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News digest

This frequently updated news digest on the subject of Public Health highlights key articles from major journals and news publications. The digest is a free service of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. All rights reserved. Sign up to receive the digest free via e-mail.

Feb 5, 2010 As Swine Flu Fades, Experts Ponder Next Season
HealthDay, Amanda Gardner, 02/05/2010
After nearly a year of headlines, worry and confusion, the H1N1 swine flu virus is now out of the news. Is it out of circulation as well? The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds no states reporting widespread influenza activity and only five reporting regional activity.
Feb 5, 2010 OPINION: Cigarette Tax Hike Would Help Us
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June Deen, 02/05/2010
The American Lung Association in Georgia plays an active role in working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. As the organization's director of advocacy, I must again announce the unacceptable grades Georgia received on our national association's signature report, the State of Tobacco Control.
Feb 5, 2010 USDA Boosts School Lunch Safety; Initiatives Include Greater Testing and Communication
USA Today, Blake Morrison and Peter Eisler, 02/05/2010
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced sweeping steps Thursday to "assure the safety and quality of food" purchased for the National School Lunch Program. The measures include tightening requirements on companies that supply ground beef to schools, testing the beef more often and more thoroughly, and improving communications within the USDA to "identify potential food safety issues" before children get sick.
Feb 4, 2010 Public Health Tab to Hit Milestone
The Wall Street Journal, Peter Landers, 02/04/2010
For the first time, government programs next year will account for more than half of all U.S. health-care spending, federal actuaries predict, as the weak economy sends more people into Medicaid and slows growth of private insurance.
Feb 4, 2010 U.S. Adults Forgo Routine Immunization: Report
Reuters, JoAnne Allen, 02/04/2010
Tens of thousands of American adults die each year from pneumonia, influenza and other infectious diseases that could be prevented by routine vaccinations, according to a report released Thursday.
Feb 4, 2010 EDITORIAL: Fighting the Opiate Crisis in Mass.
The Boston Globe, Timothy P. Murray and John Auerbach, 02/04/2010
A crisis in opiate abuse is affecting individuals and families across Massachusetts, with death rates exceeding those from traffic accidents and even the number of Massachusetts men and women who have lost their lives in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Feb 3, 2010 More H1N1 Vaccines Recalled
Hartford Courant, Arielle Levin Becker, 02/03/2010
More than 11,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine distributed in Connecticut have been recalled because of decreased potency, the third such recall in two months. Like the two previous recalls, the latest one is not safety related, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Feb 3, 2010 Intestinal Bacteria Sickens 500,000 Americans Yearly
Chicago Sun-Times, Celeste Busk, 02/03/2010
Seniors 65 and older who have been in the hospital or are on antibiotics are at risk to contract an intestinal bacteria, reports experts from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
Feb 3, 2010 States Struggling With EPA Rules
USA Today, Brian Winter, 02/03/2010
States are slashing funds for environmental programs, threatening their ability to meet federal standards for clean air and water.
Feb 2, 2010 Food Safety, Drug Access Top FDA Concerns
Bloomberg News, Catherine Larkin and Molly Peterson, 02/02/2010
Food safety and quicker access to low-cost medicines top the priorities in U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed budget for the Food and Drug Administration.
Feb 2, 2010 As Swine Flu Recedes, Health Officials Tally the Lessons It Taught
St. Petersburg Times, Letitia Stein, 02/02/2010
More than a month has passed since swine flu was considered widespread anywhere in Florida. The H1N1 vaccine is widely available, but demand has fallen off along with the threat from the virus. Although they warn that H1N1 is still circulating and flu season is far from over, officials are starting to step back and reflect on the most extensive public health campaign in years.
Feb 2, 2010 S.F. Considers Tightening Smoking Restrictions
The San Francisco Chronicle, Rachel Gordon, 02/02/2010
A proposal to greatly expand San Francisco's smoking ban won high praise Monday from health professionals concerned about the dangers of secondhand smoke, but got a cool response from local bar and nightclub owners who fear the restrictions would drive away customers.
