State Bars Health Workers From Pushing COVID Vax; Cold Deaths; Marburg Outbreak Ends

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Louisiana is no longer allowing public health workers to promote vaccines for COVID, the flu, or mpox. (NPR)

In an effort to avert a government shutdown, House Republicans abandoned pharmacy benefit manager reforms in the funding bill. (The Hill)

Medicare’s negotiated drug prices are still nearly three times the average price in other peer nations, a Peterson-KFF analysis found.

In 2021, an estimated one in every 127 people was on the autism spectrum, roughly double the estimates from 2019. (Lancet Psychiatry)

The city of Tavares in Florida voted to remove fluoride from its water. (Newsweek)

Luigi Mangione could face the death penalty if convicted for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP)

Some Lay’s Classic potato chip bags are being recalled over undeclared milk, a potential allergen. (The Hill)

A STAT investigation detailed a sickle cell patient’s story of sterilization, pressure, and regret.

One in five adults with long COVID reported significant limitations in performing daily activities, according to a survey study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

Cold temperature-related mortality rates more than doubled in the U.S. between 1999 and 2022, with the highest rates among adults 75 and older. (JAMA)

The percentage of adults who received mental health treatment increased from 19.2% to 23.9% from 2019 to 2023. (MMWR)

A norovirus outbreak on the Ruby Princess cruise ship sickened 115 passengers and crew members, the CDC said.

The FDA rejected the long-acting GLP-2 analog glepaglutide as a treatment for patients with short bowel syndrome, calling for an additional clinical trial, drugmaker Zealand Pharma announced.

Meanwhile, the agency approved Humacyte’s acellular tissue engineered vessel (Symvess) for extremity vascular trauma, the company said.

And granted marketing authorization for a novel non-invasive spinal cord stimulation system that can improve hand strength in people with chronic spinal cord injuries, Onward Medical announced.

Holidays got you down? Here are seven science-based tips for mental and cognitive health. (Washington Post)

Rwanda’s Marburg outbreak is over, the World Health Organization said.

U.S. global aid for health initiatives — including for vaccinations, HIV treatment, and disease surveillance — could plummet under the second Trump administration. (New York Times)

Meanwhile, HIV is spiking in new hot spots, from South Asia to Eastern Europe to Latin America. (NPR)

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