The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was established by the passage of Oregon House Bill 2009 by the 75th Oregon Legislative Assembly, and split off from Oregon Department of Human Services, OHA oversees most of Oregon's health-related programs including behavioral health (addictions and mental health), public health, Oregon State Hospital for individuals requiring secure residential psychiatric care, and the state's Medicaid program called the Oregon Health Plan. Its policy work is overseen by the nine member Oregon Health Policy Board.The Health Authority director is Patrick Allen. Its first director was Bruce Goldberg, M.D., former director of the Oregon Department of Human Services.The mission of the Oregon Health Authority is helping people and communities achieve optimum physical, mental and social well-being through partnerships, prevention and access to quality, affordable health care.OHA is responsible for the state's Medicaid program, which is operated under a Medicaid Demonstration waiver from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), known as an 1115 Waiver. The demonstration includes coordinated care organizations (a form of accountable care organization or ACO) as the Medicaid delivery system; flexibility in use of federal funds by the CCOs; and a federal investment of approximately $1.9 billion over five years, tied to an agreement by the state to reduce the trend in per-capita medical spending by two percentage points by the end of the waiver's second year.
AIMS:Alcohol advertising is causally linked to early alcohol initiation and other harms. We characterized the content of social media alcohol advertising, and documented compliance with alcohol industry guidelines intended to prevent risks to minors and other populations vulnerable to alcohol harms. METHODS:In January and February 2024, 816 ads were gathered from Instagram, YouTube, and their respective ad libraries (Meta and Alphabet). Ads were selected for 20 alcohol brands representing the 5 top-selling brands within each of 4 major alcohol product categories: beer, spirits, seltzers, and ready-to-drink cocktails. Multiple team members reviewed each ad and documented features, themes, compliance with industry guidelines, and responses to the ads using a standard protocol based on prior research. RESULTS:After removal of 148 exact duplicates, a sample of 309 ads were coded from the remaining 668 ads collected (46% of the sample). A total of 59% contained video. Common content included corporate branding (89%) and product display (68%). A total of 33% of ads, half of video ads (53%), and up to two-thirds (66%) of ads on one social media platform were non-compliant with industry guidelines. Ad views ranged from 13 to 37 million. Median user engagement (likes, shares, comments) was 79.5 per ad (range 0-168 240). User engagement was significantly higher for non-compliant ads vs. compliant ads (P = .007), although there was no difference in views (P = .263). CONCLUSIONS:Findings suggest a need for updating guidelines and stronger independent surveillance to monitor digital ad content to prevent messaging that may increase alcohol risks, especially for young people and other vulnerable populations.
BACKGROUND:Reports of ceftriaxone serious adverse events (SAEs), including deaths, from multiple jurisdictions during December 2024-January 2025 prompted a nationwide investigation to evaluate product safety, characterize SAEs, and assess for changes in baseline adverse event occurrence via national databases. METHODS:In February 2025, CDC issued a national call for cases, defined as SAEs involving death or CPR within six hours of ceftriaxone injection, not otherwise explained and occurring in non-ICU settings during September 2024-August 2025. Epidemiologic and clinical data were collected by health departments and reported to CDC. Laboratory testing of ceftriaxone and lidocaine diluent was performed at FDA. Temporal trends in adverse events (2016-2019 vs 2020-2024) were assessed via Medicare claims and National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance System analyses. RESULTS:Among 31 cases identified from 27 healthcare facilities (65% outpatient) across 18 states during September 2024-August 2025, all involving death or CPR, 12 (39%) persons died, 23 (74%) had anaphylaxis-type presentations (65% without skin/mucosal involvement), 21 (68%) had previous ceftriaxone exposure, and 24 (77%) had cardiac comorbidities. Median age was 67 years (IQR: 60-81). Antihypertensive use was common (n=19/28, 68%). Product testing revealed no evidence of tampering, adulteration, endotoxin, or purity/potency issues. National adverse event trends were stable across 2016-2019 and 2020-2024. CONCLUSIONS:SAEs, including deaths, can occur after ceftriaxone receipt. Product testing and trend analyses did not identify evidence of a new safety issue. This investigation highlights the need for ongoing vigilance for ceftriaxone SAEs and reporting to FDA MedWatch.