Feb 2, 2010 $101 Million More for CDC for Programs; Plan Adds Training for Public Health Workers, Grants for Wellness
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bob Keefe, 02/02/2010
President Barack Obama's proposed budget includes a $101 million boost in funding for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that would help pay for new programs aimed at addressing obesity and diseases in big cities, a new training program for public health professionals and other agency expansions.
Feb 1, 2010 Heart Disease "Will Kill 400,000 Americans in 2010"
Reuters, 02/01/2010
Decades of progress in the United States on cutting cholesterol, blood pressure and smoking are being stalled by rising obesity rates, and heart disease will kill around 400,000 Americans this year, experts said on Monday.
Jan 31, 2010 Blakely Peanut Illness: Little Has Changed Since Scare; A Year After Outbreak, Holes Still Exist in Inspection Safety Net
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Craig Schneider and Bob Keefe, 01/31/2010
A year after peanut butter crackers nearly killed him, Claude Ivester still has not fully recovered, and the food safety net remains largely unchanged. The 74-year-old feels weaker than he did before he contracted salmonella food poisoning. He forgets more. He has quit his job at a recycling plant. He can't look at a jar of peanut butter without getting angry.
Jan 31, 2010 Where There's No Smoke, Altria Hopes There's Fire
The New York Times, Duff Wilson and Julie Creswell, 01/31/2010
For years, Altria, home to Philip Morris and its popular Marlboro cigarette brand, was a corporate pariah blamed for the deaths of millions of people and sued for hundreds of billions of dollars by attorneys general in every state. After eventually acknowledging, like others in its industry, that cigarette smoking was, indeed, addictive and caused disease, Altria went a step further.
Jan 30, 2010 Is Atlanta Prepared for a Disaster?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sheila M. Poole, 01/30/2010
Bombs will go off in Atlanta next week --- on paper. But if the scenario were real, what would be the city's response? Coordinated or chaotic? About 200 leaders in government, business and the nonprofit community will gather Wednesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss ways to strengthen Atlanta's response to a major crisis, whether it's a terrorist attack or a tornado.
Jan 29, 2010 Rise Seen in Deaths From Pneumonia and Flu
The New York Times, Donald G. McNeil Jr., 01/29/2010
Deaths from pneumonia and influenza across the country rose sharply in the weekly flu report released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but a spokesman for the agency called it merely ''a blip we're checking out.'' It was premature to conclude that any third wave of swine flu was emerging, said the spokesman, Thomas Skinner.
Jan 29, 2010 State Siphons Tobacco-Settlement Funds; Shrinking Slice of Fund Goes to Prevention, Cessation
Chicago Tribune, Dan Simmons, 01/29/2010
If you smoke and itch to quit, don't look to the state for help. Despite an annual infusion of about $300 million from the landmark tobacco settlement, Illinois continues to spend less than most others on programs designed to prevent people from lighting up, according to a national ranking.
Jan 28, 2010 Obama's Pick for Food Safety Chief Surprises Consumer Advocates
The Washington Post, Lyndsey Layton, 01/28/2010
Soon after taking office, President Obama highlighted food safety as a domestic priority. A string of national outbreaks of food illnesses were a "troubling trend," the president said. He called the problems "critical" and said they presented a "risk to public health."
Jan 27, 2010 Boost in Md. Cigarette Taxes a Boon for Smugglers
The Baltimore Sun, Jay Hancock, 01/27/2010
Gov. Martin O'Malley promotes entrepreneurship. Kyun Hong seems to have answered the call. According to comptroller's agents, he packed his Severna Park house with cigarettes and snuff bought across state lines and resold them to Baltimore retailers without paying Maryland's tobacco tax.
Jan 27, 2010 U.S. Is Unprepared for Major Bioterrorism Attack, Commission Finds
The Washington Post, Joby Warrick, 01/27/2010
More than eight years after the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, the United States is still unprepared to respond to a major biological terror attack, a congressionally appointed commission said yesterday. Overall, the panel's report gave the federal government mixed grades for protecting Americans from the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
Jan 26, 2010 Dental Foundation Takes Aim at Children's Poor Oral Health; Grant Money Will Be Used in Md.'s Lower-Income Areas
The Baltimore Sun, Meredith Cohn, 01/26/2010
The DentaQuest Foundation said Monday that it will fund efforts to improve the oral health of the region's children, particularly those in lower-income areas. The foundation awarded a $331,343 grant to the University of Maryland to promote statewide oral health literacy and put up another $202,886 to support development of a Maryland Dental Action Coalition.
