$500K Measles Outbreak; Vanishing OMB Rule Comments; ‘Unsustainable’ Health Costs

Public health response to measles outbreaks is an expensive endeavor. It cost almost $500,000 to contain a small, 10-case outbreak in the Denver area, requiring nearly 7,000 hours of labor to track exposed individuals who visited grocery stores, schools, fast-food restaurants, and other public sites. Ultimately, 91 people were quarantined, and infected or quarantined students missed 512 days of school. (Washington Post)

Some comments on a White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rule that would subject federally funded research to political oversight have been removed. Of 42 that were taken down, 10 noted that OMB director Russel Vought’s daughter had been treated with the combination cystic fibrosis drug elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor (Trikafta). (STAT)

Louisiana’s surgeon general is taking a different approach to public health. Along with a greater emphasis on wellness and prevention, Evelyn Griffin, MD, has aligned with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement in areas like pushing back against government mandates and questioning the safety of certain vaccines. While her post is largely a bully pulpit, she could drive real change by advising the governor, the state’s health secretary, and lawmakers. (New York Times)

A flood of “healthier” versions of popular foods like pizza, ice cream, and soda are flooding the market. They may be low-calorie and full of protein, but questions remain as to whether these ultra-processed products are actually healthy. (The Atlantic)

In 2027, employers may face the largest health insurance increase in two decades — a jump of just over 11%. That’s according to a major benefits consultancy. It would be the fifth year of rising increases, and employers say it’s “utterly unsustainable.” Employees are, of course, seeing their costs rise as well. (Wall Street Journal)

A pair of Republican lawmakers have called on the FDA to increase scrutiny of clinical trial data from China after three patient deaths were reported in three separate investigator-initiated trials there. They want the agency to reject data unless a trial site has been recently audited by the agency, along with a review of existing products’ reliance on Chinese trial data. (Endpoints News)

Despite major doubts and logistical challenges, Moderna and Merck appear poised to achieve success with their cancer vaccine. It’s a story of perseverance that involves a large pharmaceutical company staying the course in the face of challenges, and a researcher pushing forward a radical idea that he picked up while working at the National Institutes of Health. (STAT)

Elected leaders in the U.S. have argued they are entitled to privacy regarding their health and discretion about when they leave office. But aging individuals may have difficulty admitting when their capacity is declining, and the U.S. may need a system to oversee leaders’ fitness to serve. A gerontologist calls for the creation of the “Office of the Medical Adviser” who will routinely evaluate whether public officials can reliably serve. (The Atlantic)