• Georgia: CDC has activated a formal emergency response to the New World screwworm after it was found in U.S. cattle for the first time in decades. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is monitoring cattle and livestock and dispersing sterile flies to control the spread of the parasitic fly. CDC is investigating the outbreak and planning for potential human exposure, though human cases are typically rare. The risk of screwworm infestations is largely limited to areas where screwworm flies are circulating, people with open wounds, or people who spend time around livestock in high-risk areas. So far, there are at least six screwworm cases among U.S. cattle and a goat in Texas, along with an additional case in a dog in New Mexico. The most recent screwworm outbreak occurred in 2016-2017 in Florida. According to CDC, a collaborative response from local, state, and federal government agencies successfully re-eradicated the screwworm from the state. (Weixel, The Hill, 6/11)
• Illinois: AMA has sworn in Willie Underwood, a urologic surgeon from New York, as its 181st president. Underwood is the second urologist and third Black physician to serve as AMA's president. He replaces the previous AMA president, Bobby Mukkamala, who was sworn in last year. In his inauguration speech, Underwood said he plans to focus on uniting physicians across different specialties and closing gaps in care. He also highlighted healthcare affordability and physician burnout as key issues for the organization. The current healthcare system is "not sustainable," Underwood said. Yet, "there is growing pressure to avoid difficult conversations about gaps in care, unequal outcomes, and the barriers too many patients face." AMA also named Sandra Fryhofer, an internal medicine physician and adjunct professor at Emory University School of Medicine, president-elect of the organization. After a yearlong term as president-elect, Fryhofer will be inaugurated as AMA president in June 2027. (Halleman, Healthcare Dive, 6/10; American Medical Association press release, 6/9; Murphy, American Medical Association, 6/9)
• Maryland: FDA has approved expanded use of MannKind's inhaled rapid-acting insulin for children with diabetes, offering pediatric patients a needle-free insulin treatment option for the first time. Unlike traditional insulin, which is injected subcutaneously, MannKind's Afrezza treatment is inhaled through a small device to help control patients' blood sugar levels at mealtimes. The treatment was first approved for adults in 2014. Under the expanded approval, children ages 6 and older with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can now access the treatment. According to Jennifer Segrist, whose 15-year-old daughter Taisie was part of the trial testing Afrezza, switching to inhaled insulin has been "life-changing" and helped Taisie become more independent in managing her diabetes. "It really does make a huge difference… diabetes is not such a huge weight on her shoulders anymore," Segrist said. (Pandey/Roy, Reuters, 5/29)

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