Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
For The First Time, Air Pollution Detected In Fetal Organs
Air pollution particles can reach babies in the womb, a new study suggests. Researchers found that soot nanoparticles can cross the placenta and get into organs of fetuses. (Pickover, 10/5)
In other health and wellness news 鈥
The outbreak appears to be waning and monkeypox vaccine appointments are more plentiful in many parts of the country than earlier in the summer, when obtaining a shot was like 鈥渨inning the sweepstakes or getting concert tickets,鈥 one recipient said. However, the makeshift vaccination plan has not been without its downsides. The intradermal injection can leave a painful, itchy red mark for weeks, potentially worsening the stigma of an outbreak mostly affecting gay men, and it can cause long-term discoloration or scarring. (Pietsch, 10/6)
Researchers who study Type 2 diabetes have reached a stark conclusion: There is no device, no drug powerful enough to counter the effects of poverty, pollution, stress, a broken food system, cities that are hard to navigate on foot and inequitable access to health care, particularly in minority communities. 鈥淥ur entire society is perfectly designed to create Type 2 diabetes,鈥 said Dr. Dean Schillinger, a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco. 鈥淲e have to disrupt that.鈥 (Rabin, 10/5)
In some people, exposure to the highly contagious norovirus might increase the risk of the bowel disorder, which causes the immune system to attack the digestive tract, research published Wednesday in Nature shows. (Carroll, 10/5)
Ahead of decisions by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that could ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, Stanford University and the American Heart Association released a study that tracked decades of predatory marketing efforts from cigarette companies and found that they are still targeting young people, Black people and women.聽(Henry, 10/5)
And the probe into an E. coli outbreak ends without a conclusive answer 鈥
The CDC yesterday announced that it has wrapped up its investigation into an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak from an unknown food source, which appeared to be an ingredient in menu items from Wendy's restaurants. In its final update, the CDC reported 12 more cases, lifting the number of confirmed cases to 109 from six states. ... The CDC said investigators couldn't confirm romaine lettuce as the source of the outbreak, because the Wendy's meals eaten by sick people had many similar ingredients. (10/5)
