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Happy Monday, Illinois. The world has turned upside down since we connected Friday. Here are 18 ways America has been changed by the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.

Illinois gubernatorial hopeful Darren Bailey delivers remarks after receiving an endorsement from Donald Trump during a Save America Rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 25, 2022 in Mendon, Ill. | Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Watch for conservative Republican Darren Bailey to make a play to take over the Illinois GOP after tomorrows primary. Playbook hears that move could come as soon as Wednesday right after Baileys expected victory in the six-man race for the party's nod for governor.

Thomas DeVore, whos running for attorney general alongside Bailey, echoed the idea. "Whether or not Darren and I win the general election, if we can at least get control within our own party, I think long term we have an opportunity to be successful, DeVore told The New York Times.

MAGA moment: DeVore is referring to his and Bailey's conservative brand of politics that's upending the establishment GOPs efforts to take back the governors mansion.

ICYMI:Bailey was endorsed by President Donald Trump on Saturday during a Save America rally in Mendon.

Trumps stamp: Darren is a fearless supporter of the Second Amendment and a tireless champion of religious liberty, Trump said. He will crack down on the violent crime that is devouring our Democrat-run cities and restore the state of Illinois to greatness. Darren has my complete and total endorsement.

Spotted at the rally: Peggy Hubbard, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate. If she wins the GOP primary, shed be among more than 100 candidates across the country who embrace the false claim that Trump won the 2020 election, reports WBEZs Dave McKinney.

PRESIDENTIAL PLUG: Joe Biden endorsed veteran Rep. Danny Davis, whos facing Justice-Democrats-backed Kina Collins in the IL-06 primary.

In a statement yesterday, Biden called Davis "an effective leader and lawmaker deeply rooted in his community. He serves with passion and integrity."

A person familiar with Davis campaign says polling is on Davis side, but a boost from Biden cant hurt.

Sun-Times Lynn Sweet calls it: a proxy fight over the future of the Democratic party and the forces backing Collins wanting to pull it further left in part by defeating incumbent Democrats.

An important factor: Polls may show Davis in a comfortable spot for tomorrows primary, but with voter turnout expected to be low, no ones taking any chances.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, left, and her wife, Amy Eshleman, take part in the Chicago Pride Parade in Chicago on Sunday, June 26, 2022. | AP Photo/Jon Durr

DEMS WEEKEND NEWS: Democrats marched in the Pride Parade to show support for LGBTQ rights and to call attention to equality in wake of last weeks Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

We are on the agenda and on the menu for the right wing, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters before the parade, warning that the SCOTUS ruling endangers LGBTQ rights. We have to be ready. Lightfoot marched with her wife, Amy Eshleman.

Pride Parades return amid worry and anger over Supreme Court decision on abortion, by Sun-Times Kaitlin Washburn

Illinois activists and legal scholars say abortion decision endangers LGBT rights and contraception, by Tribunes John Keilman and Madeline Buckley

SPOTTED AT THE PARADE: Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, and Gov. JB Pritzker and first lady of Illinois MK Pritzker, who was wearing a dress designed by a friend and detailed with her husband's signature campaign sign. Pic!

Rep. Mary Miller, who joined former President Donald Trump at his rally in central Illinois on Saturday, June 25, 2022, took heat later for comments she made on stage. | Screen grab

FREUDIAN FLUB: Rep. Mary Miller drew backlash on social media and criticism from opponent Rep. Rodney Davis for a Freudian faux pas at a Saturdays central Illinois rally with former President Donald Trump.

White Heat: Miller called the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade a victory for white life. It appeared she stumbled over her words. (Instead of saying victory for life, she said victory for whitelife.)

None of it would have caused such a stir if it weren't for Miller citing Adolf Hitler in a January 2021 speech about the political indoctrination of children.

But Miller is in a bitter primary: Davis pounced, saying its part of a disturbing pattern of behavior she's displayed since coming to Congress. This is why she uses the Biden basement strategy and refuses to answer questions or hold public events.

Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Id like to hear from you: [emailprotected]

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MAGA voters send a $50M GOP plan off the rails in Illinois: The primary race alone has drawn $100 million in TV advertising. Mr. Pritzker has spent more money on TV ads than anyone else running for any office in the country this year. Mr. Irvin ranks second, according to AdImpact, a media tracking firm, reports The New York Times Reid J. Epstein.

