Public Health Law Blog Archive

A number of those addicted to prescription drugs eventually move from swallowing pills to injecting drugs. This switch increases the risk of bloodborne illnesses from shared needles. Syringe access programs can help prevent the spread of bloodborne diseases.

In 2010, the FTC began enforcing the Health Breach Notification Rule to require certain businesses not covered by HIPAA to notify their customers and others if there’s a breach of unsecured, individually identifiable electronic health information — called personal health records (PHRs).

Strong laws lead to high immunization rates, which in turn lead to lower incidences of disease. Some diseases have been nearly eradicated such as polio, rubella, and until recently, measles. However, over the past two decades there has been a weakening of immunization laws in many states. When immunization laws are weak, it puts the public's health at risk.  

The CDC published a report this month that shows foodborne illness outbreaks associated with raw milk are on the rise. There are clear health risks associated with consuming raw milk and the federal government prohibits its sale and transport in interstate commerce. However, states have chosen different legal approaches to regulating this product within their borders.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are state run databases used to prevent and uncover prescription drug abuse. But depsite their wide operations, PDMPs prescribers rarely use them.