Within a few weeks of the first cases of corona virus being diagnosed in Wuhan, China, real-time data collection concerning the disease was available. Public health officials, scientists and healthcare workers could easily monitor the spread of the virus and its effects, with the data helping to determine health policy and responses. Yet when it comes to the opioid epidemic—which has killed more than 400,000 Americans over the past two decades—we are lagging behind by up to two years in the collection and dissemination of real-time data, and that is having lethal public health consequences, a commentary in STAT argues.
When figuring out addiction policies, and allocation of funding for treatment programs, we are relying on outdated information that does not accurately reflect the current situation as drug use and patterns change. It’s time to bring this kind of real-time outcome data to America’s addiction crisis and make it available to the public, so we know if what we are doing to address the opioid epidemic is making a difference.
And finally, New York State’s long-awaited ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and vaping products, which are highly attractive to young people, has gone into effect. New York becomes the fourth state to ban flavored vaping over concerns about the surge in teen vaping and related breathing illnesses. According to data from the state health department, e-cigarette use among high school students soared to nearly 28 percent in 2018 from 10 percent in 2014—making the ban on flavored products a wise policy decision.