Jan 26, 2010 EDITORIAL: What's in a Smoke?; Finally, the FDA Goes After the Content of Cigarettes
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Susan Mannella, 01/26/2010
The more the government knows about what's in cigarettes, besides tobacco, the better it can assess their potential harm. In a progressive move to gain more information about tobacco product formulas, the Food and Drug Administration is requiring tobacco companies to tell the agency exactly what goes into their products by June.
Jan 26, 2010 EPA Boss: Rule Cuts Health Risks; One-Hour Standard Targets Air Pollutant
Times-Picayune, Molly Reid, 01/26/2010
A new federal standard regulating short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide will improve air quality, particularly in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental problems, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said Monday at a conference on environmental justice being held in New Orleans.
Jan 26, 2010 Health Care Bills Do Promote Healthy Living
San Francisco Chronicle, Lucy Johns, 01/26/2010
Everyone alienated by the compromises to extract health reform legislation out of Congress, take heart. There's a sleeper in both the House and Senate bills that could do more to promote health in the long run than any of the insurance we may - or may not - get.
Jan 26, 2010 New York City Residents Can Expect to Live Longer
Newsday, Anthony M. DeStefano, 01/26/2010
The life expectancy of New York City residents has continued to increase, hitting a record average of 79.4 years for a person born in 2007, city officials said yesterday. (registration required)
Jan 26, 2010 Obama Nominates Hagen as Food Safety Undersecretary
USA Today, Elizabeth Weise, 01/26/2010
The White House announced Monday a nominee for undersecretary for Food Safety at the Department of Agriculture. The position has been vacant for almost a year.
Jan 26, 2010 Pr. George's Leader Wants to Curb County's Fast-Food Eateries
The Washington Post, Ovetta Wiggins, 01/26/2010
Travel along a two-block stretch of Central Avenue in Prince George's County, and you'll find a staggering 11 fast-food restaurants. For community activist Arthur Turner and state Sen. David C. Harrington (D-Prince George's), the strip is evidence of the proliferation of burger joints and Chinese takeouts in the county, especially in poorer, inner Capital Beltway communities.
Jan 25, 2010 A Mixed Report on American Health
The New York Times, Nicholas Bakalar, 01/25/2010
There is some good news in the numbers released last month by the National Center for Health Statistics on the health of Americans in the first half of 2009. But there is ample bad news, too, and a third of us are not feeling very well: the percentage of people who reported having excellent or very good health declined to 66.6 percent in the 2009 period, from 69.1 percent in 1998.
Jan 25, 2010 Menthol May Be Nicotine's Partner in Addiction
National Public Radio, Brenda Wilson, 01/25/2010
Nicotine is definitely addictive, but scientists have been debating for several decades the effect of menthol in hooking people on tobacco. Some researchers suspect that menthol allows smokers to take deeper drags or puffs on cigarettes, drawing in greater amounts of nicotine and its byproducts.
Jan 25, 2010 After Smoking and Fats, Focus Turns to Salt
The New York Times, Jane E. Brody, 01/25/2010
In decades past, when companies wanted to test-market a product meant to enhance health and well-being, they often tried it first in California -- where people were reputed to be the most health-conscious in the country. But now companies might be wise to consider field-testing their wares in New York City.
Jan 25, 2010 With Health Reform in Limbo, Groups Issue Call to Arms
The Wall Street Journal (Health Matters Blog), Kristen Gerencher, 01/25/2010
Health-care reform hangs in the balance after last week’s Massachusetts special election changed the balance of power in Washington. Now many interest groups that spent much of the last year negotiating with lawmakers are in wait-and-see mode ahead of President Obama’s State of the Union address on Wednesday.
