More than 2,300 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to a hospital for the week ending Oct. 22, according to the CDC’s latest FluView report.
Category: Public Health
Man killed by flesh-eating bacteria after Hurricane Ian
A man who traveled to Florida from Michigan to help with hurricane repairs died Oct. 11 after contracting a flesh-eating bacterial infection found in warm saltwater, The Washington Post reported.
Despite Katie Couric’s Advice, Doctors Say Ultrasound Breast Exams May Not Be Needed
When Katie Couric announced she had breast cancer, she urged women to get a mammogram — and, if they have dense breasts, to get supplemental screening by ultrasound. But medical experts point out that ultrasound and other auxiliary screenings haven’t been proven to do more than regular mammography in reducing mortality.
When Monkeypox Reaches Rural Communities, It Collides With Strained Public Health Systems
In Nevada, local health officials are assessing the threat of monkeypox, but their response may be hampered by historically limited public health infrastructure worn thin by the covid-19 pandemic.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Voters Will Get Their Say on Multiple Health Issues
Abortion isn’t the only health issue voters will be asked to decide in state ballot questions next month. Proposals about medical debt, Medicaid expansion, and whether health care should be a right are on ballots in various states. Meanwhile, the latest lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act has expanded to cover all preventive care. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more.
Tuberculosis cases rise for first time in years: WHO
Tuberculosis infections, including those that are drug-resistant, increased globally in 2021 for the first time in years, according to an Oct. 27 report from the World Health Organization.
WHO identifies 19 fungal ‘priority pathogens’
For the first time, the World Health Organization released a list of fungal “priority pathogens” that have emerged as significant public health threats. The list can be found here.
6 updates on ‘escape variants’ BQ.1 and BQ.1.1
Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — dubbed “escape variants” for their immune evasiveness — are steadily gaining prevalence in the U.S. and now account for more than 16 percent of all COVID-19 cases confirmed nationwide, CDC data shows.
US aims to boost Ebola testing capacity as Uganda outbreak grows
The U.S. is working to expand its Ebola testing abilities to prepare for the possibility that the virus could make its way into the country, CBS News reported Oct. 25.
Healthcare systems account for 4% of global CO2 emission, study says
Healthcare systems account for more than 4 percent of carbon dioxide emissions on a global average basis, according to an Oct. 24 report from the World Economic Forum.
