Lean on Me, Kid: Hepatitis and Mental Health Crisis
Hello Observers! This week we offer insight into mysterious hepatitis cases in kids, the mental health crisis in teens and progress on the COVID pill. For our full weekly newsletter, subscribe for free at mindfulobserver.com.
By the Numbers
- 7.5: A 2002 study including hundreds of people over 50 years old showed that people who feel positively about aging live 7.5 years longer than those with negative attitudes — and that’s just the beginning of the impact of ageism on aging.
The News
1. Mysterious Hepatitis
Nearly 200 children worldwide have come down with severe hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver with a range of causes, and at least one child has died. In this case, officials are investigating the possibility that an adenovirus, one of a group of common viruses, may be the culprit.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a nationwide alert this month urging doctors and health officials to report similar cases after a cluster of cases in Alabama occurred between last October and February. None of the children in the U.S. died, but several developed liver failure, and two required transplants.
2. The COVID Pill
The Biden Administration is pushing antiviral pills to help people with COVID-19 stay out of the hospital. The administration is specifically focusing on Pfizer’s version, called Paxlovid, which clinical trials have found to be 85% effective at reducing hospitalizations and death. Merck’s version, called molnupiravir, has been shown to be less effective.
Both drugs were approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration in December, and recently the World Health Organization backed Paxlovid, calling it the “best therapeutic choice for high-risk patients to date.” In the U.S., the drugs can be acquired at test-to-treat locations across the country through a new federal program.
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By Claire Cleveland, science writer
Edited by Shannon Mullane, senior editor
