San Diego Leaders Blasted For Inadequately Handling Hep A Outbreak
The review criticized the city's poor coordination that delayed sanitation procedures that could have slowed the spread of the disease, especially among the homeless population. "The biggest lesson is that our community can't put off difficult decisions on homelessness because it makes the problem worse," San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said.
The Associated Press:
Report Faults Response To San Diego's Hepatitis A Outbreak
A grand jury report following the worst outbreak of Hepatitis A in the United States in 20 years faulted the response of San Diego city and county officials on Thursday and recommended improving communications to prepare for future health emergencies. The outbreak killed 20 and sickened 577 people between November 2016 and October 2017. (5/17)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
To Prevent Recurrent Strokes, Should Aspirin Have A Wingman? Maybe Not
When it comes to preventing the formation of potentially deadly blood clots in people at elevated risk for them, there are no easy answers. That's the upshot of a clinical trial involving patients who suffered a stroke that resolved quickly and caused no lasting damage. For these patients, adding the anti-platelet drug Plavix to usual aspirin therapy drove down some serious risks, but increased the chances of bleeding events. A second study found that an anticoagulant drug known as Xarelto performed no better than aspirin alone in heading off strokes and heart attacks after a small stroke, and also drove up subjects' risk of bleeding. (Healy, 5/17)
KQED:
Does CBD Help Kids With Autism? New Clinical Trial Aims To Find Out
A new clinical trial will attempt to determine how certain chemical compounds in marijuana might help children with autism. ...Now, the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the UC San Diego School of Medicine aims to determine if marijuana could be useful in curbing challenging behaviors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. (Wiley, 5/17)