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☆ Mpox vaccination to begin in Congo next month
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A vaccination campaign against mpox in Congo will begin Oct. 2, authorities said Saturday, with workers focusing on the three most affected provinces first. Earlier this week, the first batch of mpox vaccines arrived in the capital of Congo, the center of the outbreak. The European Union countries pledged to donate more than 500,000 others, but the timeline for their delivery remained unclear. Most mpox infections in Congo and Burundi, the second most affected country, are in children under age 15. Congo issued an emergency approval of the vaccine, which has already been used in Europe and the United States in adults.

Persons: Cris Kacita Osako, Congo’s, Dr, Jean Kaseya, Laurent Muschel Organizations: mpox, Associated Press, Bavarian Nordic, European Union, Africa Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization, WHO, European Medicines Agency Locations: Congo, Equateur, South Kivu, Sankuru, Danish, European Union, Burundi, Europe, United States

☆ Is Delaying Menopause the Key to Longevity?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | Dana G. Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In March, the first lady, Jill Biden, announced a new White House women’s health initiative that highlighted a seemingly obscure research question: What if you could delay menopause and all the health risks associated with it? The question comes from a field of research that has started to draw attention over the last few years, as scientists who study longevity and women’s health have come to realize that the female reproductive system is far more than just a baby-maker. The ovaries, in particular, appear to be connected to virtually every aspect of a woman’s health. Once that happens, a woman enters menopause, which accelerates her aging and the decline of other organ systems, like the heart and the brain. While women, on average, live longer than men, they spend more time living with diseases or disabilities.

Persons: Jill Biden, ”, Renee Wegrzyn, “ It’s Organizations: House, Advanced Research, Agency for Health Locations: midlife

Bedbugs go where you go, and they have become a nightmare haunting France for weeks. Still, bedbugs have plagued France and other countries for decades. The French public began moving into panic mode about a month ago after reports of bedbugs at a Paris movie theater. “All human population movements are profitable for bedbugs because they go with us, to hotels, in transport," said Berenger. Beaune, the transport minister, is hopeful that steps can be taken to ease the public's fear.

Persons: Elisabeth Borne, Clement Beaune, bedbugs, that's, ”, Jean, Michel Berenger, they’ll, Berenger, Ipsos, It’s, Kevin Le Mestre, Lutte Antinuisible, Lucas Pradalier, Emmanuel Macron’s, Mathilde Panot, “, Alex Turnbull Organizations: PARIS, Olympic Games, Metro, Mediterranee University Hospital, National Agency for Health, Food Safety, Paris Olympics, Associated Press Locations: France, Beaune, Marseille, Paris, New York

☆ Gender Surgeries Nearly Tripled From 2016 Through 2019, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Emily Baumgaertner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Gender-affirming care has become a key political issue for conservatives in the run-up to the presidential election. According to the analysis, about 48,000 patients underwent surgeries from 2016 through 2020. Breast and chest surgeries were the most common: There were about 27,187, or 56.6 percent of all gender-affirming surgeries. Background: Recent developments in gender-affirming care. Earlier this month, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed its guidelines regarding the gender-affirming treatment but also commissioned a fresh review of the research, after European health authorities found uncertain evidence for its effectiveness.

Persons: “ There’s, ”, Jason D, Wright Organizations: Republicans, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Health, Agency for Healthcare Research, American Academy of Pediatrics

☆ A nearly $200,000 fine is threatening to shut down a Florida abortion clinic. But activists have already crowdfunded half of it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A $193,000 fine against the Center of Orlando for Women is threatening to bankrupt the abortion clinic. The state wants to "fine our clinic out of existence," a local volunteer told Insider. The organization Stand With Abortion Now has already crowdfunded nearly half the fine. The volunteers typically help shield patients entering the abortion clinic from anti-abortion activists. Donations from $1 to thousands of dollars have come in from people who want to save "this independent abortion clinic in the south," the volunteer said.

Persons: Roe, Wade Organizations: Center of Orlando, Women, Service, Agency for Healthcare Administration, of Orlando, Orlando, Florida's Agency, Healthcare Administration, Orlando Weekly Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Orlando

☆ Virtual Healthcare Has Green Benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Cecilia Butini | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

Virtual doctor’s appointments are helping healthcare companies reduce carbon emissions, though sustainability is mostly seen as a side benefit of telehealth rather than its main driver. The healthcare industry is responsible for about 5% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, of which the U.S. healthcare system alone accounts for a quarter. Similarly, in England, medicines, buildings, equipment and other supply-chain items generate most of the National Health Service’s emissions, according to official NHS figures. The company has designed an app for teleconsultations that is able to show patients the carbon emissions avoided through that consultation. In line with national data, the company said its Scope 3 emissions account for 75% of its total emissions.

