Daily on Healthcare: Measles cases about to smash a 20-year record

MEASLES CASES ABOUT TO SMASH A 20-YEAR RECORD: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday that at least 626 people have been infected with measles as of April 19, bringing the U.S. even closer to surpassing the previous record number of cases since the virus was considered to be largely eliminated here in 2000.

The last time an outbreak was close to the current level was in 2014, when 667 people were infected. In that instance, the outbreaks were clustered in Amish communities in Ohio where people had not been vaccinated. In this outbreak, clusters are occurring in New York state, New York City, and New Jersey, primarily among unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities.

The CDC said on its website that it expects this outbreak likely will surpass the 2014 record “in the coming weeks.”

Measles spreads quickly among pockets of people that haven’t been vaccinated. It’s hard to contain because it’s not only highly contagious — spreading via infected surfaces, among people, and through the air — but also because people are contagious for four days before and after they get a rash. This means people start to have symptoms such as runny nose, cough, and red eyes without knowing they have measles because they haven’t broken out in the tell-tale rash.

The majority of people who caught the virus this year were not given the vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) which children are supposed to get around the age of 1 and again before they enter kindergarten. The first vaccine has a 95 percent effectiveness rate, and the booster has a 99% protection rate.

Schools require children to get vaccinated, but some states allow exceptions for religious or philosophical reasons. Given the latest outbreak, state lawmakers have urged for stricter rules about exemptions, and New York has mandated that residents get vaccinated.

Though a fear of vaccines contributes to measles outbreaks, other factors also contribute, including that parents try to space out vaccines or don’t make it to the doctor on schedule. Also, adults over a certain age haven’t had the second MMR vaccine because public health initiatives calling for two vaccines didn’t start until 1989. This means that policymakers may have to think about other ways to get people vaccinated, such as urging more adults to get the booster.

People who get measles become immune for life, but the illness can be much more dangerous and even deadly for some people. Before the creation of a vaccine in 1963, as many as 4 million got the virus, 48,000 of whom were hospitalized and 500 died. Another 1,000 developed brain swelling known as encephalitis.

Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at [email protected]. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.

SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE WHETHER FEDERAL SEX DISCRIMINATION LAW PROTECTS LGBT WORKERS: The Supreme Court will decide whether a federal civil rights law barring workplace discrimination on the basis of sex provides protections for gay and transgender employees.

The court on Monday said it would take up a trio of cases involving Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion. Two of the cases raise the question of whether Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, while the third centers on whether the law bars discrimination based on gender identity.

SCOTUS CONSIDERS CASE ON FOOD STAMP DISCLOSURE: The Supreme Court on Monday is hearing a public information case in which the Argus Leader, a North Dakota newspaper, will argue that it should have access to financial information detailing how much money stores make off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

The Food Marketing Institute says the information is confidential. The Argus Leader has fought for access for eight years, hoping not only to see what companies profit the most but whether any stores are outliers, a move that could reveal instances of fraud.

COURT PROCEEDINGS STAYED FOR DAVID DALEIDEN: A two-week trial originally scheduled to kick off in San Francisco Monday for David Daleiden and Susan Merritt, who secretly taped abortion providers for the anti-abortion Center for Medical Progress, was suspended on Friday until further notice.

California Superior Court Judge Christopher Hite had been set to decide whether the attorney general can present enough evidence to require Daleiden and Merritt to defend themselves against 15 felony counts at a full-dress jury trial later this year. The Planned Parenthood workers in the video were scheduled to testify in court for the case, The People of the State of California v. David Robert Daleiden and Sandra Susan Merritt.

ALMOST HALF OF US WORKSITES OFFER WELLNESS PROGRAMS, SAYS STUDY: Worksite health promotion and wellness programs continue to grow in American workplaces. The Workplace Health in America 2017 report found that 69 percent of worksites had a health promotion program for at least three years, and 17 percent of worksites had a comprehensive workplace health promotion program, which is an increase from 7 percent in 2004. The CDC and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health captured the status of workplace health and safety programs and the use of proven, effective employee health and well-being strategies, including health benefits design and physical changes to the work environment.

FDA APPROVES FIRST GENERIC NALOXONE SPRAY: The Food and Drug Administration Friday granted final approval of the first generic naloxone nasal spray, known as Narcan, a life-saving medication that can stop or reverse a potentially fatal opioid overdose. “Moving forward we will prioritize our review of generic drug applications for naloxone,” said Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, deputy center director for regulatory programs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. This is the first approval for a generic overdose reversal nasal spray that can be administered by those without medical training.

FDA PERMITS MARKETING OF FIRST MEDICAL DEVICE TO TREAT ADHD: The FDA permitted marketing Friday of the first non-drug medical device, the Monarch eTNS System, to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in patients between 7 and 12 years old. A small wire connects to a patch on the patient’s forehead, generating low-level electrical pulses which send therapeutic signals to parts of the brain believed to be tied to ADHD. It feels like a slight tingling on the forehead, and can be used in the patient’s home under the supervision of a caregiver.

BORDER PATROL EXPECTS TO QUADRUPLE SPENDING AS MORE IMMIGRANT FAMILIES ARRIVE IN ARIZONA: Border Patrol agents expect to spend four times as much on food, baby products, and on-site medical care in 2019 for illegal immigrants apprehended at the border as it did last year. Agents apprehended 25,000 immigrants traveling as parts of families in southwestern Arizona over the past six months and as of March 31, the halfway point into fiscal 2019, the sector had spent $600,000 on those same items and services.

CONGOLESE MILITIA MEMBERS ATTACK EBOLA TREATMENT CENTER: Rebel groups attacked an ebola treatment hospital Friday in Butembo, killing Dr. Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, a World Health Organization epidemiologist from Cameroon and injuring a Congo health ministry staffer and a driver. Militia members in the Democratic Republic of the Congo believe foreigners brought the disease with them to the DRC and have attacked hospitals no fewer than four times since February.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK: The Washington Examiner is hosting its next “Examining Healthcare” event on Wednesday May 1 at 8 a.m. The event will feature interviews by Kimberly with Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Doug Jones, D-Ala. Breakfast is provided. Register here.

The Rundown

The New York Times Wary of Chinese espionage, Houston cancer center chose to fire 3 scientists

Politico State Republicans challenge Democrats with ‘born-alive’ bills

Chicago Tribune Measles: what you need to know about vaccines, outbreaks and staying safe

Minnesota Public Radio How to identify the sounds of a troublesome snore

The Washington Post Seniors report spending $22 billion from savings to cover health-care costs

NPR Amid opioid prescriber crackdown, health officials reach out to pain patients

Kaiser Health News Destination limbo: health suffers among asylum seekers in crowded border shelter

Calendar

MONDAY | April 22

April 22-25. Atlanta. Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit. Agenda.

House and Senate in recess.

5 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Brookings conversation with author Dr. William A. Haseltine on “World Class: A Story of Adversity, Transformation, and Success at NYU Langone Health.” Details.