Jan 25, 2010 Protecting Children From Harmful School Bus Diesel Emissions
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/25/AR2010012500970.html, Partnership for Public Service, 01/25/2010
Millions of school children across the nation ride on buses every day that use diesel fuel, exposing them to dangerous pollutants and serious health hazards.
Jan 22, 2010 EDITORIAL: Help in D.C.'S AIDS Crisis; With the NIH, a Promising Partnership to Combat an Epidemic
The Washington Post, 01/22/2010
THE DISTRICT is getting substantial help for the first time from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in its urgent battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. A two-year, $26.4 million partnership aims to improve the city's ability to get people tested and into treatment. It also will give the District the data needed to track the epidemic's advance.
Jan 22, 2010 Half-Teaspoon Less Salt Daily Could Save Lives; Analysis Includes $24 Billion Saved
The Boston Globe, Alexandra Thomas, 01/22/2010
Consuming just half a teaspoon less salt each day may save as many as 92,000 U.S. deaths and as much as $24 billion in medical costs a year, a study found.
Jan 22, 2010 Meat Safety: How Well Done?
Chicago Tribune, Steve Mills and Monica Eng, 01/22/2010
Recent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses linked to contaminated meat -- followed by huge recalls and pledges of cleaner processing -- have proved eye-opening for many consumers.
Jan 21, 2010 EDITORIAL: Don't Kill Off Anti-Smoking Agency
The Indianapolis Star, 01/21/2010
As Gov. Mitch Daniels exhorts government to do more with less, the folks at Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation can justifiably hold themselves up as a model.
Jan 21, 2010 Iowa Lawmaker Wants More Information in Epidemics
Associated Press, 01/21/2010
An Iowa lawmaker wants public health officials to release more details about people who die in epidemics.
Jan 20, 2010 FDA Looks to Shift Food-Safety Focus Upstream
The Oregonian, Lynne Terry, 01/20/2010
It's been a year since the country was hit with a peanut-related salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 700 in Oregon and across the country and killed nine people.
Jan 20, 2010 Experts: Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly
Associated Press, Maria Cheng, 01/20/2010
Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods even if you also exercise regularly could be bad for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV just the overall number of hours it occurs.
Jan 20, 2010 EDITORIAL: Heightened Concern Over BPA
The New York Times, 01/20/2010
The Food and Drug Administration has raised its level of concern over the safety of bisphenol-A, or BPA, an industrial chemical found in baby bottles and the linings of canned goods and other consumer products.
Jan 19, 2010 Pressure's on for Obama to Fill 'Food Czar' Job at USDA
USA Today, Elizabeth Weise, 01/19/2010
Calls from consumer advocates and politicians are growing louder for the Obama administration to name an undersecretary for food safety at the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, a position unfilled for more than a year.
Jan 18, 2010 Smokers Need Not Apply for a Job
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Emily Bregel, 01/18/2010
As if higher tobacco taxes, steeper health insurance premiums and smoke-free workplaces weren’t enough, tobacco users have one more financial incentive to kick the habit — missed job opportunities.
Jan 18, 2010 What's in a Cigarette? FDA Will Soon Find Out
Yahoo! News, Michael Felberbaum, 01/18/2010
The Food and Drug Administration is working to lift the smokescreen clouding the ingredients used in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Jan 17, 2010 Obesity Is a Growing National, State Problem
The Star Press, Kathy Kirby, 01/17/2010
As the national health care reform debate continues, the 20th anniversary edition of America's Health Rankings has reported that obesity has increased nearly 130 percent in the past 20 years.
Jan 17, 2010 Smoking, Obesity Top State Health Issues
Lawrence Journal-World, Karrey Britt, 01/17/2010
Smoking and obesity are the top health challenges facing Kansans. Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, director of health for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said they are costing lives and money.
Jan 17, 2010 EDITORIAL: A Ban With Health Benefits; Congress Moves to Stop Use of the Mail To Distribute Native American Cigarettes
Buffalo News, 01/17/2010
Congress may soon do for New York what the state's own Legislature has been unwilling to accomplish: putting an effective end to the problem -- some say the advantage -- of tax-free cigarette sales by the Seneca Nation of Indians.
