April 12, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Supreme Court faces urgent test in abortion pill battle(The Hill)
• Mifepristone: US abortion pill access in doubt after rival rulings (BBC)
• The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales (NPR)
• 'Live free and die?' The sad state of U.S. life expectancy (NPR)
• Why the COVID-19 death rate varies dramatically across the U.S.  (NPR)
• STDs are on the rise. This morning-after-style pill may help (AP)

SCIENCE AND TECH   

• In his new cybersecurity strategy, Biden identifies cloud security as a major threat(NPR)
• ‘I’ve never seen anything like this:’ One of China’s most popular apps has the ability to spy on its users, say experts (CNN)
• Perennial rice: Plant once, harvest again and again (NPR)
• It takes a few dollars and 8 minutes to create a deepfake. And that's only the start (NPR)
• Carbon dating reveals famed Baja cave paintings to be much older than previously thought (KPBS)
• What are the most popular Crypto scams to watch out for in 2023? (Time)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

April 10, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency honored 17 people and organizations Monday as Public Health Champions for their work in advancing public health and protecting and promoting the health and safety of San Diegans.

The Agency’s 2023 Live Well San Diego Annual Public Health Champion Awards Ceremony coincided with National Public Health Week. The annual observance is an initiative of the American Public Health Association and ran earlier this month.

Last week's gathering marked the first in-person celebration of the event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

By Chris Ernest Nelson 

April 7, 2023 (San Diego) -- It may not be your grandparent’s HIV. It may no longer be a death sentence, but it still poses a potent threat to public health.  The good news is, there has been significant progress in the past 40 years in the treatment and management of this one-time deadly virus. When HIV/AIDS first appeared in our communities, it was most often a death sentence to those infected. But today people with HIV have effective medications that offer them satisfying and productive lives.

The number of new cases of HIV infection have fallen to half in the past decade. Those who are infected have learned how not to spread the virus, and they have access to life-saving medications. When people know the dangers, preventative measures, and availability of treatment, they can be better prepared to avoid infection, or to deal with a HIV diagnosis, and how to guide themselves or loved ones toward getting the treatment they need.

Today, 90 percent of HIV infections are among young men. There are roughly 15,000 local residents living with HIV, and another estimated 1400 people living with an undiagnosed infection. That is why testing is so important in reducing the spread of the virus. HIV testing is easy, it is available without cost, and your identity will remain confidential.

With or without a diagnosis, prevention can be as simple as using a condom. In addition, the use of “PrEP” (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a daily pill, is even more effective at lowering the risk of getting and spreading HIV from sex, and also from intravenous drug use. PrEP is readily available from a professional healthcare provider.

By Daniela Torres

Jacob Pamus also contributed to this article

March 21, 2023 (San Diego) – A lawsuit has been filed seeking to block implementation of California’s CARE Courts program.  Disability Rights California, Western Center on Law and Poverty, and the Public Interest Law Project have filed a petition at the CA Supreme Court because they believe that the program is unconstitutional.

Gov. Gavin Newsom designed, championed and signed this into law last year to mandate care for people with severe mental illness, primarily those who are homeless and refusing care.

But the human rights groups believe the program could strip away people’s autonomy and that affordable housing should be what needs to be at the front and center.

Naloxone is next medication California aims to manufacture

East County News Service

March 21, 2023 (Sacramento) --  Governor Gavin Newsom announced on March 18 that CalRx has secured a contract with the manufacturer CIVICA to make $30 insulin available to all who need it.  The action will bring down the price of insulin by about 90%, saving cash-paying patients between $2,000 and $4,000 annually.

Right Care Alliance, a patients and providers coalition, has documented  deaths of at least 14 diabetic Americans who’ve died due to rationing insulin since 2017, when prices skyrocketed.

“People should not be forced to go into debt to get life saving prescriptions,” Governor Newsom said. “Through CalRx, Californians will have access to some of the most inexpensive insulin available, helping them save thousands each year. But we’re not stopping there – California will seek to make our own Naloxone as part of our plan to fight the fentanyl crisis.”

March 9, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attacks and stroke, study finds (CNN)
• Scam alert: Fake Medicare calls targeting recipients (10 News)
• FDA authorizes the first at-home test for COVID and the flu  (NPR)
• How Cancer Immunotherapy Extended Jimmy Carter's Life and the Hope It Brings to Others (Healthline)
• U.S. analysis keeps covid ‘lab leak’ theory in play (Washington Post)
• George W. Bush's anti-HIV program PEPFAR is hailed as 'amazing' — and still crucial at 20  (NPR)
• No one really knows how much Covid is silently spreading… Again  (Atlantic)
• Here’s an Alternative to Statins for Lowering Cholesterol  (Time)
• A promising RSV drug could soon be available for babies  (NPRR)

SCIENCE AND TECH 

• ‘Take it down’: a tool for teens to remove explicit images (10 News)
• No ideological splits, only worried justices as High Court hears Google case  (NPR)
• 6 scholars explain what a real climate solution is  (KPBS)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Cassie Klapp, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 6, 2023 (San Diego) -- A Behavioral Health Services (BHS) program focused on culturally appropriate programming to strengthen relationships between fathers and their children and bolster fathers’ parenting skills was approved Tuesday by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. This Board approval signals an eight-fold expansion of these services.

