What We’re Reading: Contraception Bill Passes; Polio Appears in New York; Monkeypox Outbreak Continues

House Passes Bill to Protect Contraception

The House passed a bill that would ensure the right to contraception in a 228-195 vote. The bill, which will likely fail in the Senate, would protect the right to purchase and use contraception without any government restrictions. The bill was a direct response to the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, which prompted alarm from those who believed other longstanding rights would be at risk in the future. Republicans claimed that they voted against the bill due to the wording, which they believed could be interpreted to allow pills to induce abortion.

Polio Diagnosed in New York

An unvaccinated man in New York state received a polio diagnosis, the first case of polio since 2013. According to the New York State Department of Health and its counterpart in Rockland County, the man was infected by someone who had received the oral vaccine for polio, which hasn’t been administered in the United States since 2000. Officials claim the virus may have originated outside of the United States, as the oral vaccine is still administered in other countries. A case of polio has not originated in the United States since 1979, according to the CDC.

WHO, United States Look to Address Monkeypox Outbreak

The continuation and increasing case numbers of monkeypox has officials looking for ways to address the issue. The World Health Organization (WHO) considered declaring monkeypox a global health emergency for the second time in 2 months, as 71 countries have reported 15,165 cases. The director-general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, said worldwide cases were still primarily in men who have sex with men. The White House also announced a $140 million, 22-target research agenda to help understand and handle rising case counts in the country. This agenda will aim to improve data on transmission, testing, vaccines, equitable treatments, and environmental factors.