July 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

• FDA approves first over-the-counter birth control pill (CNN)
• Covid-19 repeatedly spread between humans and deer, study shows, raising concerns about animal reservoirs (CNN)
• Flavored vapes are supposed to be illegal, but they're still widely available  (NPR)
• Biomedical startups are racing to revolutionize the way humans reproduce  (NPR)
• Plastic debris is smothering 92% of coral reefs examined in a new study  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Climate records tumble, leaving Earth in uncharted territory - scientists (BBC)
• Striking SAG Actors in Disbelief Over Studios’ Dystopian AI Proposal (Rolling Stone)
• Lavish tomb in ancient Spain belonged to a woman, not a man, new research shows (AP)
• How the FBI took down a notorious cyber crime gang without arresting a single person (Politico)

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

East County News Service

July 17, 2023 (Sacramento) -- The California Medical Association (CMA) has achieved a significant victory for healthcare providers, consumers and public interest advocates in the case of California Medical Association v. Aetna Health of California Inc. The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of CMA, confirming  the organization's legal standing to sue Aetna Health for alleged violations of the Unfair Competition Law (UCL).

The lawsuit centers on an Aetna Health policy that targeted the use of out-of-network benefits by its PPO plan members. CMA alleges that the insurance company discouraged its members from going out of network even though their PPO plans included such benefits, and that Aetna Health harassed or terminated its contracted physicians for referring PPO members to out-of-network facilities.

Such a policy, according to CMA, directly interfered with the doctor-patient relationship and physicians’ independent medical judgment, in violation of numerous state laws. CMA sued Aetna Health to stop what it calls “harmful and illegal policy.”

East County News Service 

July 15, 2023 (San Diego) -- Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) was joined by House colleagues Richard Hudson (NC-09), Michael Waltz (FL-06), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) this week to introduce H.R. 4334 – “The HERO Act.”  If enacted, it would grant service members who are victims of medical malpractice in a Dept. of Defense medical treatment facility the right to take their claim to District Court.

By Miriam Raftery

July 12, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The  Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) outbreak in livestock that began in San Diego County in May has now spread to encompass six California counties.  One county in Texas also had a single confirmed case on a property that’s been released from quarantine.

Species affected locally includes primarily equine species such as horses, though two local sites have had cattle infected and one San Diego location has had clinically infected rhinoceros.

By Miriam Raftery

July 4, 2023 (San Diego’s East County)—The San Diego Blood Bank has five blood drives coming up between July 12 and July 14 in the East County communities of El Cajon, Lakeside, and Santee.

Anyone age 17 and older who weighs at least 114 pounds and is in good health may be eligible to donate bloodand help save a life. A good meal and plenty of fluids are recommended prior to donation. Appointments are honored first and walk‑ins are welcome. Photo identification is required..

Below are details on the upcoming blood drives:

By Miriam Raftery

June 29, 2023 (San Diego) – Over three-fourths of all adults arrested in San Diego  County tested positive for at least one drug, and more than half of those arrested were on meth. Those are the disturbing findings of a new report by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The study also found high levels of mental health problems and homelessness among those arrested locally last year.

According to the report, CJ Bulletin: 2022 Adult Arrestee Drug Use in the San Diego Region. the positive rate of meth use in 2022 was 55% for female arrestees and 52% for males. The also found that 77% of males and 75% of females surveyed tested positive for at least one illicit substance, a drop from the 22-year high in 2021 for males but a sharp increase from the second-lowest rate in 2021 for females.

 East County News Service

June 28, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The Santee Fire Department and Lakeside Fire Protection District (FPD) assumed local control of ambulance services in their communities through formation of the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Authority (SLEMSA) back on January 1.  As a result, on May 12, an additional ambulance was placed in service in Lakeside. This 12-hour Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance operates daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to assist with peak call volumes. Starting June 30, a  A second 12-hour BLS ambulance will go into service in Santee.

By Jessyka Heredia

View interview on Youtube

June 12, 2023 (El Cajon) -- On Thursday, ECM sat down with former Los Angeles Lakers’ basketball star Lamar Odom and Dontae Ralston, Executive Director / Founder of West Urban Outreach in El Cajon, to talk about their new substance abuse treatment centers called Odom Wellness Treatment Centers set in a residential recovery environment.

There are three treatment centers expected to open in San Diego County at this time. El Cajon and Lemon Grove as well as one in the city of San Diego. 

When asked about the type of clients they will be servicing, Odom said, “I’m sure we will have a high-profile celebrity clientele, but of course anybody is welcome with a substance abuse problem. Addiction doesn’t discriminate, so we’ll be ready to help them.”

