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This is your Weekly Dose Health News…
Last week it looked like congress was finally going to pass meaningful pharmacy benefit manager reform, instead PBM reform was removed from the final government funding extension package that was signed late Friday night. Included in the slim down package passed were extensions to telehealth benefits for Medicare patients and extensions on community health center funding.
The FDA announced a final rule that updates the definition of “healthy” on food labels. To qualify as healthy food products must now contain a certain amount of a food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups outlined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Foods must also meet certain limits on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
Whooping cough cases are the highest they have been in a decade. Children younger than 1 are particularly sensitive because their immune systems are still developing. Vaccination is the best way to protect against whooping cough. The CDC recommends that children get the DTaP vaccine and adolescents and adults get the TDaP vaccine for protection against whopping cough.
Public health officials in California are warning consumers to not feed pets raw food as they confirmed that H5 bird flu virus was found in product samples of Northwest Naturals Turkey Recipe Raw & Frozen Pet Food for Cats. Four cats in Los Angeles County became sick and died after consuming recalled raw milk. So public health is advising people to avoid feeding pets all raw dairy, meat, and poultry products.
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Story Source Links:
Pharmacy benefit manager reform fails to make the cut in federal funding package: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/21/politics/pharmacy-benefit-manager-reform-funding-bill/index.html
FDA Updates “Healthy” Claim, Providing a Refreshed Tool for Consumers: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-updates-healthy-claim-providing-refreshed-tool-consumers?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Whooping cough cases in the US are the highest they’ve been in a decade: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/25/health/whooping-cough-cases-surging-united-states/index.html
Voluntary Recall of Northwest Naturals Brand 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe Raw Frozen Pet Food Due to HPAI Contamination: https://www.nw-naturals.net/12-24-24-voluntary-product-recall/