Dont call it a primary party: Pritzkers campaign is kicking off the general election with a party tomorrow night at the Marriott Marquis on the South Side. The states constitutional officers and Sen. Tammy Duckworth will take the stage

BY THE NUMBERS: Former Gov. and businessman Bruce Rauner has donated $200,000 to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to campaign reports filed Friday and analyzed by Florida Playbook's Gary Fineout. Rauner relocated to Florida after he lost his reelection campaign in 2018. His total level of support for DeSantis this cycle is $650,000.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz took heat over the weekend for posting a controversial image criticizing the Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade. The sketch portrayed the image of a pope pointing a pistol at Lady Liberty. The Chicago GOP was outraged and called for Feigenholtz to resign.

The posting of this disgusting cartoon has finally, but now openly exposed the deep contempt held by Senator Feigenholtz and her liberal woke colleagues toward not only the Catholic Church, but towards Christian religion in general, Chicago GOP Chairman Steve Boulton said in a statement.

In a statement to Playbook, Feigenholz said, Friday was an incredibly traumatic day not just for me but for women around the country in the aftermath of the SCOTUS decision to overturn a woman's right to choose. I posted an image that spoke to the moment and then later learned it offended people of faith. I immediately removed the post as I meant no ill will toward anyone who found it offensive, and am sorry. I have and will continue reaching out to friends and community members with the hope of healing.

Kellyanne Conway was in the hot seat during a Q&A with David Axelrod last week at an event at the University Club of Chicago. Conway acknowledged that Joe Biden was president but still questioned how fair the election was conducted in Pennsylvania. There was a tense back and forth before Axelrod moved on. Conway was in town promoting her book, Heres the Deal.

Speaking of Kellyanne: POLITICO's Joanna Weiss talked to psychoanalyst Jeanne Safer about Conways tumultuous marriage.

Jim Ryan and the death of the Illinois Republican moderate, by Derrick Blakley for Center for Illinois Politics

Pritzker calls special legislative session on reproductive rights as Roe decision reverberates through Illinois politics: One proposal under consideration would expand the ranks of medical professionals who are allowed to perform abortions in Illinois, by Tribunes Dan Petrella and Rick Pearson

What were hearing: Lawmakers could be called back in July.

Illinois-based Ulta pledges to help workers travel for abortions, by Crains Katherine Davis

From police raids to reproductive justice, abortion history in Illinois is long and bumpy, by WBEZs Natalie Moore

Mendoza, state leaders gathered in Cairo for updates on the Alexander-Cairo port project, by KFVS Colin Baillie

GREAT LAKES WATCH: Gov. JB Pritzker was awarded the changemaker award by the Council of the Great Lakes Region on Sunday. The organization is in town for a few days for the Great Lakes Economic Forum. Pritzker was introduced by former U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman and Vicki Heyman, who are active in the organization. After Heymans introduction, Pritzker joked, I always wanted to be an ambassador. You get to keep the title for the rest of your life and they call you your excellency. Ive tried to get people to call me excellent for my whole life, he told the crowd, which laughed at the line. Though the bigger laugh came after Pritzker said, Just so you know, the weather is like this all year round.

Ballys hoping to file Chicago casino application with state this month; odds may be against June 2023 opening: Getting the permanent casino open by the first quarter of 2026 could be challenging as well, with ongoing opposition from neighbors and new questions about Tribune Publishings plans for its printing operations, by Tribunes Robert Channick.

World Business Chicago touts Illinois' abortion-rights bona fides to corporations, by Crains Trina Mannino

Chicago Park District vows to open some pools July 5 but wont say how many, by Sun-Times Fran Spielman.

Gig workers who rely on cars make changes as gas prices stay high: One strategy is staying in the Loop during peak hours to draw better tips, by Sun-Times Elvia Malagn

Citys speed cameras yield more tickets and controversy but drivers arent slowing down: A WBEZ analysis of Chicagos speed ticket data shows little safety benefit, even as the city rakes in more cash, by Michael Gerstein, Matt Kiefer and Charmaine Runes.

