Category: Public Health

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Taking a Shot at Gun Control

The U.S. House passed a package of bills seeking to keep some guns out of the hands of children and teenagers, but its fate in the Senate remains a big question mark. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission takes on drug and hospital prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Cori Uccello of the American Academy of Actuaries about the most recent report from Medicare’s trustees board.

WHO warns monkeypox could become ‘established’ outside Africa: 5 details

Global health officials are warning of the potential for monkeypox to become endemic outside of Africa if the current outbreak isn’t contained, NBC News reported June 8. 

US to tap 100 children’s hospitals in vaccine rollout for young kids

Pending authorization from federal regulators, vaccinations for the nation’s estimated 19 million children younger than 5 could be available as soon as June 21, The Wall Street Journal reported June 9. 

700+ unusual hepatitis cases reported in 34 countries: 4 updates

Global health officials have identified more than 700 probable cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin among children in 34 countries, the World Health Organization said June 8.

Monkeypox cases, by state

The CDC has confirmed 40 monkeypox cases in 14 states and the District of Columbia as of June 8.

10 Minnesota systems to collaborate on gun violence solutions

Ten Minnesota health systems have declared gun violence a public health crisis and are partnering on creative solutions to prevent gun violence at a local and national level. 

A Deep Dive Into the Widening Mortality Gap Across the Political Aisle

Research out this week examines how an area’s political environment can affect its mortality rate.

CDC removes mask recommendation from monkeypox travel alert: 4 updates

The CDC quietly removed a recommendation that people wear masks from its monkeypox travel alert June 6, The New York Times reported June 7. 

Some People in This Montana Mining Town Worry About the Dust Next Door

Residents of a Butte neighborhood are concerned about the dust from a nearby open-pit mine that can coat their homes and vehicles. In a city where past mining left a legacy of soil and water pollution, is the air unsafe, too?

BA.5 omicron subvariant has potential to outpace dominant strain: 3 COVID-19 updates

Nationwide, omicron subvariant BA.5 accounted for just 7.6 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. as of June 4, according to the CDC’s latest variant proportion estimates, but some Southwestern states are seeing higher proportions of cases involving the…