Persons: telehealth, Cynthia Cox, KFF, ”, Colin Cave, ” Cave, Glyn Richards, Ben Phillips, BUPA, Marijka Grey, Kyle Zebley, — Dieter Holger, Cecilia Butini Organizations: McKinsey, Sustainable Business, Affordable, Energy, U.S . Agency for Healthcare Research, National Health, Kaiser Permanente, Permanente Kaiser Permanente, Spain —, CommonSpirit Health, CommonSpirit, American Telemedicine Association Locations: England, telemedicine, Kaiser, U.S, Northwest, U.K, Spain, Grey, Europe

☆ Ron DeSantis loses in court on anti-transgender healthcare law for the 2nd time in a month as judge rebukes 'dog whistles' from Florida officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Clinton-appointed judge struck down Florida's Medicaid ban on transgender healthcare. Ron DeSantis' office directed the state's healthcare agency to do an analysis on Medicaid patients who received transition-related medical care. Roughly 12,000 transgender patients in Florida are enrolled in the program, according to Lambda Legal, one of the firms that represented transgender plaintiffs in the case. "Many people with this view tend to disapprove all things transgender and so oppose medical care that supports a person's transgender existence." Hinkle, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, is the same judge who, earlier this month, blocked portions of a Florida law that aimed to ban transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

Persons: Clinton, DeSantis, —, Robert Hinkle, Ron DeSantis, Hinkle, Shakespeare, Grisham, Bill Clinton, Omar Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Pagan Organizations: Service, Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida Gov, Lambda, Court, Northern, Northern District of, GOP, Medicaid, Pagan, Health Locations: Florida, Northern District, Northern District of Florida, Charleston , South Carolina

The injunction was expected after Hinkle on June 6 partially blocked Florida from enforcing its recent ban on people under 18 receiving gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. U.S. district court judges elsewhere have blocked state laws banning gender-affirming care in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana and Oklahoma. The plaintiffs were two transgender adults, August Dekker and Brit Rothstein, and two transgender minors who filed under pseudonyms. The defendants were the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and its secretary, Jason Weida, who did not respond to an after-hours request for comment. The AHCA "retained only consultants known in advance for their staunch opposition to gender-affirming care," the judge found.

Persons: Robert Hinkle, Hinkle, August Dekker, Brit Rothstein, Jason Weida, Ron DeSantis, Daniel Trotta, Gerry Doyle Organizations: District, Affordable, Republican, Rights, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Thomson Locations: U.S, Florida, Alabama , Arkansas , Indiana, Oklahoma

☆ Ron DeSantis quietly signs 6-week abortion ban into law in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Matt Dixon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ron DeSantis quietly signed legislation Thursday that would ban most abortions after six weeks in Florida, a move that will weigh on his likely 2024 presidential bid. The Florida law bans abortions at six weeks but creates new exemptions for rape and incest up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. Last year, DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature that is currently before the Florida Supreme Court. He supports a federal abortion ban. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who announced her candidacy in February, said on NBC's "TODAY" show that she would not support a "full-out federal ban" but would support a federal 15-week abortion ban.

Florida currently has a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is being challenged in court. Republicans in the state House of Representatives and Senate filed concurrent bills last month to restrict the procedure further, starting at six weeks of pregnancy. With Republicans controlling the legislature and governorship in Florida, a six-week ban is likely to become law. The fate of the legislation also depends on how the state supreme court rules in a challenge of the 15-week ban. A six-week ban would restrict abortion access across the U.S. South, where most other states have already banned the procedure at early stages of pregnancy.

REUTERS/Octavio JonesMarch 7 (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers in Florida filed bills on Tuesday to outlaw most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a ban that would severely undercut access to the procedure in the U.S. South if passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature. Data from Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration showed that the number of out-of-state abortion patients rose 38% in 2022 compared to 2021. He has previously said he would sign an abortion ban as early as six weeks. Abortion rights advocates and Democrats, including White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, spoke out on Tuesday against the new bills, which would ban abortion before many women know they are pregnant. Reporting by Gabriella Borter and Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kamala Harris swipes at DeSantis using his 'vanguard of freedom' inauguration quote, on the governor's home turf, as she announces new moves on abortion pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

said Harris, who didn't use DeSantis' name but was quoting directly from his January 3 inauguration speech. The vice president, who has been at the forefront voice for the administration's on abortion rights, announced that President Joe Biden would be signing a memorandum to make abortion pills easier to access. Sunday would have marked the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed a national right to abortion. Wilfredo Lee/AP PhotoFlorida has other ways of expanding abortion rightsAbortion rights proved to be a liability for Republicans in the November midterms. Reproductive rights groups are working to put the issue of abortion before Florida voters through a 2024 ballot measure.

