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Forty years ago, the world celebrated the vanquishing of a formidable foe, smallpox, which had maimed and killed millions for centuries. On May 8, 1980, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been eradicated. That milestone, reached while the Cold War still raged, is an example of what the public health world can achieve when it works together — and is particularly resonant in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign against smallpox took 21 years and required not just vaccinations but tracking and isolating new cases. (Branswell, 5/8)

Marking the 40th anniversary of smallpox eradication today, the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general said the same solidarity that powered the final steps to victory over smallpox is needed now to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency also voiced concern over increased reports of domestic violence in nations under stay-at-home orders. (Schnirring, 5/8)

The federal mental health czar is calling for more money to expand services to help people suffering amid the social isolation imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, as a new study estimates related deaths from alcohol, drug overdose and suicide could reach 150,000. "We see very troubling signs across the nation," said Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant secretary at Department of Health and Human Services and head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. "There's more substance abuse, more overdoses, more domestic violence and neglect and abuse of children." (O'Donnell, 5/8)

Children with mental health disorders are seeking emergency medical care at an increasing and alarming rate, and many hospitals are not adequately prepared to treat them, according to a new study published today in Pediatrics. "We're seeing more and more children presenting with mental health disorders," said Dr. Rachel Stanley, senior author of the study and Chief of Emergency Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Her emergency department in Ohio typically sees "20 or 30 kids a day" for mental health reasons, she said. (Nunneley, 5/11)

The novel coronavirus pandemic brought society a new definition of normal which now includes wearing face masks. While the benefits of masks are clear, widespread use unearthed a host of drawbacks: face irritation, difficulty breathing, moisture buildup and the dreaded foggy glasses. One type of mask called a "valve mask" helps solve some of these problems, but is now under fire for not protecting the public as it should -- drawing into question whether they should be used at all. (Anoruo, 5/9)

Palm Sunday was a beautiful day in New York’s Hudson Valley, a little more than two hours north of New York City where the country’s largest coronavirus pandemic was then raging. Amy Barr, observing the state’s stay-at-home order with her husband, two sons, and a daughter-in-law, joined in a family game of pickle ball in the afternoon. “I ran backwards to hit the Wiffle ball and I slipped, fell and broke my fall with my left wrist,” she told me. She was in enough pain to know an X-ray was in order, but did she dare go to the emergency room, where she could be exposed to the novel coronavirus? (Petrow, 5/10)

Julio Ayala first felt the ache in his bones during back-to-back shifts behind the wheel of a delivery truck and a janitor’s mop. By the time he returned to his East Boston apartment one evening last month, a fever had seized his large frame. The Salvadoran immigrant called in sick the next day. When his longtime partner, Idalia, made him food, the barrel-chested 45-year-old had no appetite. Then Julio lost his sense of smell and taste. (Miller, 5/7)

Kaiser Health News and Politifact HealthCheck: COVID Survivors’ Blood Plasma Is A Sought-After New Commodity

Diana Berrent learned she had tested positive for COVID-19 on a Wednesday in mid-March. Within a day, she had received 30 emails from people urging her to donate blood. Friends and acquaintances, aware of her diagnosis, passed along a pressing request from New York’s Mount Sinai Health System, one of the first centers to seek plasma, a blood component, to be used in a therapy that might fight the deadly disease. Berrent, 45, said she immediately recognized the need for the precious plasma — and the demand that would follow. (Aleccia, 5/11)

Dr. Ami Mac was hospitalized in March with symptoms identical to Covid-19. The 44-year-old doctor in Palo Alto, California, has an underlying immune deficiency, but has "never had shortness of breath before," she said... She's nervous about her future during the pandemic, and she recently contacted her friends to discuss her own end-of-life decisions, she said. In the past, she's had these kinds of discussions with patients many times. (Prior, 5/7)

In recent years, airlines have been cramming more seats onto planes and squishing passengers ever closer to one another. The entire airport experience isn't much better, with overcrowded eateries and bookshops, as well as tightly packed lines of people queuing up at check-in counters, at security checkpoints and on the jet bridge for boarding. But that's not the case anymore. (Schaper and Baker, 5/10)

Kaiser Health News: Southwest CEO’s Boast About Airplanes’ Low COVID Risk Flies By Key Concerns

During a May 3 appearance on “Face the Nation,” Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said that he believed it was safe for Americans to fly during the coronavirus epidemic and that a plane is as safe as any other space. “I don’t think the risk on an airplane is any greater risk than anywhere else, and in fact, you just look at the layered approach that we use. It’s as safe as an environment as you’re going to find,” said Kelly. (Knight, 5/11)

School is still in session, albeit online, but many American children are no longer sitting in a traditional classroom with scheduled gym periods or the chance to run around at recess. They are distance learning at home, where it’s tempting to snack all day in front of a screen. Prompted by fears of coronavirus transmission, numerous schools shut down in March, stretching the usual two-to-three-month interval at home into five months or longer. (Cimons, 5/10)