Bacillus anthracis is endemic in the United States causing periodic outbreaks in wildlife and domestic animals. Currently, human anthrax cases in the U.S. are rare but were common in the 1950s–1960s due to industrial work with imported B. anthracis-contaminated animal products. Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) initially differentiated B. anthracis into 89 genotypes and two major clades. Recently, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was implemented to differentiate B. anthracis which allows for higher resolution and can eliminate risk of homoplasy. To assess the molecular diversity of U.S.-established isolates, we performed MLVA and WGS on 81 B. anthracis isolates from domestic animals or soil. By MLVA, most isolates (n = 58, 72%) were in the Western North America (WNA)/A1.a cluster. Isolates were also observed in the Ames (A3.b), Vollum (A4), and Group B clusters. Using WGS, two major clades (A and B) and four clusters (WNA, Ames, Vollum, Group B) were identified. The four WGS clusters correlated with previously established MLVA clusters (A1a, A3b, A4, and B1, respectively). Further differentiation of the WNA cluster showed that isolates collected from the same state generally clustered together and more broadly by region (west, central, Texas). In the current study, we provide an update on the genetic diversity of domestically established B. anthracis strains using MLVA and WGS. WGS was able to provide additional differentiation, particularly within the WNA cluster, which can lend assistance in epidemiological investigations.
BackgroundCervical cancer screening remains vital in the early detection of precancerous lesions and promotes better treatment outcomes. Though evidence suggested multiple sexual partners and HIV infection as risk factors for cervical cancer, limited studies have investigated how multiple sexual partners and HIV infection impact cervical cancer screening in Ghana. Therefore, this study assessed the association of multiple sexual partnership and HIV testing on cervical cancer screening among Ghanaian women of reproductive age.MethodsThe study utilized data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. A weighted representative sample of 15,014 women from the 16 regions of Ghana was used for the analysis. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's Chi-square and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze the data. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) at 95% Confidence Intervals were presented from the multivariable logistic regression.ResultsThe prevalence of cervical cancer screening was 5.0%. We found lower odds of cervical cancer screening with multiple sexual partners at the bivariate level [aOR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.52-0.90], but no association was found in the multivariable model. On the other hand, women who had ever tested for HIV [aOR=4.73, 95% CI:3.39-6.59] were more likely to screen for cervical cancer than those who had never tested. This was still significant after adjusting for covariates [aOR=2.47, 95% CI:1.61-3.80].ConclusionsThe study highlights the influence of multiple sexual partners and HIV testing on cervical cancer screening uptake among women of reproductive age in Ghana. Though the study found no significant association between multiple sexual partners and cervical screening uptake, HIV testing was a predictor of cervical cancer screening among women in Ghana. We recommend continued creation of awareness of cervical cancer screening among women of reproductive age.
Data on chronic conditions associated with increased respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospitalization rates among adults aged ≥ 50 years have guided RSV vaccination recommendations. Similar data are needed for younger adults. We compared RSV hospitalization rates among community-dwelling adults aged 18-49 years with and without nine chronic medical conditions in a 38-county catchment area across seven states. Numerators included adults with and without each chronic condition who were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection identified through the RSV Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RSV-NET) during two RSV surveillance seasons during 2016-2018. Denominators were catchment area population estimates of adults with and without self-reported history of each chronic condition from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the US Census. Poisson regression using Monte Carlo simulation generated unadjusted rates and adjusted rate ratios (aRR) and 95% Monte Carlo uncertainty intervals (UI), adjusted for sex and race or ethnicity group. Among community-dwelling adults aged 18-49 years, RSV hospitalization rates ranged from 11.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 (UI: 5.9, 23.6) for adults with non-severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] 30-39 kg/m2) to 113.1 hospitalizations per 100,000 (UI: 47.3, 274.3) for adults with chronic kidney disease (Figure 1). Those with each of the nine chronic conditions had higher RSV hospitalization rates compared to those without the respective conditions: chronic kidney disease (aRR=13.9, UI: 9.2, 21.2), diabetes (aRR=6.1, UI: 4.1, 9.1), severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2; aRR=5.3, UI: 3.4, 8.3), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aRR=4.0, UI: 2.4, 6.5), asthma (aRR=3.9, UI: 3.0, 5.1), coronary artery disease (aRR=3.6, UI: 2.1, 6.0), stroke (aRR=3.6, CI: 2.3, 5.9), current smoking (aRR=2.1, UI: 1.6, 2.7), and non-severe obesity (aRR=1.6, UI: 1.1, 2.4) (Figure 2). RSV hospitalization rates were higher among adults aged 18-49 years with 1 (aRR=2.2, UI: 1.7, 2.9) or ≥2 chronic conditions (aRR=8.3, UI: 6.4-10.9) vs. none. Chronic conditions were associated with higher rates of RSV hospitalization among younger adults, which can guide national vaccination recommendations. Lucy S. Witt, MD, MPH, Merck & Co: Grant/Research Support William Schaffner, MD, Abbott Dignostics: Honoraria