Former President Barack Obama visited the site of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Friday. His visit coincides with the one-year anniversary of the centers groundbreaking. President Obama toured the site with two key construction vendors working on the project, Junisa Brima from Turner Construction and Ron Lewis from Ujamaa Construction, both of whom work with Lakeside Alliance, the overall construction company for the Center, the foundation said in a statement.

Topless sunbathing at Evanston beaches? Prohibition of public nudity ordinance in city could be changing, by Pioneer Press Alex Hulvalchick

Lombard couple featured in new Food Network series 'Me or the Menu, by Daily Heralds Scott Morgan

Former Dixmoor police commander convicted in assault on grandmother, by Tribunes Megan Crepeau

Federal judge throws out lawsuit alleging required signage on Illinois gas tax freeze violates free speech, by Tribunes Jeremy Gorner

Fox News' Gianno Caldwells younger brother killed in Chicago shooting, via Fox 32

Democrats are looking for a weed deal: As this Congress enters its final months, lawmakers warm to the idea of cannabis banking plus, by POLITICOs Natalie Fertig.

We asked which candidates have knocked at your door: Capitol Edge Consultings Kristin Rubbelke: Both Sharon Chung and Karla Bailey Smith (Democrats running in the 91st House District primary). Thats pretty good for Bloomington. Timothy Thomas Jr.: I was a freshman on campus at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1980 when Congressman Tim Johnson knocked on my dorm room door in the run-up of the November general election. He actually came into my room and we chatted for about 10 minutes. Although he was a Republican and I was not going to change my voting address from Chicago, I always followed his career and was saddened by his passing last month.... Nancy Shepherdson: Nabeela Syed, running for District 51 state rep in the Northwest suburbs.

Whats your Election Day tradition? Email [emailprotected]

The Supreme Court has chipped away at the Voting Rights Act for 9 years. This case could be the next blow, by POLITICOs Zach Montellaro

Trump fatigue sets in: Some donors are getting sick of the sh--show, by POLITICOs Meridith McGraw and Matt Dixon

The dog that caught the car: Republicans brace for the impact of reversing Roe, by POLITICOs David Siders

In states that allow abortion for rape and incest, finding a doctor may prove impossible, by POLITICOs Megan Messerly

Samuel Alito, Andrew Jackson, slavery and states rights, by Heather Cox Richardson

Kristopher J. Anderson, external affairs VP for the Chicago Association of Realtors, and Ebony N. Scott, executive director of the Spark nonprofit, married Friday in a small ceremony with family and friends at Gibsons Steakhouse. Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough officiated. The afterparty was at Vu Rooftop. Among the guests: Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and Ald. Jason Ervin, state Rep. Marcus Evans and Deloittes Mary Miro. Pix!

Wayne Whalen, wide-ranging lawyer and political adviser, dies at 82: He had his hand in the election of former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, the writing of the Illinois Constitution and numerous other matters, by Crains Steven R. Strahler.

Michael Stephen Kanne, a 7th Circuit Court judge, died earlier this month. His funeral is this week.

FRIDAYs ANSWER: Congrats to Rey Nonato for correctly answering that traveling salesman Aaron Montgomery Ward started the world's first mail-order business in 1872. Montgomery Wards warehouse was located at Chicago Avenue and the north branch of the Chicago River now condos and commercial and headquarters of Groupon.

TODAYs QUESTION: Who was the first Asian American elected alderman in Chicago? Email [emailprotected]

State Rep. David Welter, former state senator and Kenya U.S. Ambassador Kyle McCarter, The Inland Real Estate Groups senior VP Dan Wagner, tech investor and political donor Howard Tulman, former Illinois Supreme Court candidate Daniel Epstein, Accountable Tech co-founder Jesse Lehrich, PR pro Karrie Leung, PR pro Melissa Skoog, marketing pro Sarah Habansky, and Cor Strategies marketing guru Bill Pohlman.

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See more here:
Bailey wants control of the Illinois GOP - POLITICO

The end of Roe v. Wade will not only jeopardize access to abortion in many states, it could have wide-ranging and unpredictable consequences for medical care, including fertility treatment, contraception, and cancer care.

This post-Roe world will be, in many ways, a new era for medical care in the United States, one that could transform medical services for conditions that range far beyond pregnancy, either by making them illegal or by putting their legality in question.

