Health Care — US scales up screwworm response

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  US scales up screwworm response  Federal authorities on Thursday launched a series of actions responding to the first New World screwworm cases detected in the U.S. in a decade.  © AP Photo/Eric Gay The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated a formal emergency response to the New World screwworm, with the agency investigating the outbreak and preparing for potential human exposure.    “The CDC is just one more step in the right direction that allows us to deploy more resources at the federal level,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters in Texas.    Concurrently, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to a generic over-the-counter tablet, nitenpyram, to treat New World screwworm in dogs and cats, marking the first generic animal drug authorized for use against the parasite.    At least seven cases have been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico so far among cattle, a goat and a dog.    New World screwworm is a fly whose larvae feed ‌on living tissue of warm-blooded animals. It enters through open wounds and burrows into the flesh, causing severe wounds and animal suffering if not detected and treated quickly.    The screwworm was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, but it has come back before. The most recent outbreak occurred between 2016 and 2017 in Florida.    The parasite is endemic across South America and the Caribbean. Human infections are rare and there haven’t been any U.S. cases reported so far in this outbreak.  Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Senate defense policy bill excludes IVF provision The Senate Armed Services Committee rejected a provision in the annual defense policy bill that would have expanded coverage of fertility services for military members and their families, including in vitro fertilization, according to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).  “All my provision seeks to do is provide our troops with the same access to IVF that all Members of Congress already have. After everything our troops …  Full Story Planned Parenthood affiliate sues Alaska over telehealth abortion ban Planned Parenthood’s Northwest affiliate is suing Alaska to challenge the state’s ban on telehealth abortion.  In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Alaska state court, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky said the state’s requirement that patients seeking medication abortion must be seen in person violates Alaskans’ constitutional right to abortion. The organization is seeking a preliminary injunction …  Full Story CDC chief: ‘No evidence’ USAID cuts hampered Ebola response The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) denied Wednesday that the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid negatively impacted the global response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that he has “never met a more competent, committed group of professionals” than the CDC teams addressing the outbreaks of Ebola and hantavirus.  …  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read: Trump snaps back to dealmaker after tempting all-out war President Trump on Thursday whipsawed between threatening new, major attacks against Iran and touting significant progress in negotiations to end the war, the latest frantic episode in the conflict that's gone on for more than 100 days ... Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: CMS approves budget for GO-NORTH, the state’s federally funded rural health program (New Hampshire Bulletin)  Federal curveball upends NC’s plans for Medicaid work rule (North Carolina Health News)  State lifts payment suspensions for disenrolled providers who filed an appeal (Minnesota Public Radio)  What We're Reading  Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets: Can’t pay medical bills? Trump officials suggest getting a loan (The New York Times).  Serena Williams and the coming reckoning with GLP-1s and performance enhancement (The Athletic)  Trump sees 22 medical specialists, appearing to set new bar for presidents (The Washington Post) What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: They calculated that New York nursing home families would move on. They were wrong. Congress should end this abysmal ObamaCare failure   You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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