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Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, discusses the supply and demand challenges impacting new RSV antibody products; Luke Kenley, former Indiana state senator, tells us how he helped lead the committee to develop and promote the public...
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, discusses the supply and demand challenges impacting new RSV antibody products; Luke Kenley, former Indiana state senator, tells us how he helped lead the committee to develop and promote the public health funding package that would raise spending by 1500 percent; and an ASTHO blog article outlines strategies to address hypertension disorders in pregnancy.
CDC Webpage: RSV Immunization for Children 19 months and Younger
ASTHO Webinar: Investing in Public Health Infrastructure – Indiana's Success Story
ASTHO Brief: Addressing Hypertension in Pregnancy to Reduce Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
ASTHO Webpage: Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain
ASTHO Webpage: Strategic State and Local Policies for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
ROBERT JOHNSON:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, February 22, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
MARCUS PLESCIA:
I think that our excitement at our celebration got started a bit because there was such a challenge around the rollout of nirsevimab.
JOHNSON:
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia on the supply and demand challenges impacting new RSV antibody products.
PLESCIA:
It was very, very frustrating for public health, in particular, for public health leaders because, you know, we were excited and we told the public about this. And then, you know, it was difficult to deliver the vaccine because there wasn't enough of it.
JOHNSON:
Plescia says there's still time to protect people from RSV during this respiratory virus season, noting there's an even greater opportunity to help communities next year.
PLESCIA:
We still, I think, are in a window where continuing to administer nirsevimab can be helpful, but probably the more important thing is that hopefully, we're now positioned really well next year for the next viral respiratory viral season, where we can, in this interim period, we can hone some of our systems for making this monoclonal antibody available.
JOHNSON:
Plescia says it's also encouraging that demand for these new treatments was so high.
PLESCIA:
The public appear to be much more accepting and interested than I thought they might be with a vaccine that's brand new. So, you know, I think the best thing is just to look towards the future and think about how this is going to be a real asset for us.
JOHNSON:
You can read more by visiting the CDC website. There's a link to the RSV page in the show notes.
LUKE KENLEY:
I said to the governor, I said, "You know, I'm not sure he picked the right guy here because I may be opposed to this." And he said, "Well, that's kind of why I want you there."
JOHNSON:
Former Indiana State Senator Luke Kenley on his comments to Governor Eric Holcomb after the news conference to announce plans to pursue an increase in funding for public health. He says his doubts quickly faded.
KENLEY:
After the first couple of months worth of commission meetings, I could see that this was really an important need in the state of Indiana. And so my thought process was, well, we're not going to go anywhere, if we don't get the legislature to approve this concept and if we don't get funding from them.
JOHNSON:
Kenley helped lead the committee to develop and promote the funding package that would raise spending by 1500%. He says the plan to give local governments control was modeled after a similar approach used to fund transportation.
KENLEY:
And I felt like if we would do a model that was somewhat similar to that, that that would be number one. It would kind of fit the political climate in Indiana that we think the best decisions are made locally, closest to the people.
JOHNSON:
The plan was approved by Indiana lawmakers last year. Kenley, now retired, counts the win among his biggest accomplishments.
KENLEY:
And once we embarked on a plan to try to get the legislature to fund this up and to approve what we were doing, why, it turned out to be one of the best four or five things that I did in the 25 years I was in the legislature.
JOHNSON:
Kenley and State Sealth Commissioner and ASTHO member Dr. Lindsay Weaver joined an ASTHO webinar recently to discuss the plan. You can read a case study written about the campaign using the link in the show notes.
Also today, hypertension disorders in pregnancy are the leading cause of maternal death. ASTHO has a blog article about the problem. It includes strategies to address the concern. Celebrate American Heart Month this month by sharing the article with the appropriate members of your team. There's a link in the show notes.
Finally this morning, get more news like this when you sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletter. It comes out every week packed with articles, resources, and links. Join the list by using the link in the show notes.
Before we go, a reminder also to follow this newscast on your podcast player and connect with ASTHO on social media. We're on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Robert Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.
