Health and Science Highlights

March 4, 2026 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• CDC Issues Travel Advisory for 32 Countries, Including Several in Europe, Over Spread of Paralyzing Disease (People)
• "One year of failure." The Lancet slams RFK Jr.'s first year as health chief (KPBS)
• Pockets of unvaccinated communities are driving measles outbreaks in California  (Cal Matters)
• Cancer blood tests are everywhere. Do they really work? (Nature)
• Trump’s Medicaid work mandate could kick thousands of homeless Californians off coverage (Cal Matters)
• Newsom threatens California counties for failing to use his new mental health court  (Cal Matters)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• A Possible US Government iPhone-Hacking Toolkit Is Now in the Hands of Foreign Spies and Criminals (Wired)
• What’s behind your eye-popping power bill? We broke it down, region by region. (Grist)
• Reddit, Meta, and Google Voluntarily Gave DHS Info of Anti-ICE Users, Report Says (Gizmodo)
• What one company’s shift towards data centers says about Imperial County’s lithium industry (KPBS)
• Washington state cities turn off license plate reader cameras amid ruling on data access (GeekWire)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

CDC Issues Travel Advisory for 32 Countries, Including Several in Europe, Over Spread of Paralyzing Disease (People)

The CDC is encouraging Americans traveling abroad to make sure they are up to date on their polio vaccines...The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a level 2 alert, cautioning travelers to "practice enhanced precautions” before visiting 32 countries.

"One year of failure." The Lancet slams RFK Jr.'s first year as health chief (KPBS)

In a scathing review, the top US medical journal's editorial board warned that the "destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 in office might take generations to repair."

Pockets of unvaccinated communities are driving measles outbreaks in California  (Cal Matters)

California is battling measles across seven counties as federal funding cuts gut local health departments and vaccine skepticism fuels spread among unvaccinated children.

Cancer blood tests are everywhere. Do they really work? (Nature)

Their makers claim they can detect dozens of cancer types — but some scientists say they could be missing many cancers or delivering the wrong diagnosis.

Trump’s Medicaid work mandate could kick thousands of homeless Californians off coverage (Cal Matters)

A majority of California’s roughly 180,000 people experiencing homelessness have health insurance through Medi-Cal. Providers predict that many will lose insurance under President Donald Trump’s upcoming work mandates even if they qualify for exemptions.

Newsom threatens California counties for failing to use his new mental health court  (Cal Matters)

Far fewer people with mental illness are getting help in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court program than expected. This week, he blamed local governments for shortcomings.

SCIENCE AND TECH

A Possible US Government iPhone-Hacking Toolkit Is Now in the Hands of Foreign Spies and Criminals (Wired)

A highly sophisticated set of iPhone hijacking techniques has likely infected tens of thousands of phones or more. Clues suggest it was originally built for the US government.

What’s behind your eye-popping power bill? We broke it down, region by region. (Grist)

 It’s no secret that U.S. electricity prices have been rising over the last few years: The average residential energy bill in 2025 was roughly 30 percent higher than in 2021…. But there are big differences from state to state and region to region... In this piece, we highlight one key driver of recent price trends in each region of the country.

Reddit, Meta, and Google Voluntarily Gave DHS Info of Anti-ICE Users, Report Says (Gizmodo)

Reddit, Meta, and Google voluntarily “complied with some of the requests” for identifying details of users critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sent as part of a recent wave of administrative subpoenas the Department of Homeland Security has been distributing to Big Tech the past few months….  Amazon has also been accused of at least some degree of participation with ICE’s ongoing mass deportation efforts. In October, Amazon-owned Ring announced a partnership with Flock that would loop the AI-powered network into the content coming from users’ doorbell cameras.

What one company’s shift towards data centers says about Imperial County’s lithium industry (KPBS)

  Controlled Thermal Resources, one of the three energy firms chasing lithium around the Salton Sea, is shifting its focus to generating power for the booming artificial intelligence industry.

Washington state cities turn off license plate reader cameras amid ruling on data access (GeekWire)

Cameras that automatically capture images of vehicle license plates are being turned off by police in jurisdictions across Washington state, in part after a court ruled the public has a right to access data generated by the technology...