Doc Killed After Presentation; Bird Flu Mutations Worrying; Americans Snub COVID Vax

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Endocrinologist Olga Duchon, MD, was fatally shot over the weekend in suburban Chicago less than 2 hours after giving a talk on weight-loss medications. Police say a suspect, the father of Duchon’s daughter, has been arrested. (CBS News Chicago, ABC7 Chicago)

Although the U.S. has made progress in reducing cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke exposure, the advancements haven’t occurred equally across all population groups, according to a report from the Surgeon General.

The version of the H5N1 virus contracted by a Canadian teenager contains some disturbing mutations, researchers said. (STAT)

California’s department of health said it’s investigating a possible bird flu infection in a child with mild symptoms.

Meanwhile, a researcher who helped discover the Omicron variant of COVID, says the U.S. hasn’t done enough to show that it has properly contained the H5N1 outbreak in livestock. (New York Times)

The way UnitedHealth Group limits behavioral health coverage puts countless patients’ mental health care at risk, a ProPublica investigation found.

More than 100,000 people in the Asheville, North Carolina area can now use their tap water for bathing and drinking, almost 2 months after Hurricane Helene destroyed the municipal water system. (AP)

A 30-year-old woman was declared “clinically dead” for 45 minutes and then spent a week unconscious after suffering an amniotic fluid embolism while giving birth to triplets; she said that when she woke up, she had forgotten about the births. (People)

Why is the child death rate slowly rising? (New York Times)

The FDA expanded the indications of bimekizumab (Bimzelx) to include the treatment of adults with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa, drugmaker UCB announced.

How did a commonly used inferior vena cava filter for the prevention of pulmonary embolism gain FDA approval despite significant safety risks? (Annals of Internal Medicine)

Walking pneumonia is surging, especially among the young and poor. (USA Today)

Six in 10 Americans say they probably won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine this year, a Pew survey found.

Seven people involved in an alleged healthcare fraud scheme involving “foot baths” that use combinations of prescription drugs have been indicted, the Justice Department announced.

FDA staff members raised safety and efficacy concerns about AstraZeneca’s andexanet (Andexxa), which received an accelerated approval to reverse the anticoagulation effects of blood thinners; the drug will be the subject of an FDA advisory committee meeting on Thursday. (Endpoints News)

Researchers from the NIH have defined elements of cerebral/cortical visual impairment in children, a leading cause of pediatric visual impairment in the U.S. (Ophthalmology)

The World Health Organization said it authorized the first mpox vaccine for kids to help control the outbreak in Congo.

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