What We're Reading: HPV Rates Increasing; Rite Aid Halts e-Cigarette Sales; Ohio Heartbeat Bill

HPV Rates Increasing Among Women Under 40

Rite Aid Will Stop Selling e-Cigarettes

Ohio Passes Law Banning Abortion After First Heartbeat

Rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) are increasing among women under age 40 who did not receive the HPV vaccine, putting them at higher risk for HPV-related cancers, such as cervical cancer. A study from The University of Michigan developed a model that used data on both HPV infection and past infection and found that while there may be a significant increase in HPV among younger adults, HPV vaccination can likely mitigate adverse HPV-related outcomes, including genital warts and cancer. However, the study did not identify why there was a spike in HPV infection among the age group.Rite Aid has announced that it will stop the sale of e-cigarettes and vaping products over the next 90 days, citing a 38% increase in e-cigarette use among high schoolers in 2018 and other evidence that e-cigarette use has increased among children and teens. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company will continue to sell traditional cigarettes. Competitor CVS no longer sells e-cigarettes or cigarettes and Walgreens continues to sell both, although the chain has indicated that it is testing tobacco-free stores throughout the country after facing pressure from federal regulators and some investors.Governor Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has signed into law the strictest abortion restrictions in the country, banning abortion after a detectable heartbeat, reported the Associated Press. The law makes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. Doctors have said this can be as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. The bill had previously been vetoed twice by DeWine’s predecessor John Kasich, R-Ohio. Before the bill was signed, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio indicated that it would challenge the law on behalf of 4 Ohio abortion clinics.