Axios Vitals: Polio problem

Plus, a crisis for LGBT youth | Thursday, August 11, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By PhRMA   Axios Vitals By Tina Reed · Aug 11, 2022 Happy Thursday, Vitals readers. Today's newsletter is 807 words or a 3-minute read.     1 big thing: Resurgent polio adds to list of global health threats Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios   The detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in London and New York state is providing another stark reminder of the importance of vaccination and new forms of surveillance, public health experts told Axios' Arielle Dreher and me. Why it matters: A pandemic-weary public facing the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 and monkeypox is feeling jittery about the resurgence of a dreaded disease thought to be largely eradicated. But experts say the U.S. is highly protected from the widespread transmission of polio, at least in areas that are highly vaccinated. What they're saying: "If you're an unvaccinated person living in Rockland or Orange County (New York), where sewage is showing there's polio in it, I would be concerned and get vaccinated," Aaron Glatt, infectious disease chief at Mount Sinai South Nassau, told Axios. Driving the news: London officials announced plans Wednesday to offer polio boosters to kids after it was found in wastewater there. It comes after CDC officials headed to New York to investigate evidence of transmission in the wastewater in Rockland County after a confirmed case in a 20-year-0ld man. Between the lines: The cases illustrate how wastewater surveillance first widely adopted during the COVID pandemic became a standard public health tool. The big picture: The simultaneous outbreaks of highly virulent, potentially deadly diseases could become a disturbingly familiar pattern. Increased vaccine hesitancy, historic levels of global travel and more human contact with insects and animals that harbor virus are likely to keep driving the trend, William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, told Axios. "There are many of us living in the United States who have a very locally-focused point of view," Schaffner said. "The fallacy of that is: Whatever is over there can be over here in 12 to 24 hours. And it can spread," he said. "We have to work internationally." Go deeper.     2. Multiracial LGBTQ youth more likely to consider suicide Data: The Trevor Project; Chart: Nicki Camberg/Axios Nearly half of multiracial LGBTQ youths "seriously considered" suicide in 2021, according to a new report from The Trevor Project provided to Axios' Oriana Gonzalez. Why it matters: Over 40 million LGBTQ young people seriously consider suicide each year, according to rough estimates from the group, and the report examines the "unique convergence of stressors experienced by holding a multiracial identity and an LGBTQ identity." The report is "the first of its kind," per The Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth under 25. The big picture: Over 300 anti-LGBTQ laws have been introduced this year and at least 25 have passed. Medical experts say the rancor surrounding such policies can weigh heavily on LGBTQ youths' mental health. By the numbers: 48% of multiracial LGBTQ young people reported "seriously considering" suicide last year, compared to 44% of LGBTQ youth of only one race. What they're saying: "These findings shine a light on the unique mental health outcomes and suicide risk of young people living with the distinctive identities of being multiracial and LGBTQ," Myeshia Price, director of research science at The Trevor Project, said in a statement. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 — or text message or call 988.     3. Patient appetite high for (some) tracker tech Note: Percentage includes those who say they are somewhat or very willing; Data: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society; Axios Visuals Nearly half of U.S. consumers are largely willing to don fitness trackers or punch meals into calorie-counting apps — though they're cooler to using digital tools for mental health or medication monitoring, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society reports. The big picture: That was one of the findings on digital health in the years ahead in HIMSS 2022 Future of Healthcare Report. The survey of patients, providers, payers and health system leaders found nearly all health care systems are already, or intend to be, in some stage of digital transformation by 2027. "Those that take too long to launch or advance, however, may find younger patients have moved on to rivals and retailers that embraced modern care models more quickly," the report says.     A message from PhRMA Government price setting won't work for most patients     Over 50% of what you pay for medicines goes to middlemen like PBMs, insurers, government and others. And 80% of the pharmacy market is controlled by just three PBMs. Congress should address the real drivers of health care costs, not threaten future treatments and cures. Stand up for patients.     4. The latest U.S. monkeypox figures Data: CDC, U.S. Census; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals The U.S. has surpassed 10,000 cases of confirmed monkeypox, the CDC confirmed this morning. Why it matters: It comes the U.S. government begins a strategy of stretching its available monkeypox vaccine doses. What to watch: Monkeypox may soon have a new name. The World Health Organization plans to give the virus a new moniker amid concerns it may be discriminatory and may not accurately describe its origins, The Hill reports. STAT's Helen Branswell recently gave a great explainer about the complicated campaign to change the name.     5. Catch up quick Comedian and activist Jon Stewart lobbied intensely for the PACT Act, the biggest expansion of veteran's benefits since the Agent Orange Act of 1991. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images   ✒️ President Biden signed the PACT Act into law Wednesday, expanding health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. (Axios) 🗳 Seven in 10 Americans, regardless of party affiliation, want to be able to vote on an abortion measure on their state ballot, according to a new Ipsos/USA Today poll. (Axios) 🏛 A California judge found Walgreens liable for its part of fueling the opioid epidemic. (Wall Street Journal)     A message from PhRMA Government price setting is a slippery slope     Government price setting has potentially devastating consequences for patients. The story: Democrats' misguided drug-pricing bill threatens at least 100 new cures and treatments in the coming decades. And that's just the beginning. Learn why the slippery slope is bad for patients.   Why stop here? Let's go Pro. Join the thousands of professionals reading Axios Pro: Health Tech Deals to better understand the forces shaping their industry.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. 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