Public Health in the News – June 1, 2014

International

• Italy is suing two pharmaceutical companies they claim kept doctors from prescribing an inexpensive treatment for a common cause of blindness in order to push their more expensive drug.
• Researchers, publishing in Science Magazine, have designed a new target for malaria vaccine development by asking what allows some children in East Africa to develop varying levels of natural immunity to severe malaria.
• Wired Magazine reports on a cool new solar powered device, which for about $10, can prevent mosquito breeding by aerating the surface of stagnant water, potentially lowering malaria rates.
• A new app, called Babylon, could revolutionize seeking health care, making monitoring symptoms and booking appointments as easy as ordering a taxi.

National

• As a direct result of the anti-vaccination movement, the CDC reports the number of measles cases in the U.S. is as high as it’s been in 20 years.
• It’s been months since Colorado’s legalization of marijuana took effect, and now medical and law enforcement professionals are starting to report increases in children and adults sickened by potent doses from edible marijuana.
• In a progressive move, the department of Health and Human Services appeals board ruled that Medicare may not exclude gender-reassignment surgery, reversing a policy that had been in place since the early 1980’s.

Illinois/Chicago

• Before suiting up and slathering on the sunscreen, Lake County beachgoers now can check a the MyBeachCast app to make sure their beach of choice is open and safe. 
• The CDC announced that after conducting more definitive laboratory tests, it found the Illinois resident was not infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) while having a business meeting with the man later hospitalized in Indiana with MERS-CoV. 

Northwestern

• A Northwestern Medicine study ties the increasing consumption of supposedly healthy vitamin E-rich oils – canola, soybean, and corn – to the rising incidence of lung inflammation and, possibly, asthma.

Cover Photo by TookAPic via Pexels: Creative Commons