Jan 16, 2010 One in Five Americans Got Swine Flu Vaccine, CDC Reports
The Washington Post, Mike Stobbe, 01/16/2010
About one in five Americans has been vaccinated against swine flu, according to the government's first detailed estimates of vaccination rates against the pandemic.
Jan 16, 2010 FDA Issues BPA Guidelines
Los Angeles Times, Andrew Zajac, 01/16/2010
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that the safety of a controversial chemical found in some baby bottles, children's drinking cups and other food containers merited further study but did not warrant immediate restrictions on its use.
Jan 16, 2010 Mass. Minorities Have Higher Rates of Swine Flu
The Boston Globe, Carolyn Y. Johnson, 01/16/2010
Racial and ethnic minorities in Massachusetts have been hospitalized and died of swine flu at an elevated rate, underscoring the need for people to continue be vaccinated since there is now ample supply of vaccine, state officials said yesterday.
Jan 15, 2010 Health Care Reform: Fulfilling the Promise of Public Health
New Jersey Voices Guest blog, John Beckley, 01/15/2010
Every day, the headlines confirm what many of us have known for a long time: The nation’s health care system is in desperate need of repair.
Jan 15, 2010 Numerous Kids Overdue for Second H1N1 Booster
USA Today, Alison Young, 01/15/2010
Hundreds of thousands of children are overdue for a second dose of H1N1 vaccine that's needed to fully protect them from swine flu, a USA TODAY review of data from 10 states shows.
Jan 15, 2010 H1N1 Death Rates Higher for Some Ethnic and Racial Groups in California
Los Angeles Times, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, 01/15/2010
California Latinos have been nearly twice as likely as whites to die of H1N1 flu since the pandemic began last spring, according to statewide figures released Thursday by the California Department of Public Health.
Jan 14, 2010 Judge Orders F.D.A. to Stop Blocking Imports of E-Cigarettes From China
The New York Times, Duff Wilson, 01/14/2010
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Food and Drug Administration to stop blocking the importation of electronic cigarettes from China and indicated that the devices should be regulated as tobacco products rather than drug or medical devices.
Jan 14, 2010 Wis. Lawmakers Reject Proposal to Use Stimulus Money to Target Candy-Flavored Tobacco
Los Angeles Times, Ryan J. Foley, 01/14/2010
Wisconsin lawmakers on Thursday rejected a health department proposal to use $3 million in stimulus funding to lobby for a statewide ban on candy- and fruit-flavored tobacco products.
Jan 14, 2010 U.S. Obesity Rates Reaching a Resting Point, Studies Show
Los Angeles Times, Jeannine Stein, 01/14/2010
Americans may not be collectively doomed to die in their recliners after all, one hand in the chips bag, the other stretching for the remote. Obesity levels seem to be leveling off or slowing across most of the population, according to two new comprehensive studies of the nation's heft.
Jan 13, 2010 New Official Named With Portfolio to Unite Agencies and Improve Food Safety
The New York Times, Gardiner Harris, 01/13/2010
The Obama administration, moving to address the nation's fractured food safety system, on Wednesday appointed Michael R. Taylor, a veteran food expert, as deputy commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration. The newly created position is the first to oversee all the agency's many food and nutrition programs.
Jan 13, 2010 Md. Advocates Back Increase in Liquor Tax
The Baltimore Sun, Annie Linskey, 01/13/2010
Public health advocates are rallying behind a 10 cents-per-drink increase in Maryland's alcohol tax to protect programs that could fall victim to the next round of state cuts needed to avoid a projected $2 billion budget shortfall.
Jan 13, 2010 Richmond Gets Kudos on Anti-Smoking Effort
The San Francisco Chronicle, Carolyn Jones, 01/13/2010
Richmond, not usually associated with stellar air quality, won praise Tuesday for protecting its residents' lungs by enacting some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the country.
Jan 12, 2010 Health Reform Revisionism
Newsweek, Mary Carmichael, 01/12/2010
Could the proposed health-care bill have prevented some of America's biggest public health crises?
