827: Alpha-Gal Syndrome Interest, New Congress Priorities

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, January 22, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

COURTNEY ANDERSON: 

The purpose of this blog was to share information and awareness on alpha-gal syndrome with health officials and share tips for how to prevent the public from contracting it.

JOHNSON: 

This morning, one of ASTHO's most popular resources from 2024. ASTHO's Courtney Anderson, wrote a blog about alpha-gal syndrome. Anderson believes the uniqueness of the illness made people interested in learning more.

ANDERSON: 

The thought of, you know, being bit by tick and then becoming allergic to meat and dairy, all these foods that make up a large part of the American diet, it's pretty life-changing for folks who contract it and have that condition. So, I think there's- there might be a lot of fear around it, and so there's a lot of interest in it, and a lot of folks seeking information.

JOHNSON: 

Since the blog article was published, at least one state has made a change in the way it recognizes alpha-gal syndrome.

ANDERSON: 

As of this blog being released in April, there was another state, Delaware, who did make it a reportable condition. I will say a few state legislators have introduced bills that require it to be reported. They introduced them last year, but not all of them went through. So, I'm sure we'll see those sort of bills come up again this year

JOHNSON: 

While it's cold around most of the country now, soon it will thaw and warm up, and according to Anderson, this resource will be just as relevant.

ANDERSON: 

AGS, it's still out there, and cases do seem to be increasing, that- that we've seen. So, all of the key takeaways from this blog do still hold true. There's definitely a critical need for support and funding for public health activities that will help prevent and control tick-borne diseases, including conditions like alpha-gal syndrome.

JOHNSON: 

Learn more about alpha-gal syndrome and all of the most popular ASTHO resources of 2024 by clicking the links in the show notes.

This week, the U.S. has a new president and a new administration. The ASTHO Government Affairs team has examined some of the key players in the 119th Congress to see if and how they may support public health policy. Here's ASTHO's Catherine Murphy.

CATHERINE MURPHY: 

So, we don't have a magic crystal ball to look into to determine what they may work on this Congress, but we do have their history. We have legislation that these members have introduced. We have what the committees traditionally have worked on, and we have what they've told reporters.

JOHNSON: 

Murphy says she's seen several common themes across committee Chairs.

MURPHY: 

Many of these Chairs have cited their interests in ensuring that their constituents have access to telehealth. Telehealth can be especially important for seniors and for folks that live in rural areas.

JOHNSON: 

Murphy adds there are some indicators that point to possible priorities.

MURPHY: 

And something else that came up quite frequently was substance use. Many of these committee Chairs have cited a focus on tackling the opioid epidemic and ensuring that there are treatment options for substance use disorders, as well as promoting mental health care access.

JOHNSON: 

You can read the full Federal Health Policy Update on ASTHO's website. Just click the link in the show notes.

Also today, Wednesday, January 22, ASTHO is hosting a webinar you won't want to miss. O'Keyla Cooper has more.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

Join ASTHO on Wednesday, January 22 at 3 p.m. ET for a virtual information session on the Building Capacity to Advance Health program. This three-month certificate program is designed to enhance your leadership skills in governmental public health by providing practical tools for advancing health equity, systems, thinking, and change management. Secure your spot through the link in the show notes.

JOHNSON: 

And next Wednesday, January 29, STRETCH will host its fourth national meeting. You can sign up today for the meeting to learn how to address the structural barriers that impede advancement in government public health agencies. The link is in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, the CDC has issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory for clinicians and laboratories to accelerate the subtyping of influenza A positive patients. This is aimed to prevent delays in identifying cases of avian influenza. The full alert can be found in the show notes.

That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Summer Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.