The consequences are unpredictable. Michelle Banker, director of reproductive rights and health litigation at the National Womens Law Center, told me in an interview before Fridays decision that the effect on other types of health care will depend upon the answers to open and untested questions in US courts. Some of it will rest on how judges will interpret new state abortion bans. States could also be emboldened by the Supreme Courts ruling to pass new legislation that restricts other medical services.

History would suggest places that outlaw abortion tend to have less access to other reproductive care as well. In Ireland, which only recently legalized abortion, there is still less access to in vitro fertilization and certain contraceptives than in the rest of Europe, even after abortion became legal. In the US, a health system that is already fractured will become even more so, limiting access to medical care particularly for marginalized patients. Whether you can get certain health care services may be predicated on where you live (or whether you can afford to travel).

The breadth of the potential health care consequences is so broad, Banker said. The first place to start is this is going to result in the death of pregnant people.

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations; Black Americans have a significantly higher mortality rate than anywhere else in the developed world. The risk of death from carrying a pregnancy to term is much higher than the risk of death from undergoing an abortion. One estimate puts the number of forced birth in the first year after Roe is overturned at 75,000; the maternal mortality rate in the US is about 1 in 10,000.

The impact the end of Roe could have on pregnancy care could reach much further. As the Atlantics Sarah Zhang wrote, pregnant women undergo genetic and other tests throughout their pregnancy, meant to assess the health of the fetus and identify any anomalies that could be fatal or life-altering. In some cases, parents who learn about these anomalies choose abortion. But that may no longer be so simple if abortion is now outlawed or severely limited. Decisions about whether to get genetic testing and when could be affected.

By the same token, most abortion bans would carve out exceptions if the health of the mother were in jeopardy. But whether a complication represents a life-threatening risk to the mothers health is in part a judgment call on the part of her doctor and the possibility of legal consequences could make the cost of mistakes much higher.

At the very least, there may well be a chilling effect due to providers and patients uncertainty as to whether treatment could expose them to civil or criminal liability, Banker said.

Fetal personhood laws that convey constitutional protections to unborn fetuses would further limit a pregnant persons choices in medical care. Several states have attempted to pass such a law, but they have thus far been held up by the courts. This new post-Roe jurisprudence could embolden those states and others to put such measures into place. Law enforcement or private citizens, depending on the state law, could bring complaints. The recently signed Texas law, for example, deputizes private citizens by creating a financial incentive for them to take civil action against people who seek or provide abortions.

Or, in a less extreme example, what happens if a pregnant person is also receiving cancer treatment or taking mental health medication that could affect the health of their fetus? If they stop receiving that medical care, their health could be in danger. But if they continue to receive it, the fetus could be affected. What are they and their doctor supposed to do?

The laws that criminalize abortion are going to impact medical decision-making, and thats terrifying, Banker said.

Supporters of abortion rights fear that, unchained by the Supreme Court, states could push deeper and deeper into the lives of pregnant women and the decisions they make about how to conduct themselves.

People have been arrested for substance use during pregnancy, based on reasoning that they are harming the growth of the pregnancy. Tennessee passed the first law permitting the prosecution of pregnant women who use drugs. That alone is objectionable to people who oppose a criminalized approach to substance use. But they also worry that such laws are just the tip of the iceberg in a post-Roe reality. Could a pregnant woman be charged with a crime if she drinks a glass of wine? Or if she goes on a hiking trip that a complainant thinks would imperil the health of her fetus?

These questions will be answered by the specifics of state laws and the discretion of prosecutors in different places. But they are questions that were unfathomable just a few months ago.

How far down this path could states go? said Elizabeth Nash, who tracks state policy at the Guttmacher Institute, in an interview before Fridays Supreme Court ruling. That might sound a bit far-fetched to people but we have seen states take drastic actions in relation for some pregnant people.

Beyond medical care during pregnancy, the end of Roe could usher in a wave of new restrictions on access to contraception and fertility treatment.

The right to contraception is currently upheld by two previous Supreme Court decisions: Griswold v. Connecticut enshrined the right for married people and Eisenstadt v. Baird did the same for unmarried people.

But the current Court is clearly not bound by those precedents if they are willing to overturn Roe v. Wade. And some prominent Republicans, such as Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), have referred to those prior court decisions as constitutionally unsound in the days since the Alito draft leaked.