Jan 12, 2010 Anti-Smoking Group Chastises Ohio
The Columbus Dispatch, Misti Crane, 01/12/2010
Even as they applauded the federal government's effort to boost tobacco regulation, leaders of the American Lung Association condemned many states, including Ohio, for doing little to prevent smoking and to help smokers quit.
Jan 12, 2010 EDITORIAL: Tobacco Regulations -- Too Much of a Good Thing
Los Angeles Times, Editorial, 01/12/2010
The federal government long maintained a love-hate relationship with tobacco, protecting the noxious weed's legal status -- and subsidizing its cultivation -- even as it required health warnings on packages.
Jan 11, 2010 American Indians Found at High Risk From Swine Flu
Sacramento Bee, Anna Tong, 01/11/2010
Swine flu disproportionately hits the young and the asthmatic, the pregnant and the diabetic. A federal study says American Indians also are at high risk.
Jan 10, 2010 Citing Hazard, New York Says Hold the Salt
The New York Times, William Neuman, 01/10/2010
First New York City required restaurants to cut out trans fat. Then it made restaurant chains post calorie counts on their menus. Now it wants to protect people from another health scourge: salt.
Jan 10, 2010 'GMA' Exclusive: New Surgeon General Takes on Critics
ABC News, Katie Bosland and Lee Ferran, 01/10/2010
The new U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Regina Benjamin, speaks out for the first time about her appointment as the nation's top doctor and the personal criticisms that came with it.
Jan 9, 2010 Protection of Food Supply Faces Problems
CBS News, Bill Whitaker, 01/09/2010
When it comes to agriculture, America is indeed the land of plenty. Foods raised here and imported from around the world provide greater abundance and choice than ever before. But while our foods are bountiful, they're also inconsistently regulated.
Jan 8, 2010 EPA's Tougher Proposed Smog Rules Will Affect California
Sacramento Bee, Matt Weiser and Renee Schoof, 01/08/2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed tougher controls on smog that are expected, over time, to improve air quality.
Jan 7, 2010 Swine Flu Hits Minorities Hard
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mark Johnson, 01/07/2010
Minorities in Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin were two to three times as likely as whites to be hospitalized for swine flu, a disparity that city and state health officials vowed to combat as the second wave of the pandemic diminishes and the possibility of a third wave looms on the horizon.
Jan 7, 2010 Appeal To Ohio Supreme Court; Tobacco-Money Dispute Isn't Over
The Columbus Dispatch, Mark Niquette, 01/07/2010
An anti-smoking group is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to rule on a dispute about how the state can spend $258 million originally intended to prevent tobacco use.
Jan 7, 2010 The Official Word to All, Get a Swine Flu Vaccination Now
The New York Times, Donald G. McNeil Jr., 01/07/2010
Citing mistakes made in the 1957 flu pandemic, federal officials on Thursday urged hesitant Americans to get vaccinated now against swine flu to prevent any possibility of another wave of illness and deaths.
Jan 6, 2010 Checking America's Pulse; Health Statistics Show Illinois Above Average in Key Goals
Chicago Tribune, Monica Eng, 01/06/2010
Like a zealous personal trainer, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tries to psych us up each decade with a list of national health goals to meet over the next 10 years. Think of them as new-decade resolutions for the whole country.
Jan 6, 2010 Vaccine Gaps Cause Outbreaks; Missed Shots Weaken 'Herd Immunity,' and Other Children Can Get Sick and Even Die
USA Today, Liz Szabo, 01/06/2010
Brendalee Flint did everything she could to keep her baby safe. She nourished her with breast milk; she gave her all the routine vaccines. But Flint never realized how much her daughter's health would depend on the actions of her friends, neighbors and even strangers.
Jan 5, 2010 Judge Lifts Some Tobacco Ad Limits
The New York Times, Duff Wilson, 01/05/2010
A federal judge in Kentucky issued a mixed ruling Tuesday in the first significant legal challenge to the new federal law regulating tobacco products.
Dec 23, 2009 Health Officials Call for More Americans to Receive H1N1 Vaccination
Although the number of states reporting widespread flu activity dropped to 14 for the week ending December 5, down from 25 the week prior, federal health officials are urging all individuals to be vaccinated against H1N1 to prevent another potential wave of the virus from emerging across the holidays, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Dec 23, 2009 HHS Awards Funding for Chronic Disease Prevention Programs
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced plans to distribute $27 million in funding to help older Americans better manage chronic conditions, McKnight's Long-Term Care News reports.