Odom said his inspiration to open these treatment centers was due to his own very public battle with addiction. Odom told ECM that when he overdosed, he had “12 strokes and six heart attacks,” adding that his purpose is “to help people.” At the time of his near-fatal overdose in 2015, Odom had just retired from the NBA and was going through a divorce with Khloe Kardashian.

June 4, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Infection toll for recalled eyedrops climbs to 81, including 4 deaths, CDC says  (NPR)
• Man with paralysis walks naturally after brain, spine implants (CNN)
• DEA moves to revoke major drug distributor's license over opioid crisis failures (NPR)
• A multivitamin supplement may slightly improve memory and slow decline (NPR)
• More women sue Texas saying the state's anti-abortion laws harmed them (KPBS)
• Doctors are reluctant to practice in states that banned abortion  (NPR)
• NIH study uses AI to study diet and tailor nutrition advice to improve health (NPR)

SCIENCE  AND TECH

• A lawyer used ChatGPT to prepare a court filing. It went horribly awry.(CBS)
• Revenge of the orcas? Killer whales have sunk 3 boats in unusual attacks.  (Washington Post)
• Fake viral images of an explosion at the Pentagon were probably created by AI (NPR)

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

By Miriam Raftery

May 28, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Equestrian Foundation (USEF) will hold a webinar on May 31 at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Vesicular Stomatis Virus (VSV), a contagious livestock disease that has spread to at least six different communities in San Diego County. Registration is required for the webinar, which will be held on Zoom. Register here.

Dr. Angela Pelzel McCluskey, USDA equine epidemiologist, will provide an overview of Vesicular Stomatitis and the current situation report also providing perspective based on her firsthand experience managing numerous VS outbreaks in her previous roles. Dr. Katie Flynn,USEF Equine Health and Biosecurity veterinarian, will cover prevention measures for horses and their premises, as well as the biosecurity requirements being implemented at those USEF events with horses competing from VS Affected States.

As of Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 23 properties are quarantined due to VSV, including 18 sites in San Diego County—seven more than in the last report five days earlier.  All but one case in the outbreak have occurred in equine species such as horses, but there is one suspected case  in a “backyard beef steer” at a local property with three cattle. The remaining cases are in Riverside County. 

The USDA has not responded to our media inquiry for specific locations impacted in our region, but the Ramona  Sentinel reports that the first six confirmed cases since the outbreak began May 17 were in Ramona, Lakeside, Campo, Jamul, Del Sur, and Descanso, according to local veterinarians. San Diego and Riverside counties are the only places in the nation with current cases.

Disease can affect all hooved livestock and can also spread to humans

By Miriam Raftery

May 22, 2023 (San Diego) – Fifteen properties in San Diego County are under quarantine by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, after six cases of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) have been confirmed in San Diego County and testing is underway on another nine suspected local cases, according to the USDA website on the disease. There are also two confirmed cases and two suspected cases in Riverside County, where four properties are quarantined.  These are the only areas in the U.S. with current cases of VSV.

 The first local case in this outbreak occurred May 17 in Ramona, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. While all of the local cases so far are in horses, the disease can also afflict donkeys, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas or other hooved livestock.

The quarantines will  last at least 14 days after the last known case.  However blisters on mouths and hooves can take up to two months to resolve.The quarantines mean no transporting animals to or from the impacted properties will be allowed until a veterinarian has cleared animals for travel.  Some states and livestock events such as horse shows may prohibit animals from the impacted areas from participating even if there is no known exposure, so check with show organizers before traveling to any livestock even

May 20, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Marijuana harms development in first trimester of pregnancy, study finds (CNN)
• WHO declares end to Covid global health emergency (NBC)
• Putting radiation to the test to heal irregular heartbeat (AP)
• FDA advisers narrowly back first gene therapy for muscular dystrophy  (NPR)
• Gold Medal Flour Linked to Salmonella Outbreak Is Recalled: More than a dozen people have become ill, and most reported eating raw dough or batter (Consumer Reports)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• The Hidden iPhone Setting Thieves Use to Lock People Out of Apple Accounts  (Wall Street Journal)
• Twitter changes stoke, Russian, Chinese propaganda surges (AP)
• This company adopted AI. Here's what happened to its human workers (NPR) 
• SpaceX Starship launch under FAA investigation after raining potentially hazardous debris on homes and beaches (Space)
• People are arguing in court that real images are deepfakes (NPR)
• Supreme Court shields Twitter from liability for terror-related content and leaves Section 230 untouched (CNN)
• Can politicians catch up with AI? (NPR)

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

By County News Center, County of San Diego Communications Office

May 16, 2023 (San Diego) - Cases of Hepatitis A in San Diego County continue to grow, with 28 reported so far this year and 18 of them among people experiencing homelessness (PEH). The County typically reports about two cases of the virus each month with only one case reported in the PEH population last year.