CDC says a glitch in its bird flu test hasn't harmed the agency's outbreak response, but it has ignited scrutiny of its go-it-alone approach in testing for emerging pathogens.

The agency has quietly worked since April to resolve a nagging issue with the test it developed, even as the virus swept through dairy farms and chicken houses across the country and infected at least 13 farmworkers this year.

At a congressional hearing on July 23, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) asked about the issue. "Boy, that rings of 2020," he said, referring to when the nation was caught off guard by the COVID-19 pandemic, in part because of dysfunctional tests made by the CDC. Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, responded that the agency rapidly developed a workaround that makes its bird flu test reliable.

"The tests are 100% usable," he later told KFF Health News, adding that the FDA studied the tests and came to the same conclusion. The imperfect tests, which have a faulty element that sometimes requires testing a sample again, will be replaced soon. He added, "We have made sure that we're offering a high-quality product."

Still, some researchers were unnerved by the news coming 4 months after the government declared a worrisome bird flu outbreak among cattle. The CDC's test is the only one available for clinical use. Some researchers say its flaws, though manageable, underscore the risk of relying on a single entity for testing.

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Your chances of developing long COVID have significantly decreased since the pandemic began, offering a glimmer of hope and a sign of progress in the ongoing battle against the virus. [Medscape]

That's according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, who conducted the study, said that the drop was caused by vaccinations and changes in the virus itself. 

"You can see a clear and significant difference in risk during the delta and omicron eras between the vaccinated and unvaccinated," Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and head of the research and development service, said in a statement. "So, if people think COVID is no big deal and decide to forgo vaccinations, they're essentially doubling their risk of developing long COVID."

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The funding opportunities will expand access to women's behavioral health services and enhance the capacity of providers to identify and address mental health conditions, substance use, and gender-based violence. [ NIH]

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has pledged $27.5 million worth of funding opportunities to research programs aimed at improving women’s behavioral health across the United States. This significant investment underscores the Biden Administration’s commitment to addressing the unique mental health and substance use treatment needs of women. It also represents important progress in the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, which has committed to prioritizing investments in women’s health research, integrating women’s health across the federal research portfolio, and galvanizing new research on women’s health.

The funding opportunities will expand access to women’s behavioral health services and enhance the capacity of providers to identify and address mental health conditions, substance use, and gender-based violence.  

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Infant mortality rates in the United States increased by 3% in 2022, according to a new federal report published early Thursday morning. [KFF and ABC News]

Researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics looked at linked birth and death data sets -- information from the death certificate linked to the information from the birth certificate -- from the National Vital Statistics System.

Data showed the rate increased from 5.44 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021 to 5.61 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022. This equates to a total of 20,577 infant deaths reported in 2022, up 3% from 2021.

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President Joe Biden tested positive for covid-19 last week, but his symptoms were reportedly mild. With covid still circulating and putting Americans at risk, KFF Health News reviews the latest safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [KFF Health News}

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The Chicago Department of Public Health will partner with the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force over the next 10 weeks to share resources with the communities most impacted by opioid-related overdoses in recent years. [Health News Illinois]

The health agency said it will send trained outreach workers to neighborhoods on the city’s west side, with the goal to cover nearly 1,300 blocks that experienced at least one overdose-related emergency medical service response last year.

Along with offering harm reduction kits that include Narcan and test strips to check for the presence of fentanyl, workers will also educate individuals on a state program that offers free, same-day access to medications to treat opioid use disorder.

“We have tools to help prevent fatal overdoses,” Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige said in a statement.

There were 1,397 opioid-related deaths in Chicago in 2022.

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Gov. JB Pritzker took action Friday on various healthcare-related bills, including one that aims to improve recruitment and retention of the behavioral health workforce. [Health News Illinois]

The law creates a workgroup inside the office of the chief behavioral health officer. The officer or their designee could appoint up to 15 members who will review policies and regulations to identify barriers that prevent workers from providing services. A report highlighting short- and long-term recommendations will be due to the General Assembly within a year after the group’s first meeting.