“Evidence shows earlier interventions in the lives of young people is the best way to support resilience and wellbeing,” said Dr. Luke Bergmann, director of Behavioral Health Services at the County Health and Human Services Agency. “Parent or caregiver engagement is vital for the mental health development in children.”  

Adverse Childhood Experiences, also known as ACEs, and toxic stress are associated with nine out of the 10 leading causes of death in the country. These poor health outcomes are passed from generation to generation.

Suzanne Potter, California News Service

February 28, 2023 (Sacramento) -- Two million children and adults in California could lose health-insurance coverage over the next year - as the state winds down the continuous-coverage requirements in place during COVID, according to a new report from Georgetown University. The pandemic health emergency officially ends May first, but on April first California will start re-determining eligibility for 50-million people on Medi-Cal.

Mike Odeh, senior director of health with the non-profit Children Now and report lead author, said recipients must make sure the program has their current address.

"The state has been proactive in asking families to make sure that their contact information is up to date. And we know that they have launched a campaign," Odeh said. "So families can visit keepmedicalcoverage.org to sign up for email and text message alerts with updates about medical renewals."

Children who are still eligible could lose coverage if the renewal notice goes to the wrong address or if there is an administrative error. During the pandemic emergency, the state was required to keep all Medi-Cal recipients on the program. But now the income requirements will kick in once again. More than 56% of kids in California and 52% nationwide are covered under Medicaid or CHIP.

East County News Service

February 21, 2023 (San Diego) -- The County of San Diego has confirmed five hepatitis A cases, including one death, with illness onset between Jan. 10, 2023 and Feb. 6, 2023. Three of the cases were persons experiencing homelessness (PEH), including the person who died. Of the five, there are no known direct contacts and the five cases do not meet the definition of an outbreak as the County normally sees two to three cases per month.

“As a long-time healthcare advocate, I understand the importance of being out in front and transparent with the public about potential threats to the public health,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “The disease is 100 percent preventable, and we want to ensure everyone living in our communities, including people experiencing homelessness, have the information they need to live a healthy and safe life.”

Source:  City of La Mesa

Updated Feb. 19: Photo, left, La Mesita Park fitness plaza, courtesy City of La Mesa

February 10, 2023 (La Mesa) – In celebration of Heathy Heart week, a ribbon cutting will be held for the City of La Mesa’s newest outdoor fitness plaza on February 14, 2023, at 12:15 p.m. at La Mesita park, 8855 Dallas Street. Funding for the equipment was made possible through a $40,000 Age-Friendly Communities Grant provided by the San Diego Foundation, in addition to a $10,000 Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Grant in celebration of the California Park and Recreation Society’s 75th Anniversary.

February 8, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Being overweight can cause similar changes in the brain as having Alzheimer's, new study suggests  (NBC)
• House votes to end COVID vaccine requirement for foreign air travelers (New York Post)   
• Sewage from planes is a key Covid tracking tool, reports say, as CDC talks to airlines about wastewater testing  (NBC)
• Can humans and pets catch bird flu? What to know about the outbreak. (Washington Post)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Musk Pledged to Cleanse Twitter of Child Abuse Content. It’s Been Rough Going. (New York Times)
• We need native seeds in order to respond to climate change, but there aren't enough  (NPR)
• ‘We hacked the hackers’: Law enforcement disrupts Hive gang (Washington Post)
• The hidden environmental costs of transitioning to electric vehicles  (NPR)
• The world is creating more single use plastic waste than ever, report finds (CNN)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

East County News Service

Information and photo courtesy of County News Service

February 8, 2023 (Campo) -- A deer mouse collected from an open nature area in Campo during routine monitoring has tested positive for the potentially deadly hantavirus.

This is the first case confirmed this year in San Diego County. Finding hantavirus in wild rodents is not uncommon in San Diego County, last year there were 11 cases locally.

Fourth healthcare facility in San Diego area to unionize in 2023

East County News Service

February 7, 2023 (La Mesa) -- Healthcare workers at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have voted to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), a union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers across California. The election took place February 1-3 and covers 1,500 frontline workers at the facility, making it among the largest number of workers at a California hospital to go union in a decade.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

January 29, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- We certainly have had our share of wind lately. Not to mention the unusually cold weather. This could affect your health!

January 23, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• The CDC issues an advisory about a surge in strep throat cases in kids  (NPR)
• New 988 mental health crisis line sees ‘eye-opening’ rise in calls, texts, chats in first 6 months, data shows (CNN)
• As the pandemic enters its 4th year, there's still much to learn about long COVID (NPR)
• New Tech Targets Epileptic Seizures With Lasers, Robots And Precision Surgery : Short Wave  (NPR)
• FDA no longer requires all drugs to be tested on animals before human trials  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Ozone layer is on track to recover in next 40 years, United Nations says  (NPR)
• NASA's Webb telescope has discovered its first exoplanet  (NPR)
• NTSB head warns of risks posed by heavy electric vehicles  (NPR)
• Seattle's schools are suing tech giants for harming young people's mental health  (NPR)
• Scientists Have Reached a Key Milestone in Learning How to Reverse Aging (Time)
• Here’s how the Air Force and Scripps Oceanography measure atmospheric rivers (KPBS)
• A biotech firm says the U.S. has approved its vaccine for honeybees  (NPR)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.