Did Arizona's mental health system fail alleged Tucson shooter Jared Loughner? Plus more from our Daily Briefing.
Like writing about abortion or animal rights, writing about vaccines inevitably raises the ire of certain readers. It is not for the timid. Journalist Amy Wallace writes about being sued by an anti-vaccine activist and offers tips for covering this controversial and emotionally-charged topic.
The email press release I just received on an new epidemic of whooping cough in California is a jaw-dropper:
The state is on pace to suffer the most illnesses and deaths due to pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in 50 years.
A new drug comes on the market that promises to improve people’s eyesight. “Clarivue! Make your cloudy days sunny again!”
Your editor says, “This Clarivue is like Viagra for eyeballs. It’s going to be flying off the shelves. Write up something for the Web in the next hour.”
Your next move should be to find out the NNT: the number needed to treat. It will help you answer the most important question: How many people would need to take Clarivue in order for one person to actually see better?
Immgration reform is in the air once again - with President Obama saying the issue will be tackled next year. Join Health Dialogues as we look at what it's like for undocumented and seasonal workers to get health care under the current system, and how immigration reform could change things.
From Darhoon Menghwar, of the Daily Ibrat, a Sindhi newspaper in Hyderabad, Sindh province, Pakistan, who attended a Thomson Reuters Foundation “Reporting HIV/AIDS” course in Bangkok in 2008.
Comprehensive immigration reform hasn't happened since 1986, when the Immigration Reform & Control Act (IRCA) was passed. Now immigration reform is in the air once again - with President Obama saying the issue will be tackled next year. What is it like for undocumented and seasonal workers to get health care under the current system? Will immigration reform change things?
A new study released in the Journal Pediatrics has confirmed what many of us in public health already knew: children whose parents refuse to have them vaccinated are more likely to get and spread pertussis. Some people are likely to say so what. Is pertussis really that common or serious? The answer to both those questions is yes.
Dr. Susan Fernyak is deputy health officer for San Francisco and director of the Department of Public Health's Communicable Disease Control and Prevention section. Her section is responsible for epidemiology, surveillance and disease control, immunization programs and bioterrorism preparedness and response. As director, she has managed San Francisco's smallpox vaccination program and the city and county's response to SARS.
Dr. Laurene Mascola is chief of the Acute Communicable Disease Control (ACD) unit for the Los Angeles County Department of Health's Public Health Programs & Services, which performs disease surveillance and epidemic control activities for more than 60 diseases. Mascola oversees the County's programs for immunization, food and water safety epidemiology, vectorborne (insect) disease, hospital outbreaks and bloodborne diseases. Mascola has extensive experience in epidemiology and disease prevention, publishing more than 100 articles and abstracts in numerous medical and public health journals.