That puts case law in jeopardy because it relies on this idea that rights not specifically named in the Constitution are only entitled to special protection if they are deeply rooted in the nations traditions, Banker said.

Other experts I spoke to agreed. The stage is very much set for state legislators to ban contraception if they want to, Sean Tipton, who works on policy issues at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, told me before the Supreme Court ruled.

Would state legislators want to ban condoms or even birth control pills? Maybe not. But new laws or even state abortion bans could target other kinds of birth control.

Many of these states want to define the beginning of life as early as possible in the biological process. Oklahoma, for one, passed a law that recognized an unborn childs life as beginning at fertilization. Other states describe the moment of conception. But, as Tipton pointed out, the early stages of pregnancy are, medically speaking, a process. There is not a single moment of conception.

But if states define life in such a way, then contraceptives that could prevent a fertilized egg from becoming implanted could be under threat.

IUDs and the morning-after pill would be threatened under such a legal regime. In the vast majority of cases, IUDs work by preventing fertilization: the sperm and the egg never meet in the first place. But they also might prevent implantation under certain circumstances. There is also some controversy about whether Plan B, the morning-after pill, prevents fertilization in the first place or whether it blocks the implantation of a fertilized egg. The latter could arguably be illegal in states that recognize life at fertilization. Lawmakers in Idaho, for example, announced hearings on whether to ban emergency contraceptives and possibly IUDs before the Supreme Court had even issued its final ruling.

Then there are fertility treatments particularly in vitro fertilization that depend on fostering a larger number of eggs but typically only use a small number of them. If an embryo is conferred the same rights as a toddler, are those procedures suddenly illegal?

As Tipton put it to me, what if a doctor puts 199 embryos in a freezer for IVF treatment, and 198 of them come out of the freezer okay? Does that mean a homicide has been committed? he said.

Experts imagine other possible restrictions on procedures like IVF, particularly in states that define life as beginning at conception or fertilization. That alone could put IVF in legal jeopardy. States could also institute new restrictions on those procedures, now that the right to privacy has been redefined. Maybe the number of embryos could be limited. Maybe state legislators restrict which people are allowed to avail themselves of those services to only straight married couples, for example.

And while there is a tension between ostensibly pro-life politicians restricting access to fertility care, there is an expectation that anti-abortion advocates would be willing to let these medical services be collateral damage in order to achieve the goal of outlawing abortion.

Most right-to-life proponents are not interested in doing anything to hurt fertility patients, Tipton said. But theyre very willing to throw those patients under the bus to end abortion.

The new jurisprudence could also affect access to health care that has nothing to do with pregnancy or reproduction, experts say.

Medical care for people undergoing a gender transition would be one possible casualty. The decision in particular puts gender-affirming care in its crosshairs, Banker said.

In the opinion, Alito cited a 1974 decision, Geduldig v. Aiello, that takes what Banker calls a very narrow and cramped view of what constitutes sex discrimination. For Alitos purposes, that narrow view of sex discrimination supports the argument that banning abortion would not constitute discrimination against pregnant people on the basis of sex.

But Banker says the same logic could be applied to gender-affirming health care such as surgery or hormonal treatments. If the Supreme Courts definition of sex discrimination is now much narrower than it used to be, then opponents of those services could argue that denying a person gender-affirming medical care is not actually discriminatory.

Those arguments are easily refuted under modern precedent, Banker told me. But the drafts language and citation to Geduldig raises concerns that we may see those arguments gain more traction.

Old battles over medical research or treatment could also resurface, Tipton said. Modern science has developed treatments for spinal cord injuries, myelofibrosis, and even certain cancers by relying on stem cells. More treatments are in clinical trials right now. But their prospects could be compromised if access to those materials is limited. Some stem cells are collected from adult body tissue, but others come from embryos.

Much of this will depend on how aggressive anti-abortion advocates decide to be, and on the success of abortion rights advocates in mounting a political and legal response to a ruling overturning Roe.

But it will undoubtedly be a new era for health care in the United States, with potentially devastating consequences for patients with a wide array of medical needs.

Continue reading here:
The end of Roe v. Wade affects more than just abortion - Vox.com

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) continues to work closely with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States as it reviews its proposed acquisition of Vonage Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: VG). The merger has cleared all other requisite foreign and US regulatory approval requirements, and the parties are working to conclude the regulatory process as expeditiously as possible. Ericsson and Vonage remain fully committed to this transaction and are working towards closing before end of July, 2022.

