Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dramatic Increase In Drug-Resistant Infections Reported
A new report from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) indicates antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is worsening in the country, highlighted by dramatic increases in drug-resistant bloodstream infections (BSIs). (7/13)
A diet high in fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 50 percent, a large new study suggests. The study spanned about 10 years and included more than 22,000 people. (Searing, 7/13)
West Virginia University has received a $2.2 million federal grant for stroke research, officials said Monday. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences in a news release, saying it will be used to study strokes and to manage stroke recovery. (7/14)
In koalas, chlamydia’s ravages are extreme, leading to severe inflammation, massive cysts and scarring of the reproductive tract. But the bacteria responsible is still remarkably similar to the human one, thanks to chlamydia’s tiny, highly conserved genome: It has just 900 active genes, far fewer than most infectious bacteria. Because of these similarities, vaccine trials (in Australia) may offer valuable clues for researchers across the globe who are developing a human vaccine. (Gross, 7/13)
The Nevada Department of Agriculture says testing found rabies in seven bats from the Las Vegas and Reno areas. The department’s Animal Disease Laboratory says it typically confirms as many as 20 cases of bat rabies a year, and bat activity tends to peak throughout the state between May and October. This year, lab officials have tested 179 bats, finding the seven positive rabies cases in animals from Clark and Washoe counties. (7/13)
Also —
Flossie Wong-Staal, a molecular virologist who led research that helped produce seminal findings about HIV — its genetic structure, the insidious manner in which it invades the immune system, and ways of detecting and treating it, died July 8 at a hospital in La Jolla, Calif. She was 73. (Langer, 7/13)
