A first for organ transplants; banning menthol cigarettes; lessons from COVID-19 – Morning Medical Update

Kidney transplant history

Massachusetts General Hospital announced the world’s first successful transplant of a genetically edited pig kidney into a 62-year-old man living with end-state kidney disease. “The procedure marks a major milestone in the quest to provide more readily available organs to patients,” said the hospital’s official news announcement. As of March 21, patient Richard “Rick” Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, is recovering and expected to be discharged soon.

Ban on menthol cigarettes?

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced 123 medical, civil rights, public health and other organizations this week used a full-page ad in The Washington Post to urge President Joe Biden and his administration to issue final rules this month to bar menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The move would meet a deadline the administration set in December.

Lessons from COVID-19

March marks the four-year anniversary of the declaration of COVID-19 as a global public health emergency. Since then, public health and infection control experts have been analyzing lessons about how to prepare for the next pandemic. This article examines operational processes, global and national public health, and actions for infection preventionists.