NOTES TO EDITORS

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Update on Ericsson's proposed acquisition of Vonage - Ericsson

The current monkeypox outbreak can remind us of historically harmful lessons weve learned from past public health crises, such as when politicians and media outlets unfairly blamed the HIV-AIDS epidemic on the LGBTQ community. These scars still hurt the community today.

Sometimes when a new or rare disease starts to spread, communication around it can become negative, causing stigmatization in certain groups. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic found people often targeting Asian communities in the U.S., which shows us that as a society, we may not be past blaming some communities for disease outbreak.

The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 4,106 cases of monkeypox globally as of June 27. The U.S. has about 200 of those cases, 51 of which are in California.

While the virus can spread to anyone via close skin-to-skin contact, it is not a sexually transmitted disease.

The World Health Organization and the CDC have focused some of their messaging on gay and bisexual men, after some cases were identified in that community. But that opens a historically vulnerable group to becoming stigmatized once again.

Sacramento LGBT Center CEO David Heitstuman said the organization is doing outreach but feels parallels to the HIV crisis.

Were sort of coordinating and thinking about communicating with other LGBT organizations across the country who are sort of seeing whats happening in their communities, Heitstuman said. A lot of people are harkening back to the beginning of the HIV epidemic when public health wasnt paying super close attention.

Heitsuman and Alexis Sanchez, director of advocacy and training at the Sacramento LGBT Center, met with Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez to discuss how to talk about monkeypox while reducing harm.

Note: The WHO is working on developing a new name for this poxvirus, given that name can be seen as discriminatory and stigmatizing.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Interview Highlights

On how the outbreak is being communicated

Heitsuman: So for us, were sort of coordinating and thinking about communicating with other LGBT organizations across the country who are sort of seeing whats happening in their communities.

And really, a lot of people are harkening back to the beginning of the HIV epidemic when public health wasnt paying super close attention. People didnt think they could get it.

And so, right now, were really focused on just doing some general education with communities members about what to look for and what the symptoms are, and how it spreads, and to make sure that if they are experiencing any symptoms or they suspect that they might have been in contact with someone, that they contact their health care provider and really be a self-advocate for what might be going on.

On what stands out about how monkeypox is being talked about

Sanchez: I think it really is balancing community awareness with not perpetuating any negative stereotypes about the community and also communicating accurate information of how monkeypox is being transmitted and how it is prevented.

And the thing that Ive been talking about with many of our community members is that the interventions that work to prevent HIV and the spread of COVID are going a long way towards preventing monkeypox.

There is a higher prevalence of COVID-19, especially in our community right now, and there is still a high prevalence of HIV in certain communities in Sacramento.

So if we are doing things such as getting tested regularly [for monkeypox], if were doing things such as using barriers and other forms of protection, thats going to go a long way towards preventing monkeypox.

I think theres space for nuance, right? With monkeypox, we have to talk about fomite transmission and sweat and other things like that, but generally broad strokes, we are really leaning into a general prevention message across all three diseases.

On how labeling a group as a potential vector can cause harm

Sanchez: So something that we saw in the early stages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic was the disease was labeled as a gay disease, right?

So we had bisexual men who were transmitting. We had cisgender heterosexual couples that were contracting HIV and not understanding that they could still spread it to other individuals.

So really talking about how [monkeypox] spreads from skin-to-skin contact, from sweat, and saying that it could really affect really anyone is really, really, really important.

On if theres concerns that LGBTQ+ groups will be discriminated once again

Heitsuman: I want to be hopeful that thats not going to be the case, and at the same time, I think its really important that there be a strong partnership between public health and community-based organizations that are really looking to ensure that we respond very quickly to these kinds of outbreaks.

Right now, most of the cases had been [with] folks who have been connected to an LBGT-focused event in Europe This isnt a disease that discriminates, and so it can infect any person and very likely will if we dont get it under control right away.

On how stigmatizing marginalized communities harms everyone

Sanchez: I think that I, as an advocate, can only do so much, but it really comes down to everyone really educating themselves and not perpetuating stigma towards particular groups and particular individuals.

