September Healthcare Headlines around the world

According to the Gothamist, over 360 First-Responders to the 9/11 catastrophe have passed away due to illnesses related to the aftermath. 

https://gothamist.com/news/more-fdny-responders-have-died-from-911-related-illnesses-than-the-attack-itself

Of the 15,500 NYFD firemen who responded to the disaster, more than 500 have severe respiratory illness, and 2600 have cancer. 

A bill has been proposed by several New York senators and representatives to provide healthcare at no cost to all victims of the 9/11 attacks, over 125,000 people. The bill can be found here:

https://www.cdc.gov/wtc/about.html

A new batch of headlines from MedPage.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/productalert/112084

by MedPage Today Staff   |   September 24, 2024

Note that some links may require registration or subscription.

Gilead voluntarily recalled one lot of the COVID-19 treatment remdesivir (Veklury) because a customer found a particle of glass.

Novo Nordisk's CEO is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill this morning, likely facing pushback for the high costs of the company's weight-loss drugs. (NBC News)

Africa has faced a whopping 30,000 suspected cases of mpox this year. (Reuters)

Meanwhile, India reported its first case of the fast-spreading mpox clade 1b. (Reuters)

A nurse struck by lightning last year finally was discharged after more than a year in the hospital. (People)

Prenatal pandemic exposure and maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection were not tied to higher rates of positive autism screens in New York City. (JAMA Network Open)

The first person with eastern equine encephalitis in New York state in a decade died. (New York Times)

Surrogates faced a high risk of pregnancy and postpartum complications. (Annals of Internal Medicine)

Antihypertensive deprescribing was associated with less cognitive decline in nursing home residents, especially those with dementia. (JAMA Internal Medicine)

Most Hispanic adults support abortion access, according to a new poll. (AP)

Maternal influenza infection during pregnancy in Taiwan was tied to increased risk of seizures, but not epilepsy, in offspring. (JAMA Network Open)

Investing $0.24 on digital health interventions per patient each year could save 2 million lives and avert 7 million acute events in the next decade, according to a new WHO report.

Particle Health, a medical records startup, sued Epic Systems for allegedly violating U.S. antitrust law. (Reuters)

Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD, New York City's health commissioner since 2022, is stepping down in January. (ABC7)

Lots of people want to quit smoking, and some critics think that drugmakers and the FDA could do more. (STAT)

The American College of Physicians determined that performance measures for pain were lacking. (Annals of Internal Medicine)

Amid growing concerns over microplastics, California accused ExxonMobil of misleading the public about the effectiveness of plastic recycling. (Washington Post)

Sept 20 selected MedPage headlines; full list at the link.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/112044

Jay Varma, MD, the former New York City COVID czar participated in sex parties and attended a dance party early in the pandemic while preaching social distancing. (New York Times)

Florida Health officials told physicians that abortions to save the life and health of the mother must be provided at any stage of pregnancy, and that providers who don't could face consequences.

In a historic move, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) officially broke up the organ transplant system monopoly by awarding a contract to a new vendor.

HRSA also announced $240 million in awards to integrate mental health and substance use disorder services into primary care.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it's investigating an "unprecedented" cluster of dengue cases.

In Minnesota, nine prison workers have been hospitalized after being exposed to unknown synthetic substances possessed by prisoners. (AP)

The sickle cell disease gene therapy rollout is proceeding slowly. (NPR)

A Senate panel investigating the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care voted to hold the company's CEO in contempt for not testifying. (The Hill)

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, this 52-year-0ld man ran marathons on all seven continents -- and on the North Pole for good measure. (People)