Health News:

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• Officials warn of possible measles exposure from a traveler on Jan. 3rd and 4th at Dulles and Reagan airports in the Washington, D.C. area. (Washington Post)
• Quaker Oats expanded its recall on granola bars and other cereals (including Cap’n Crunch) due to possible Salmonella contamination. (AP)
• Though flu has dipped slightly from its peak a few weeks ago, it’s far from over for the season. (NBC)
• Many large US healthcare facilities are returning to mask mandates as COVID hospitalizations continue to rise. (The Guardian)
• A doctor’s group is giving free measles shots in Philly as the outbreak grows. (Yahoo News)
• Chimpanzees are dying from human colds, and scientists are trying to find a cure. (Nature)
• Federal scientists recommend easing restrictions on marijuana. (NY Times)
• There’s an ongoing debate about what medical equipment should be on planes. (WSJ)
• Over 100 passengers got sick from a norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship, the first of the year so far. There were 13 last year. (Business Insider)

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Mental Health & Substance Use News:

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• Workplace wellness programs have little benefit, a new UK study found, though time off for charity work was effective at increasing wellbeing. (NY Times)
• Marijuana has no role in taking up or quitting opioids. (US News)

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call 988 or message the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. 

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Best Questions:

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What is going on in Honolulu with Narcan? 

On January 1st, Honolulu became the first city in the U.S. to require that bars, nightclubs, and restaurants that serve alcohol carry naloxone, the overdose reversal drug also known by the brand name Narcan. Honolulu city officials hope that the lifesaving drug will soon be as standard as a fire extinguisher, according to reporting by the Honolulu Star Advertiser. We expect that Honolulu will be the first but definitely not the last city (and, eventually, state) to mandate naloxone for businesses with liquor licenses. We’ll be keeping a close eye on how rollout and enforcement goes. If you’re operating in Honolulu and now stocking Narcan, shoot us an email to tell us how it’s going!

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, The Hill

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Should we avoid January in-person meetings since so many people are sick? 

We think that’s a great idea. Data show that respiratory illnesses, including flu and COVID have been very high or even peaked in early January and then dropped steadily through the rest of winter. Lots of people are exposed during holiday travel, return home, get sick, and proceed to infect those around them, often leading to a peak a few weeks after the holidays. While kicking off the new year with in-person meetings and conferences makes sense for businesses, it also poses a continuity risk, especially if you’re putting a lot of your senior leadership or management in the same room. Consider pushing that meeting back just a few weeks - by early February, cases should already be much lower. And, if you do choose to meet in-person, consider keeping masks by the door, ensure good ventilation, and ask sick people to stay home. 

Source: CDC

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What is ‘Disease X’ that world leaders are discussing at Davos?

Disease X is the placeholder name for an unknown pathogen that could cause the next global pandemic. Leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, are gathering to discuss how they can prepare for an unknown outbreak. 7 million people died from COVID (over one in seven of them in the U.S.), but the next pandemic could be even more deadly. By focusing on unknown pathogens, leaders can focus attention and funding not just on already-known risky viruses like Nipah and Ebola but also on whole classes of pathogens. They’ll assess lots of different pathogens for the likelihood of spillover to humans and - hopefully - invest in prevention and response to help contain the spread in the event of another major outbreak. 

Source: Newsweek

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Best Read:

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