Ebola-Like Virus Death in the U.S.; Pill Cuts COVID Spread; What Are Healthy Diets?

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An Iowa resident who recently traveled to West Africa died after testing positive for Lassa fever, a rare viral hemorrhagic illness that can be transmitted among humans through infected body fluids, the CDC said.

A group of 10 hospitals sued HHS for allegedly underpaying hospitals that serve a disproportionate share of low-income patients. (Reuters)

Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, the U.S. Surgeon General during the Trump administration, weighed in on Trump’s promise to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild on health” if he’s re-elected. (MotherJones)

H5N1 virus isolated from the eye of an infected dairy farm worker who developed conjunctivitis was transmissible and lethal in mice and ferrets. (Nature)

The overall rate of emergency room visits for Alzheimer’s patients was 36.1 visits per 1,000 adults in 2020-2022; for Black Alzheimer’s patients, it was 71.3 visits per 1,000. (NCHS Data Brief)

Up to half of Medicare beneficiaries with modest incomes may not have sufficient funds to pay out-of-pocket costs for a hospital stay. (Annals of Internal Medicine)

A fitness app identified the location of men charged with protecting several U.S. presidents, French president Emmanuel Macron, and Russian president Vladimir Putin, a Le Monde investigation showed.

In a phase III trial, investigational ensitrelvir reduced transmission of symptomatic COVID infection among household contacts, developer Shionogi announced.

Free legal representation in housing court was tied to a reduction in adverse birth outcomes among Medicaid-insured parents in New York City. (JAMA Pediatrics)

Survey data suggested that a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s constitution will not reach the 60% threshold to pass. (The Hill)

Vitamin K₂ significantly lowered the frequency, intensity, and duration of nocturnal leg cramps in a randomized trial of older adults. (JAMA Internal Medicine)

A New York Times investigation found that local governments paid steep fees when employees received out-of-network medical care, thanks to to an obscure corporate partnership.

Washington, D.C., agencies plan to increase oversight after reports of patient-on-patient assaults and serious incidents at the city’s only acute care psychiatric hospital. (Washington Post)

What are healthy diets? The World Health Organization weighs in.

Sick notes are an added burden on burned-out doctors and workplace requirements to produce them for minor short-term illnesses should be eliminated, the Canadian Medical Association said.

Maine recommended that hunters do not consume deer and wild turkey harvested in certain parts of the state due to high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). (AP)