☆ Kamala Harris swipes at DeSantis using his 'vanguard of freedom' quote, on the governor's home turf, as she announces new moves on abortion pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

said Harris, who didn't use DeSantis' name but was quoting directly from his 2022 State of the State address. The vice president, who has been at the forefront voice for the administration's on abortion rights, announced that President Joe Biden would be signing a memorandum to make abortion pills easier to access. Sunday would have marked the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed a national right to abortion. Wilfredo Lee/AP PhotoFlorida has other ways of expanding abortion rightsAbortion rights proved to be a liability for Republicans in the November midterms. Reproductive rights groups are working to put the issue of abortion before Florida voters through a 2024 ballot measure.

☆ A Study Sounds a False Alarm About America’s Emergency Rooms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Kristen Panthagani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A shocking headline recently claimed that every year 250,000 people in the U.S. die after misdiagnosis in the emergency room. Even more shocking, the statistic was extrapolated from the death of one man—in a Canadian emergency room more than a decade ago. The figure comes from a Dec. 15 report by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. The AHRQ, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, produces research to improve healthcare in America.

☆ During the holidays, the ER does far more than what it is meant to do
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Dr. Owais Durrani | Dr. Owais Durrani Is An Emergency Medicine Physician In Houston | Tx. Dr. Durrani Has A Background In Political Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Patients’ ER experiences typically consist of long wait times, and that naturally leads to frustration and a frequent misunderstanding that nothing is being done or that they are being diagnosed improperly. The truth is our emergency departments have had to take on a lot more than that, serving as the safety net of the country’s entire health care system. You’ve heard this over and over — our health care system is broken. We have lost valuable physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other vital members of the health care system. We have a very different health care system and training of physicians than those countries.

But this focus obscures what is happening on the ground, every day: Local and national public health workers and epidemiologists, or “disease detectives,” around the world are stopping outbreaks in their tracks and preventing epidemics. The case studies show what is possible when local, state and national communities mobilize a whole-of-society effort to prevent epidemics. When local efforts are supported by national and local government, we can stop and prevent epidemics. Another lesson is the substantial return on investment we can realize by prioritizing and funding preparedness efforts. Finally, there is a crucial role that coordination among local, state and federal agencies plays in epidemic prevention.

☆ Florida medical board votes to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Florida’s medical board is the first in the country to pursue such a rule, but Florida is among a wave of states where officials have attempted to restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The effort to restrict such care began in April, when DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued nonbinding guidance through the Florida Health Department that sought to bar both “social gender transition” and gender-affirming medical care for minors. Accredited medical groups — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — have supported gender-affirming care for transgender youths. The first nine attendees who spoke were in favor of restricting gender-affirming care for minors. Only one of the eight had received gender-affirming medical care as a minor.

☆ Trans Floridians sue to block Medicaid rule excluding gender-affirming care
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-07 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Advocacy groups sued Wednesday to block a new Florida rule that bars Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming health care, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration adopted the rule last month after it issued a report that claimed gender-affirming procedures have the “potential for harmful long term affects.” The rule took effect Aug. 21. in the lawsuit, said the new Medicaid rule will prevent her and her husband, Joshua, from being able to access puberty-blocking medication prescribed by K.F.’s doctors. They are also represented by two health advocacy groups, the Florida Health Justice Project and the National Health Law Program. Accredited medical groups — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — say gender-affirming medical care is safe and medically necessary.

The state’s restrictive abortion laws spotlight existing gender disparities within the VA medical system, according to former military women who shared their personal experiences during a listening tour held by Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health. The VA does not provide any abortion services, even initial consultations, to women seeking more information about terminating their pregnancies. And that doesn’t end when we get out,” veteran Amber Davila, 37, said outside of the session in Austin, Texas. “We will continue to make sure they have timely access to the full suite of reproductive care,” the VA said. “This is fuel to the fire,” said Plescher, lead outreach coordinator for Grace After Fire, a female veterans group based in Houston.

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