Health officials' longstanding fears about the potent mix of armed conflict in weak states — combined with a highly infectious disease outbreak — are being realized. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an Ebola virus outbreak is now at a tipping point and threatens to expand.
Why it matters: The current outbreak began Aug. 1 and appeared to be slowing down, as most of the new cases were contacts of known infected people. However, as security deteriorated, new cases surged — with 25% of all suspected and confirmed cases being recorded in the first 2 weeks of this month alone. Experts say a combination of ongoing violence in North Kivu's Beni town, community distrust, population density and other factors are hampering containment efforts.
Public health officials are escalating their hunt for the cause of a mysterious ailment afflicting young children, known as acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Cases of AFM have spiked recently, leaving some young children with partial paralysis and muscle weakness.
Why it matters: While the illness remains very rare, there are currently 127 suspected and 62 confirmed cases in 22 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And — despite years of testing prior cases — the cause of the illness is "still a mystery," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells Axios.
A serious illness will often wipe out your life savings even if you have health insurance. That's the sobering conclusion from a new national survey of people who have had to rely on the health care system intensively.
The big picture: "You’re kind of at a disadvantage as a consumer going against these big complicated systems that don’t always have your best interest at heart," University of Michigan professor Sarah Miller told the New York Times, which helped analyze the survey. "And I think that’s why there’s so much financial burden, even among people with private insurance."
The earnings and stock prices of health care companies have increased a lot more than the broader market since former President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010.
Between the lines: The ACA was designed to expand coverage and nudge companies toward new behaviors. But despite critics' warnings about the end of private insurance or a government takeover of health care, the law has not upended the system's underlying structure or stifled the industry's ability to reap large profits.
Texas' lawsuit over the Affordable Care Act could roll back protections for pre-existing conditions even among people who don't get their coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
Why it matters: These protections are the most popular part of the ACA, and have led to a lot of sick people getting coverage. Millions of people could lose all or part of that security if this lawsuit succeeds.
