Researchers Foresee Serious Consequences From Vaccination Exemptions
A Stanford University study finds measles rates could triple in certain populations.
The Mercury News:
Stanford: Measles Could Spread As Vaccination Rates Decline
In a new study, scholars at Stanford’s School of Medicine and the Baylor College of Medicine find that slight declines in childhood measles vaccinations would cause disproportionately big increases in measles cases and public health costs. According to the study, published this week in JAMA Pediatrics, if just 5 percent fewer children in the 2-11 age range were inoculated against the measles, mumps and rubella (the MMR vaccine), the number of annual measles cases among that group would triple. (Deruy, 7/26)
In other public health news —
Sacramento Bee:
CA Latinos More Likely To Live In Polluted Communities
California has made great strides in scrubbing smog from its skies, yet pollution remains a problem in some parts of the state, with 44 percent of Latinos living in communities with poor air quality compared to about one-quarter of non-Latinos, according to a new state Senate report. The study, commissioned by the Legislative Latino Caucus, comes as Gov. Jerry Brown will be in Bell Gardens at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to sign Assembly Bill 617, part of last week’s package of bills to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Miller and Luna, 7/26)
KPBS:
New San Diego Study Adds To Debate On E-Cigarettes
A San Diego study adds new data to the debate over whether e-cigarettes are a helpful or harmful tool in the public health fight against smoking. In a paper published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal, researchers at UC San Diego report finding a significant spike in the number of Americans quitting smoking in recent years. (Wagner, 7/26)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Smoking Cessation Rises For First Time In 15 years, And E-Cigs May Be The Key
Electronic cigarettes may be helping Americans to kick the smoking habit, according to a study released Wednesday from UC San Diego researchers. The annual quit rate rose from its longtime average of 4.5 percent to 5.6 percent for 2014-15, the most recent period with verified data, according to a U.S. Census survey of tobacco use. It was the first recorded rise in the smoking cessation rate in 15 years. (Fikes, 7/26)
San Francisco Business Times:
America’s Opioid Epidemic And The Workplace: 3 Lessons For Employers
Employees may be prescribed opioids to relieve pain following a workplace injury, which could in turn begin a path to dependency. But whether the origin of opioid use stems from a workplace injury or not, use of these drugs could have a dramatic impact on an employee’s performance. (Vance and Foulke, 7/26)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
R.I.P. Coke Zero. Why Coke Zero Sugar Has Fans Making A Hiss
What’s in the new Coke Zero Sugar? The company won’t disclose its formula, obviously, but a spokeswoman told AdAge that it has “optimized the blend of flavors that gave Coke Zero its real Coca-Cola taste.” (Gomez, 7/26)