US health departments experience workforce shortages and struggle to reach adequate staffing levels in public health

Gaps persist in hiring enough U.S. public health workers, and health departments continue to face challenges in recruiting new employees, according to a new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Indiana University. Insufficient funding, a shortage of people with public health training, and a lack of visibility for public careers, in addition to lengthy hiring processes, are cited as barriers contributing to an absence of progress for achieving a satisfactory level of workers. The results are published in Health Affairs.

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Study: High excess death rates in the West for 3 years running since start of pandemic despite containment and vaccines Excess death rates have remained high in the West for three years running since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a data analysis of 47 countries published in BMJ Public Health. Science X Medical Xpress

This is despite the implementation of various containment measures and the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, giving rise to "serious cause for concern," say the researchers, who call on governments and policymakers to thoroughly investigate the underlying causes.

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US will make millions of bird flu vaccines this summer As the H5N1 avian flu continues to spread among dairy cows in the United States, nearly 5 million doses of flu vaccine are now being prepared for possible use in humans. Robin Foster Medical Xpress

Since the outbreak in livestock began this spring, bird flu has been confirmed in three humans who worked on dairy farms in Texas and Michigan and health experts are concerned the virus could mutate to the point where it could spread easily among humans.

The Ultimate Killer: Pollution Deadlier Than War, Terrorism, and Major Diseases Manmade pollutants and climate change contribute to millions of deaths from cardiovascular disease each year, warn a coalition of leading scientists. A new series published today (June 3) in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology highlights how pollution, in all its forms, is a greater Mike O'Neill SciTechDaily

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Takeaways from Fauci’s testimony at contentious House hearing on Covid-19 pandemic | CNN Politics Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified on Monday at a House subcommittee hearing about the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the origins of the virus. Jen Christensen, Elise Hammond, Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury CNN

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Study: Truthful yet misleading Facebook posts drove COVID vaccine reluctance much more than outright lies did Today in Science, a study shows that unflagged, factual but misleading Facebook posts reduced the intent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine 46 times more than did false posts flagged by fact-checkers as misinformation, which the authors say points to the need to consider the reach and impact of content rather than just its veracity. CIDRAP

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Honduras declares health emergency as Central America starts peak dengue season | CNN Honduras has declared a national health emergency after reporting a rise in hospitalizations and deaths from dengue, the health ministry announced on Friday. Michael Rios CNN

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US COVID markers show small rise in activity Wastewater detections are up in the western region, which is also seeing a small rise in test positivity. CIDRAP

The main markers the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses to track COVID activity showed small rises Friday from very low levels, including wastewater SARS-CoV-2 detections, which rose from the minimal to low level over the past week....

Vermont becomes 1st state to enact law requiring oil companies pay for damage from climate change Vermont has become the first state to enact a law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a share of the damage caused by climate change after the state suffered catastrophic summer flooding and damage from other extreme weather. AP News

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FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA RSV vaccine for older adults | CNN The US Food and Drug Administration has approved another vaccine that can help protect older people from respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. The shot, made by Moderna and sold under the name of mResvia, could be another tool in the country’s RSV arsenal in the fall. Jen Christensen CNN

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Moderna’s shot is the third RSV vaccine for people 60 and older that’s gotten the green light from the FDA and the first mRNA vaccine among them. It’s the company’s second product to receive FDA approval, behind its Covid-19 vaccine.

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