Three Things Thursday highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week. We are more than halfway through September…
It is pumpkin spice latte season, soccer season, ballet rehearsals are in full swing, and only 21 days until fall break (a long weekend break from classes).
On the health side of things — the official start of respiratory virus season is just weeks away. The Presidential election is 46 days away. And it is officially National Suicide Prevention Month. In light of these upcoming events, this week’s Three Things Thursday will highlight the current state of respiratory illnesses in the US; hot healthcare topics that have been discussed/debated as we get near the Presidential election; and updated suicide statistics (with some gun violence facts included).
Hoping this post helps to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.
Respiratory Virus Season Update
CDC has set up a “Respiratory Illness Data Channel,” which provides updated information about flu, COVID, RSV, and colds that are circulating. Currently —
However, the amount of SARS-CoV-2 is still high in the wastewater.
The stories I’m hearing from my students, my kids, the school nurses, and others is that everyone is sick right now. Some are testing positive for COVID; others are not. But there is a lot of illness going around.
Additionally, we just received word that during last year’s respiratory virus season, 199 children died of influenza (tying the record-high number). Of those who died, 83% (the VAST majority) did not receive their flu vaccination.
Vaccinations save lives and prevent severe illness.
I know finding the time to schedule and get to vaccination appointments is a lot of work. I also know that it sucks to watch a medical practitioner jam a needle into your kid’s arm. And yes, I know there are crazy RARE side effects of vaccinations. I know people think it’s just the flu.
BUT — influenza can be deadly. The risk of dying from influenza is GREATER than the risk of experiencing one of the rare side effects of the vaccine.
Nothing is 100% safe. Or guaranteed. Or healthy.
We must weigh the risks and benefits of everything.
Getting vaccinated is the safer and healthier choice. Schedule your shots NOW.
Hot Health Topics in 2024
As we head into election season here in the US, please do NOT forget that health and healthcare issues are of vital importance (pun intended). Just this week the Commonwealth Fund published a new report titled Mirror, Mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing US Health System. According to the report — The U.S. ranks as the worst performer among 10 developed nations in critical areas of health care, including preventing deaths, access (mainly because of the high cost), and guaranteeing quality treatment for everyone, regardless of gender, income, or geographic location.
According to NBC News —
“Vice President Kamala Harris has pitched building on the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Former President Donald Trump has given little detail about his health care vision; his running mate, JD Vance, has suggested deregulation.”
While no candidate is going to solve our healthcare problems in one term as President (perfection is NOT the goal; progress is), we need a leader who is going to do the following (at a minimum) —
Surround themselves with leaders in medicine, health, public health, and healthcare to lead governmental health agencies and provide guidance on improving healthcare in the US.
Understand and rely on the science and data to make decisions.
Are willing to invest money in prevention and public health.
Address health inequalities.
We need local health departments with a public health leader in every community. We need hospitals that provide care; not ones that are for-profit.
Health is not a series of individual decisions (that is part of it).
Our whole health(eco)system needs to be healthy.
Our definition of what it means to be healthy needs to shift drastically. We need to add to the definition of health and reframe our thinking about being healthy to include individual actions PLUS working towards healthy families, healthy communities, and healthy environments.
We need leaders who have plans to make our country healthier.
Suicide Prevention Month
September is suicide prevention month.
A new report out this week found (and please note how intimately this finding is tied to the need for a President with a plan for addressing healthcare and ending health inequities) —
“Suicide rates were lowest in counties with the highest health insurance coverage, broadband Internet access, and income. These factors were more strongly associated with lower suicide rates in some groups that are disproportionately affected by suicide.”
And just today, CDC reported — that a lot of suicides are completed through the use of guns. This data documents that children as young as 10 are committing suicide with a gun.
Heartbreaking & preventable.
With the rising rates of suicides and homicides combined with gun violence increasing, health inequities increasing, climate change impacting health, and the cost of healthcare, among other issues — governmental public health, health communications, trust, and preparedness activities need to be bolstered.
Additionally —
We need clear health communications.
We need a robust early identification system to identify new outbreaks.
We need disease detectives who are equipped to prevent, identify, and end new outbreaks.
We need systems in place to collect, analyze, and share health data.
We need a public health workforce that is supported and encouraged to lead prevention efforts.
We need a coordinated effort between public health and clinical medicine.
We need to fund public health just like we fund clinical medicine.
We all need to recognize that public health is our o-line (offensive line) — we are on the front lines and aim to prevent adverse health effects, including suicide.
That’s a lot for one week. What questions do you have? Comments? Thoughts?
Epi(demiology) Matters is written by Dr. Becky Dawson, PhD MPH — an epidemiologist, teacher, mom, wife, and dedicated yogi. She is a tenured professor at Allegheny College, Research Director at a community hospital, and an exclusive contributor (all things health & medicine) at Erie News Now (NBC/CBS). Her goal is to create healthy communities for all. She writes Epi Matters — first & foremost because epidemiology does matter (to all of us) and she hopes that each post will help to educate and empower readers to be healthy and create healthy communities.
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