As Meningitis Outbreak Worsens, Officials Use Pride As Way To Get Vaccination Message Out
Health officials think the current L.A. outbreak is rooted in the gay community because 10 of the 29 infected people in Los Angeles County were either gay or bisexual men.
Los Angeles Times:
Health Officials Urge Meningitis Vaccination Amid L.A. Pride Festival
Los Angeles County health officials on Friday again urged gay and bisexual men to get vaccinated against meningitis, as an outbreak that began last year continues to grow. Twenty-nine people in the county have been diagnosed with meningitis since March 2016, with the latest case identified a few weeks ago. Earlier this year, one patient died from the infection. (Karlamangla, 6/9)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
With Opioid Epidemic Raging, Calls Grow For Cheaper Access To Heroin Overdose-Reversing Drug
When the American Medical Assn.’s annual meeting convenes in Chicago on Sunday, the powerful physicians' lobby could push for government intervention to lower the price of the heroin overdose-reversing drug naloxone. A resolution written by a Michigan doctor and three medical students notes the skyrocketing cost of the drug — a two-pack of auto-injecting syringes went from $690 in 2014 to more than $4,000 this year, while other forms of the drug have doubled in price — and calls on lawmakers and regulators to increase public access to affordable naloxone. (Keilman, 6/10)
KPBS:
Fighting Obesity: What We Learned From The Battle On Smoking
Tobacco’s reputation as an appetite suppressant is also well known. One study published in the journal Science found that receptors in nicotine activate neurons, which reduce food intake and body weight... All of this makes anti-smoking advocates nervous, since the message seems to be if you want to lose weight, smoking will help you do it. (Fudge, 6/9)