When I talk about and do advocacy for transgender women and transgender women of color my own background is in public health. I like to talk about the social determinants of health and why marginalized communities tend to have higher risks for certain illnesses.

Its not because they have certain behaviors, but its more about the built environment and less access to primary care, less access to all sorts of resources that are going to keep a person healthy.

And so when Im talking about prevention, not perpetuating stigma in communities, Im also talking about what puts certain communities at higher risk as well and what we can do to address some of those things.

Originally posted here:
Interview: Infectious outbreaks may lead to discrimination. Here's why we should avoid that. - Capital Public Radio News

Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber attend the Grammy Awards on April 3, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images.

Other studies have reported a small number of people who have had VZV reactivations following vaccination, including a set of 10 patients with rheumatic diseases in Taiwan.

But case reports are not proof of anything.

Its purely speculative when you look at a single case report and try to conclude causation or even an association, Dr. Maria Nagel, a neurologist and neurovirologist who studies VZV at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, told us. Saying theres a link would be like a few people reporting that they stubbed their toe after vaccination and we conclude that [the] vaccine causes stubbed toes.

The fact that somebodys gotten the vaccine and then gotten Ramsay Hunt, what youd have to do is demonstrate not only a temporal relationship, but the fact that it occurs at a higher rate in that population than in the population in general, Berger said. You cant use anecdote as data.

The results from larger epidemiological studies about COVID-19 vaccination and shingles or VZV reactivations have been mixed. A few, including an analysis of data from a health care organization in Israel, have identified an association, but others have not.

Data from safety monitoring systems in the U.S. do not suggest a connection.

CDC has detected no unusual or unexpected patterns of Ramsay Hunt syndrome following immunization that would indicate COVID-19 vaccines are causing or contributing to this condition, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson told us in an email. Evidence at this time does not support a causal association between COVID-19 vaccination and the development of Ramsay Hunt syndrome or herpes zoster (shingles). Safety monitoring for these outcomes is ongoing.

The evidence is pretty thin, Berger said, adding that he was skeptical of a meaningful association between vaccination and Ramsay Hunt.

The available evidence also does not support a connection between COVID-19 vaccination and Bells palsy, a more common and less severe form of facial paralysis than Ramsey Hunt that is sometimes thought to be due to VZV reactivation, although more often is thought to be due to reactivation of herpes simplex virus. In the vaccine trials for the two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, there were a few more people who developed Bells palsy in the vaccinated versus the placebo groups, but the frequency was similar to what would be expected in the general population. Subsequent monitoring has not revealed safety concerns.

Given that large-scale studies are inconclusive about a possible link between COVID-19 vaccination and VZV reactivation and the lack of such a safety signal in the U.S., the claim that there is a link or that the vaccine is responsible for Biebers condition is unsupported.

Even if vaccination does increase a persons risk of VZV reactivation, the risk would likely be low, and would not mean the risks of the vaccine would outweigh the benefits, contrary to posts that attempt to use Biebers case to argue against vaccination. Indeed, even many of the published papers that propose a possible link to Ramsay Hunt or shingles are careful to note this.

Its not fully understood what causes VZV reactivations, such as with shingles and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, but is thought to primarily be the result of the immune systems inability control the virus.

Older people and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk, and medications, infections and stress are possible triggers.

But sometimes there is no obvious cause.

We also see it in individuals that are otherwise perfectly healthy, immunologically, who are young, Berger said of shingles. It just is one of those things that can occur without there being a known precipitant or a good explanation.

Nagel said that if she saw a younger patient, such as 28-year-old Bieber, with Ramsay Hunt, she would first ask when he had chickenpox as a child.

If youre four years old or under, you dont have good immune memory. And those kids tend to flare up virus at a younger age, she said. They might get shingles, also known as herpes zoster, when theyre 12 years old, or in their 20s.

She said shed also ask about recent infections and other medical conditions or medications that weaken the immune system.

Bieber, notably, had a mild case of COVID-19 in mid-February.

Multiple case reports have suggested that COVID-19 increases the risk of VZV reactivation, but as with the case reports of events following vaccination, these reports do not mean anything on their own. One large study found that among adults 50 years of age and older, those who had had COVID-19 were 15% more likely to develop shingles than those who had not been sick with the coronavirus. But another large study the Israeli one that found an association between the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and shingles did not observe an increased risk of shingles with COVID-19.

