Category: Public Health

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The FDA Goes After Nicotine

The FDA is using its power to regulate tobacco products — ordering the vaping device Juul off the market and announcing its intention to lower the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and other products. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court rules on Medicare and kidney dialysis, and Congress makes progress on legislation surrounding guns and mental health. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Noam N. Levey about the new KHN-NPR project on the growing impact of medical debt.

CDC urges meningococcal vaccination for gay, bisexual men amid Florida outbreak

The CDC urged vaccinations against meningococcal disease June 22 as an outbreak has caused at least 26 cases of serious illness and six deaths among gay and bisexual men in Florida.

BA.4, BA.5 sister variants escape antibody response more than previous strains

BA.4 and BA.5 can substantially escape neutralizing antibody responses from both vaccination and prior infection, according to research from a team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. 

Confronting weight bias in health care

One day, working as a floater PT, I walked into the rehab gym, and every single therapist looked at me with the same pitying expression. The rehab manager took me into her office. “I’m so sorry to put you in this position. One of your new p…

Tribes Show Little Interest in Offering Abortions on Reservations Despite Speculation They Could

The notion that Native American nations could use tribal sovereignty to bypass state restrictions on abortion if Roe v. Wade falls is an idea largely proposed by non-Native groups.

FDA, White House push to reduce nicotine level in cigarettes

The federal government is slated to consider lowering maximum nicotine levels to a minimal or nonaddictive standard in May 2023. If successful, the new measure could lower the risk of addiction and prevent some of the nation’s 480,000 annual smoking-re…

CDC finds dispensing gap in Paxlovid, Lagevrio prescriptions among ‘vulnerable’ ZIP codes

Despite the large presence of dispensing sites in “high vulnerability” ZIP codes, pharmacies doled out fewer antiviral treatments between Dec. 23, 2021, and May 21, 2022, compared to other ZIP codes, according to a CDC study published June 21. 

After Two Ectopic Pregnancies, I Fear What Might Happen Without Roe v. Wade

A journalism professor’s four failed pregnancies forced her to use procedures or drugs that could soon be difficult to turn to.

Pediatricians worry about ‘wait and see’ approach as vaccine rollout for children under 5 begins

As hospitals and clinics distribute the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine for 6-month- to 5-year-olds this week, health experts acknowledged parents’ hesitancy but said the “wait and see” tactic leaves children vulnerable to the surge expected this fall.

Omicron ‘sister variants’ account for 35% of US cases: 4 COVID-19 updates

BA.4 and BA.5 now account for nearly 35 percent of U.S. cases, according to the CDC’s latest variant proportion update. The strains have become known as “sister variants” of the original omicron strain.