Dec 22, 2009 New York City Health and Hospital Corporation Launches Web Site to Improve Diabetes Care
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation has launched a Web site designed to better engage its 58,000 diabetic patients in their own care, HealthLeaders reports.
Dec 22, 2009 South Carolina Insurer Introduces Program to Prevent Diabetes, Reduce Childhood Obesity
BlueChoice Health Plan of South Carolina has announced plans to launch two initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity and healthful eating, HealthLeaders reports.
Dec 18, 2009 Survey Reveals Teenage Smoking Reached All-Time Low in 2009
An annual survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) finds that, in 2009, smoking rates among teenagers fell to the lowest level since 1975, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Dec 18, 2009 Nearly One Million Doses of H1N1 Pediatric Vaccine Recalled
Officials from Sanofi Pasteur have announced plans to voluntarily recall 800,000 doses of the H1N1 influenza vaccine intended for use in children between age 6 months and 35 months because they no longer meet potency specifications, the New York Times reports.
Dec 17, 2009 Oklahoma Health Department Unveils Plan to Improve Resident's Health
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at improving children's health care and reducing obesity and tobacco use through 2015, the Associated Press reports.
Dec 17, 2009 Report Suggests Serious Gaps in Preparedness Remain
A new report prepared by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation suggests that the recent H1N1 influenza outbreak has highlighted several flaws in the nation's preparedness system, HealthDay reports.
Dec 16, 2009 CDC Estimates Suggest H1N1 Has Sickened 47 Million, Killed 10,000
New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates suggest that the H1N1 influenza virus has infected approximately one in six Americans, or about 47 million, and killed approximately 10,000, the New York Times reports.
Dec 16, 2009 Budget Constraints Force States to Cut Back on Free Cancer Screening
A new report from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network suggests that states offered fewer no-cost cancer screenings to low-income women in 2008 and 2009, the Associated Press reports.
Dec 15, 2009 H1N1 Pulls Resources, Staff, From Other Public Health Programs
Routine public health programs—including childhood immunization clinics, home health visits and chronic disease programs, among others—have "taken a back seat," as many public health clinics nationwide have been forced to divert staff and other resources to meet the needs of the H1N1 vaccination effort, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Dec 15, 2009 NIH Launches Program to Develop Obesity Prevention Strategies
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced plans to launch a $37 million research effort that seeks to identify more effective strategies to reduce obesity, AHA News Now reports.
Dec 14, 2009 EPA Suggests Greenhouse Gases Could Pose Public Health Threat
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that greenhouse gases (GHGs) pose a threat to the American public's health and welfare, following a thorough review of scientific evidence and public comments, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Dec 14, 2009 Report Says States Spending Less on Anti-Smoking Efforts
A new report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids suggests that, although states are receiving higher revenue from tobacco companies, they are spending less on smoking cessation campaigns and programs, the New York Times reports.
Dec 11, 2009 CMS to Provide Free HIV Screening to Medicare Beneficiaries
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced plans to cover the cost of HIV screenings for Medicare beneficiaries who are at risk of contracting the virus, Reuters reports.
Dec 11, 2009 Utah Department of Health Launches Web Site to Provide Diabetes Education
The Utah Department of Health has launched a new Web site designed to help state residents better control their diabetes, the Spectrum reports.
Dec 10, 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Less Severe Than Previously Forecast, Study Suggests
A study published in a recent issue of the journal Public Library of Science (PloS) Medicine suggests that the H1N1 influenza pandemic may be less severe than previously predicted, with the virus' death toll projected to range from "considerably below" to "slightly higher" than that of the seasonal flu, Reuters reports.
Dec 10, 2009 Indiana Health Department Launches HIV Testing Campaign for Pregnant Women
The Indiana State Department of Health is partnering with various community organizations on a project that aims to expand HIV testing for pregnant women, the Associated Press reports.

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