Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness characterized by fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and it has been fatal in 30% of the cases identified since the disease was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. On May 2, CDC announced the first US case of MERS, in a patient who traveled from Saudi Arabia to Indiana.
Denver Post reporters explore psychotropic-drug prescriptions to Colorado foster kids; the US spends more on teen pregnancy than family planning; and five million US workers have stopped looking for jobs.
Infectious Diseases & Vaccines
WHO warns antibiotic resistance is a “serious, worldwide threat to public health”
For the first time, the World Health Organization has examined antimicrobial resistance, and the grim findings won’t be surprising to anyone who’s been following this issue.
Monday, April 28, is Worker Memorial Day, and groups around the US – and around the world – are holding events and issuing reports this week to remember workers killed on the job and push for stronger workplace protections.
Medicaid is an essential source of care for millions of people living with disabilities – but does it have to require them to live with so few assets?
This months marks the fourth anniversary of deadly workplace disasters in West Virginia and the Gulf of Mexico; after coming under pressure from activists, Walmart has changed its policy regarding accommodations for pregnant workers; and two California nurses were stabbed in separate incidents on the same day.
The list of Pulitzer Prize winners released earlier this week includes several journalists who addressed public-health issues, from black lung to food stamps.
Public Health Practice
Worth reading: Veterans’ health, Medicare data, and public-health challenges in West Virginia
The Washington Post provides in-depth coverage on issues facing veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan; an unprecedented release of Medicare data gives reporters a lot to work with; and journalists consider how West Virginia’s reliance on a few industries has influenced the state’s response to contaminated water and drug addiction.
The World Health Organization has released a new estimate of the number of premature deaths linked to air pollution: In 2012, approximately seven million deaths — one in eight of those occurring worldwide — resulted from exposure to air pollution. The vast majority of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, with much of the burden falling in South East Asia and the Western Pacific.
President Obama highlights the ways inadequate paid-leave and wage policies affect women workers; a California bill would hold companies liable for violations by the temporary labor firms they contract with; and OSHA proposes $2.3 million in fines against a company that exposed workers to asbestos and lead hazards.