The governor also took action on several proposals intended to ease some licensing requirements. That includes a plan that will allow licensed advanced practice registered nurses certified as nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners the full authority to practice for up to six months while waiting for the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to approve their licenses.

Another law creates a pre-license practice allowance for individuals enrolled in a specialty or residency training program for dentistry while waiting for license approval. And Pritzker signed a bill that will in part expedite healthcare licensure for spouses of service members who come to Illinois.

Other new laws relate to insurance, including one that requires a clinical peer to review any adverse determinations made by an insurer. Another prohibits prior authorizations for federally approved drug therapies that treat hereditary bleeding disorders.

Insurers will also be required, starting in 2026, to cover medically necessary treatment of a mental, emotional, nervous or substance use disorder or condition for all individuals who have experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth at the same extent and cost-sharing as for any other covered condition. They will also be required to cover hormone therapy due to menopause.

Other new laws will:

• Lower the age of consent of blood typing services to 17.
• Amend existing law so advanced practice registered nurses in specialized mental health rehabilitation facilities can fulfill the requirement of a weekly visit to the facility and that the medical director can visit the facility at least monthly.
• Require the Department of Public Health to develop and implement a crisis-standards-of-care plan to support healthcare facilities in situations where local medical resources are overwhelmed. 
• Update emergency medical services education requirements to allow for online and out-of-region training options and allow paramedics with three years of experience to teach high school emergency medical technicians classes with oversight. 

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The Portes Foundation Is Currently Accepting Letters of Intent: June 1 – September 1, 2024

The Portes Foundation, in association with the Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC), solicits letters of intent annually for research projects in health promotion and disease prevention. To be considered for an award to be granted in February of 2025, a letter of intent should be submitted no later than September 1, 2024.  After an initial review, select projects will be asked to submit a full proposal that will be due December 1, 2024.  Funding for awards will be available in 2025.  

Research Proposals

The Portes Foundation invites proposals that explore research or implementation ideas important in health promotion and disease prevention. These projects may be investigative in etiologic factors, preventive measures, primary and secondary prevention screening, and education. Projects in patient education or health professionals’ education will also be considered. All projects must include a complete and thorough evaluation component.

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Questions? Contact the IOMC office at 312.709.2685 or send an email to researchgrants@iomc.org. 

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Patients and health care professionals concerned about the high prices of US pharmaceuticals have urged the federal government to exercise its march-in rights on some pharmaceutical patents. [JAMA]

Built into the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, march-in stands on the principle that if the government funds an invention, then the public should enjoy the benefits of using the invention. March-in rights allow the government to demand an invention developed with government dollars be licensed to a third party, including when the invention has not been put to practical use or when necessary to meet societal health needs. These rights are written into federal law and companies therefore know they exist when engaging with federally funded research. The federal government has never exercised its march-in rights.

On December 8, 2023, the Biden administration proposed a framework for US agencies to utilize march-in, laying the groundwork for the federal government to assist in the generation of pharmaceutical and other goods that the public cannot sufficiently access. This Viewpoint explores the proposal and clarifies for physicians and the biomedical industry the likely impact on US drug prices.

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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul backs a lawsuit against a plan by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expand a toxic materials disposal facility on Chicago’s southeast side.[Health News Illinois] 

In a filing last week, he said the proposal would negatively impact the health and well-being of surrounding communities.

Raoul said in the amicus brief that residents in the region have long experienced environmental hazards, from the current facility to the prevalence of steel production in the 20th century. That exposure, he said, has led to increased rates of asthma, cancer and other medical issues for local residents.

“Prohibiting the expansion of this facility is an important step to prioritize residents’ quality of life and bring long overdue environmental justice to a Chicago community that has been overlooked for too many decades in our city’s history,” he said.

The corps has sought regulatory approval to expand its operation to handle and dispose of dredged materials from local waterways, including toxic materials like mercury and arsenic.

Community organizations oppose the project and have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the expansion.

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