim to put the brakes on Covid-19 spread
- Women with chronic conditions struggle to find medications after abortion laws limit access
- US formula shortage persists and will 'take a while to fix'
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WHO declares monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern |
The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. WHO defines a PHEIC as "an extraordinary event" that constitutes a "public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease" and "to potentially require a coordinated international response." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said when he made the declaration, "for the moment, this is an outbreak that's concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those who have multiple partners. That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups." But anyone can catch the virus through close contact. In the case of two children in the United States who tested positive for the virus last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this could include "holding, cuddling, feeding, as well as through shared items such as towels, bedding, cups, and utensils." Two months after the United States' first monkeypox case was confirmed, the total count has risen to almost 3,500, but more robust case data is still lacking. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she anticipates an increase in cases in the coming weeks for three main reasons: a streamlined reporting form that makes it quicker and easier for states to report cases; a surge in testing as commercial laboratories begin to offer tests; and recent exposures that will start to show symptoms. |
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With a sniff or a swallow, new vaccines aim to put the brakes on Covid-19 spread |
Injected vaccines against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 have been hugely successful, saving nearly 20 million lives globally in their first year of use and slashing the pandemic's death toll by an estimated 63%, according to a recent study. Yet good as these shots are, they have not stopped the virus from spreading from person to person. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, it changes. That has helped it get past our firewalls, the immunity created by vaccines or left behind after we recover from an infection. Which is why, well into the third year of the pandemic, we're in the midst of another wave of Covid-19 caused by the most immune-evasive variant yet, BA.5. And more variants are coming. Even as vaccine manufacturers race to update the first-generation shots in the hopes of patching up our protection for the fall, other scientists are taking a different approach, making vaccines delivered via nasal sprays or tablets that would deploy more immune defenders to the body's front lines: the lining of the mouth, nose and throat. "The hope is to shore up the defenses right there in the nose so that the virus can't even replicate in the nose," said Dr. Ellen Foxman, an immunobiologist at the Yale School of Medicine. "And then someone who has a really effective mucosal vaccination can't even really support viral replication or make viruses that can infect other people. "That would be like the holy grail," Foxman said. If it works, there's hope that mucosal immunity could slow the development of new coronavirus variants and finally bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control. There's a long way to go before that happens, however, and many scientists say the approach needs an injection of funding to accelerate the pace of development, much in the same way the billions of dollars doled out by Operation Warp Speed delivered the first generation of Covid-19 vaccines in record time. On Tuesday, the White House is hosting a summit to discuss the future of these types of vaccines, as well as the next generation of our current vaccines. |
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Women with chronic conditions struggle to find medications after abortion laws limit access |
Not 24 hours after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, ending the right to an abortion in the United States, Myisha Malone-King got a call from her insurance company. It said that the medication she takes for a condition totally unrelated to abortion would no longer be available to her. Malone-King has Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can come with life-threatening complications. She was taking methotrexate, an inexpensive drug that has been used to help with chronic inflammation and pain since the 1980s. Millions of people take the drug for chronic conditions. Doctors prescribe it to help with things like cancer, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. But it can also be used off-label in very high doses to treat a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. Methotrexate is not used in what's known as a medication abortion, which involves mifepristone and misoprostol. But in some states with restrictive abortion policies like Texas, the law classifies methotrexate as a drug that can induce abortion and groups it with the other two, meaning there can be restrictions on its use. However, Texas law also says that methotrexate can be prescribed for other purposes. And in that case, it is exempt from restrictions. Recent changes in abortion laws have sown confusion that has spooked insurance providers, pharmacies and medical offices into restricting the use of methotrexate, even in states where abortion is legal. It's not clear how many people may be affected, but about 500,000 methotrexate prescriptions were written each month for the past year, said IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research firm. "My feeling is, nobody should be making this decision over my body that my doctor and I have determined was right for me," Malone-King said. Malone-King's doctor was able to switch her to another medication. But not everyone is able to do so. |
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US formula shortage persists and will 'take a while to fix' |
The nationwide baby formula shortage that federal leaders once said would be fixed within weeks has dragged on for months, despite tons of imports and key steps forward in domestic production. Formula stock rates have been dropping since the end of February, when the US Food and Drug Administration shut down a major formula plant and issued a recall of products manufactured there after an inspection found dangerous bacteria in several areas. The closure exacerbated shortages caused by supply chain disruptions, leaving families struggling to find formula for infants and people with specific nutrition needs. More than 20% of formula products -- powder, ready-to-drink and liquid -- have been out of stock for the past six weeks, according to data released Wednesday by market research firm Information Resources Inc. Before the recall, about 10% of infant formula products were typically out of stock. Formula stock hit a low in late June; 22.4% of products were out of stock during the week ending June 26. Since then, the Abbott plant in Michigan that was at the heart of the recall has resumed production. Flooding from severe storms halted production for most of June, but it has been up and running for a few weeks. Still, stock rates have improved by less than 1 percentage point in that time. For the week ending July 17, 21.9% of formula products were out of stock. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that there is a "robust pipeline" of formula coming in. Production is finally outpacing purchasing as families have eased up on stockpiling, too. But "there was a deficit that's going to take a while to fix," he said. |
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President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 this past week, just one of the more than 120,000 cases that are being reported each day on average. Even as the BA.5 subvariant is causing another concerning wave of the disease in the country, Biden's infection is a lesson on how all of our public health tools can work in unison to help minimize the damage of this virus. First of all, the White House tests frequently for Covid-19, which allows anyone who is positive to be isolated quickly and begin contact tracing to control the spread. An average person isn't going to need to test as often, but you can avoid putting others at risk by testing when you have symptoms, when you have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19, before you travel or before you see anyone who might be at a higher risk. Remember, you can order a limited number of home tests for free. Then, of course, Biden is also up to date on his Covid-19 vaccinations: his primary series plus two boosters. Though not perfect, these vaccines still provide incredible protection against severe disease and death. CDC data shows that for people 50 and older, the risk of dying from Covid-19 is 29 times lower for someone who got two boosters than it is for someone who is unvaccinated. On top of that, Biden was given the antiviral Paxlovid. This treatment is recommended for those 12 and older who are at high risk of severe Covid-19. The important part is that it works best when taken early in the infection – within five days of when symptoms start. One of the latest studies from Israel showed that people over the age of 65 had a significant benefit from Paxlovid: a 67% reduction in the likelihood of severe Covid-19 and close to an 80% reduction when it came to death. Biden will be going a step further than the CDC's recommendation to isolate for five days and will wait until he tests negative to end his isolation period, an extra step of precaution and a privilege that many cannot afford. The CDC recommends that anyone exiting isolation should wear a well-fitting mask until day 10. When I heard that Biden had Covid-19, I couldn't help but think of my own parents. They're around the same age and therefore more vulnerable to this virus. So while it's encouraging to see these public health measures lead Biden to recovery, I also have peace of mind knowing that my parents are watching their community levels and wearing masks indoors in public -- another great tool that's at our disposal. |
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| Time heals all wounds, so the saying goes. But that's not always the case. Sometimes, when a loved one dies, it can feel like we're stuck in an endless loop of pain. Listen here to learn about why we grieve, navigating the grief process, and a new medical diagnosis: prolonged grief disorder. |
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