Berger, who said he usually sees a couple of cases of Ramsay Hunt a year, said he has not seen an uptick in cases during the pandemic or with the rollout of vaccines.

Regardless of the cause, if someone is experiencing facial paralysis or other symptoms of Ramsay Hunt, Berger and Nagel both said to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

The longer you wait, the more likely there is to be permanent damage to the nerve, Berger said. Ramsay Hunt is typically treated with antiviral medications and steroids to reduce swelling, he said, and about half of patients fully recover, but it can take months.

There are chickenpox and shingles vaccines that can reduce the risk of VZV infection or reactivation, and thereby lower the risk of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

The chickenpox vaccine is a two-dose vaccine made from weakened, or attenuated, varicella-zoster virus, which is around 90% effective in preventing the disease. While some people who are vaccinated get shingles later, the CDC says this is much less common after vaccination than after chickenpox disease.

The chickenpox vaccine was first used in the U.S. in 1995 as a single-dose vaccine. Bieber, who is Canadian, likely was never vaccinated, as the vaccine wasnt licensed there until 1998 and was not part of routine childhood immunization programs until 2000 or later, when he was 6.

Older people 50 and above and immunocompromised adults 19 years of age and older are eligible to receive the shingles vaccine, which prevents shingles and long-term nerve pain due to shingles called postherpetic neuralgia. The vaccine, known by its brand name Shingrix, is a two-dose vaccine that does not contain live virus and is 85% effective or more, depending on age, in healthy people.

In addition to Justins Ramsay Hunt syndrome, social media posts have without evidence blamed Hailey Biebers transient ischemic attack, or TIA, on COVID-19 vaccination.

As we have written, only one of the FDA-authorized vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, has been linked to blood clots, but it is a very particular and rare problem known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS. In the condition, which has occurred in about 4 cases per million doses of vaccine administered, blood clotting occurs together with low levels of platelets.

Haileys description of her clinical case, however, bears no suggestion that she suffered from TTS, nor is there evidence that she was even vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In an April 27 YouTube video, Hailey described her experience in detail, never mentioning COVID-19 vaccination and in fact giving other reasons why doctors suspect she had a blood clot in her brain.

According to her account, her doctors attributed the clot to a perfect storm of three factors.

One was that I had just recently started birth control pills, which I should have never been on because I am somebody who suffered from migraines anyway, and I just did not talk to my doctor about this, she said.

The second thing was I had recently had COVID, and that was something that they thought was a contributing factor, she continued. And the third thing was that I had recently gone on a really long flight I had flown to Paris and back in a very short amount of time and I slept through the whole flight both ways, didnt get up and move around, never thought about wearing compression socks.

Haileys doctors also discovered she had a natural opening between the two chambers of her heart called a patent foramen ovale, which she had been born with and had likely allowed the clot to travel to her brain and cause the TIA. She has since had surgery to close the hole.

Its unclear when she had COVID-19, but numerous studies have now shown there is an increased risk of clotting and cardiovascular problems after infection with the coronavirus.

Dr. Adam Cuker, a hematologist with expertise in blood clots at Penn Medicine, told us that her case did not raise any concerns about the vaccines.

It sounds like she developed a DVT and then a piece broke off, traveled through the hole in her heart and into her brain, he said, referring to the deep vein thrombosis, the technical term for a blood clot. This process is called paradoxical embolism.

If she did have TTS as a result of the J&J vaccine, Cuker said, her platelets would have been low something that he thought was highly likely to have been checked and anti-platelet factor 4 antibodies would also be elevated. Bieber mentions neither, but does say in her video that while at the hospital her doctors ran a lot of tests, including blood tests to see if I had a clotting disorder.

Much more likely, she developed a garden variety DVT with the risk factors of hormonal contraception, long-haul travel, and possibly recent COVID, he said. There is nothing here that suggests a link with this event and vaccination.

Editors note:SciChecks COVID-19/Vaccination Projectis made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation hasno controlover FactCheck.orgs editorial decisions, and the views expressed in our articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation. The goal of the project is to increase exposure to accurate information about COVID-19 and vaccines, while decreasing the impact of misinformation.

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Social Media Swirls With Unsupported Claims About Cause of Justin and Hailey Bieber's Medical Conditions - FactCheck.org