The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday announced it is rolling back new requirements for bringing dogs into the U.S. from countries without a high risk for dog rabies.
Why it matters: The CDC eased the requirements, which take effect Aug. 1, following public pressure from senators, Canadian government officials and some animal advocacy groups.
Critics said the original rules could make veterinary care more difficult for people living in cities that border the U.S. and Canada, and would limit a crucial source of companionship for truckers.
About 20% of cross-border truckers travel with dogs, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
State of play: Dogs that have only been in rabies-free or low-risk countries for the past six months will now only need to appear healthy and have a completed dog import form in order to enter the U.S., the CDC said.
That's a change from the CDC's announcement in May that all dogs entering the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and have a microchip, as well as the completed import form.
The U.S. eliminated dog rabies in 2007, but the virus still exists in other countries around the world. Unvaccinated dogs in the U.S. can contract rabies from wild animals.
Regulators in 2021 temporarily halted importing dogs from 113 countries amid rabies concerns.
The bottom line: Dogs coming into the U.S. from high-risk countries that have not beenvaccinated against rabies in the past six months will not be allowed into the country, the CDC says.
More new prescriptions for blockbuster GLP-1 weight-loss drugs were written in the past few years for people with obesity than with Type 2 diabetes — an accelerating trend that may worsen drug shortages and health disparities, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Why it matters: It's the latest evidence of how large numbers of Americans are embracing drugs developed for the treatment of diabetes for weight loss and raising cost and equity concerns.
A Pfizer-led effort to develop the first new Lyme disease vaccine in more than two decades passed a key milestone last week, putting the drug on a timeline to potentially hit the market in 2026 if trial results are favorable.
Why it matters: Climate change is driving the proliferation of ticks and transforming Lyme disease from a summertime nuisance into the most common vector-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere, affecting an estimated 476,000 people in the U.S. annually.
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to pick up President Biden's policy torch as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, but the reality is that she's stepping into a role leading the party at a time when it's biggest long-term health care goals have to some extent been realized.
Why it matters: Should Harris clinch the nomination, she likely won't have the time — nor the political incentives — to develop much of a health care policy agenda of her own before November.
COVID-19 fatalities in central Europe during the height of the pandemic would have been as much as 27% higher if death certificates listing the virus as a complication had instead designated it as the underlying cause of death, according to a new study.
Why it matters: While the pandemic's unrecognized death toll has spawned some heated debates, accurate estimates of mortality are needed to plan for future outbreaks and can influence the public to take precautions.
What they found: A University of Warsaw statistical analysis of 187,300 death certificates with a COVID-19 mention found deaths attributed to typical coronavirus complications or comorbidities may have been due to unrecognized COVID-19 itself.
The number of active drug shortages fell to 300 in the second quarter of this year after hitting an all-time high of 323, according to a tracker from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Why it matters: It's the sixth straight quarter with at least 300 drugs on shortage, many of them critical to patient outcomes, the pharmacists' group said.
The CrowdStrike internet meltdown that wrecked havoc with some health systems' procedures and billing on Friday could be a harbinger of future threats and disruptions to medical facilities, experts said.
Why it matters: The U.S. health system is still dealing with fallout from the massive Change Healthcare ransomware attack and other incidents that have underscored the sector's reliance on a few key technology companies to meet their IT needs.
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