HIV Disparity: Infection Rates Still On The Rise For Black And Latino Gay Men
While HIV rates have plunged for many groups, current rates indicate that half of black and one quarter of Latino gay or bisexual men could contract the virus HIV in their lifetimes. Meanwhile, NPR and KHN report on other public health developments related to the opioid treatment methods, Zika testing and nursing home readmissions.
NPR:
The AIDS Crisis Hasn't Ended In The Black And Latino Communities
HIV rates have been on the decline in the U.S. for years now, but stark disparities remain, with some groups of people at high risk of infection. Here's the good part: The number of people diagnosed annually has dropped by about 20 percent in the last decade. But that leaves this bad part: Rates are increasing in African-American and Hispanic men who have sex with men, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At current rates, half of black and one quarter of Latino gay or bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetimes. (Bichell, 2/25)
NPR:
Treating Addiction As A Chronic Disease
With the opioid epidemic reaching into every corner of the U.S., more people are talking about addiction as a chronic disease rather than a moral failing. For researcher A. Thomas McLellan, who has spent his entire career studying substance abuse, the shift is a welcome one, though it has come frustratingly late. (2/25)
NPR:
Why Scientists Hope To Inject Some People With Zika Virus
One of the best ways to understand Zika virus might be to deliberately inject it into volunteers. That idea may sound a little crazy, but it's not unprecedented. And some researchers are hoping the approach could help speed up the search for an effective Zika vaccine. Right now, a bunch of labs are pursuing different ways of making a vaccine against Zika, mostly because of the concern that the virus might be linked to the birth defect called microcephaly. (Greenfieldboyce, 2/25)
Kaiser Health News:
The Agonizing Limbo Of Abandoned Nursing Home Residents
Nursing home residents are entitled to hearings under federal law to determine whether they should be readmitted after hospitalization. The state Department of Health Care Services holds the administrative hearings, but has said it is not responsible for enforcing the rulings. But the state Department of Public Health, which oversees nursing homes, neglects to enforce the rulings and sometimes disagrees with them, according to advocates and court documents. That leaves residents with little recourse — and not many places to go. (Gorman, 2/26)