Medical Xpress
South Carolina's measles outbreak is over after sickening nearly 1,000 people
South Carolina's measles outbreak has officially ended, making it the worst in the United States in over 35 years after infecting nearly 1,000 people. State health officials declared the crisis closed Monday, marking the conclusion of an outbreak that exposed serious gaps in vaccination coverage. The scale of the event serves as a stark warning about the consequences of declining immunization rates across the country.
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Research uncovers fatal delays in EpiPen treatment for food anaphylaxis in children
Children suffering severe food allergic reactions are dying due to critical delays in EpiPen administration, according to research presented at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Conference. The findings expose dangerous gaps in how anaphylaxis is managed both before and after hospital arrival. Researchers are now pressing for an urgent overhaul of clinical guidelines to prevent further preventable deaths.
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Stat News
New U.S. recommendation on hepatitis B vaccine will have dire consequences, studies project
The CDC's revised hepatitis B vaccination policy, which shifts from universal newborn immunization to a risk-based approach, is projected to leave thousands of infants vulnerable to infection. Studies warn the change will drive up transmission rates, as risk factors are frequently misidentified or overlooked at birth. Public health experts argue the move undermines decades of progress in reducing a disease that can cause lifelong liver damage and cancer.
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services extends short-term bridge program for GLP-1 obesity drug coverage
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has delayed the launch of its BALANCE model, a temporary program designed to cover GLP-1 obesity drugs under Medicare, pushing the start date past its originally scheduled January 1, 2027 rollout. The decision extends uncertainty for millions of Medicare beneficiaries who had anticipated access to high-demand treatments like Ozempic and Wegovy through the federal program. The delay signals ongoing challenges in reconciling the drugs' steep costs with Medicare's coverage framework.
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Racism and socioeconomic stress may alter pregnancy biology, leaving black women nearly three times more likely to die
Black women in the United States are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, and new research from the University of Cambridge suggests the gap is rooted in biology shaped by racism and socioeconomic stress. The study, published in *Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism*, found that chronic exposure to inequality can alter key physiological processes, directly affecting pregnancy outcomes. The findings underscore that maternal mortality disparities are not a matter of personal health choices but of systemic conditions with measurable biological consequences.
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