MEXICO CITY -- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued a new epidemiological alert following a surge of measles cases across the Americas, with Mexico reporting the highest numbers. It also called for urgent vaccination campaigns, highlighting that 78% of recent cases involved unvaccinated people as reported by MEDPAGE TODAY. 

Through the first 3 weeks of the year, Mexico led the way with 740 cases

The alert, announced on Wednesday, follows Canada's loss of measles-free status in November -- a setback the U.S. and Mexico could soon mirror. While both governments have requested a 2-month extension to contain their respective outbreaks, the situation is complicated by the Trump administration's January withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the parent agency of PAHO.

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Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took additional steps to support the transition of our nation's food supply from the use of artificial petroleum-based colors to alternatives derived from natural sources. Companies will now have flexibility to claim products contain 'no artificial colors' when the products do not contain petroleum-based colors. In the past, companies were generally only able to make such claims when their products had no added color whatsoever — whether derived from natural sources or otherwise.  [US Food and Drug Administration]

The agency sent a letter to industry providing notice of the FDA's intent to exercise enforcement discretion related to these voluntary labeling claims.

"This is real progress," said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  "We are making it easier for companies to move away from petroleum-based synthetic colors and adopt safer, naturally derived alternatives. This momentum advances our broader effort to help Americans eat real food and Make America Healthy Again."

Additionally, the agency today also approved beetroot red, a new color option, and approved the expanded use of spirulina extract, an existing color additive derived from a natural source. These actions were initiated by two petitions and will further help the industry transition from petroleum-based food colors. This brings the total number of new food color options approved under the current administration to six.

"We acknowledge that calling colors derived from natural sources 'artificial' might be confusing for consumers and a hindrance for companies to explore alternative food coloring options," said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. "We're taking away that hindrance and making it easier for companies to use these colors in the foods our families eat every day."

This work builds on previous HHS and FDA actions to encourage companies to phase out the use of petroleum-based colors in their food products. In April 2025, HHS and the FDA first announced a series of new measures to work with industry to phase out use of all petroleum-based synthetic colors from the nation's food supply—a significant milestone in the administration's broader initiative to Make America Healthy Again. Ongoing progress in removing petroleum-based colors from the food supply is being publicly tracked by the FDA at Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum Based Food Dyes.

"We are working diligently to facilitate industry's phase out of petroleum-based colors and speed up authorizations for colors that are derived from alternative sources," said Kyle Diamantas, J.D., Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods. "The actions announced today give companies even more ways to transition to the use of alternative colors derived from natural sources."

While the FDA encourages manufacturers to transition to alternative colors, including those derived from natural sources, the agency is also reminding manufacturers of their responsibility to ensure color additive safety. Therefore, the agency is issuing a letter that, among other things, highlights resources that may assist manufacturers of authorized color additives in maintaining high standards of safety and purity.

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Modifiable risk factors account for almost 40% of the worldwide cancer burden, according to an international study group. [MEDPAGE TODAY]

Based on data from 2022, their report showed that an estimated 37.8% of the 18.7 million cancers were attributable to 30 modifiable factors, 29.7% for women and 45.4% for men. Rates of cancers associated with modifiable risk factors varied by geography, ranging as high as 38.2% in women and 57.2% in men. 

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Smoking, infections, and alcohol consumption topped the list of modifiable risk factors, accounting for 28.5% of the worldwide cancer burden.

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 Our upcoming speaker, Dr. Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD, suggests reading:
Imprisoned Minds reminds us of the humanity of the nearly two million people behind bars in the United States and encourages solutions from within that can break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration. By Erik S. Maloney and Kevin A. Wright.

Join us!
Feb. 17, 2026 Noon CT
A Public Health Opportunity: Addressing the Health Needs of Justice-Involved Individuals during Reentry
Speaker: Dr. Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD
Open to All
More details and to register>

Speaker
Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD
Associate Dean, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Professor, Family and Community Medicine, Center for Family Medicine in Springfield, Illinois.

Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD, is an Associate Dean at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She is a Professor of Family and Community Medicine and provides care at the Center for Family Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. Dr. El-Amin is appointed to the SIU’s Department of Medical Education and the Department of Medical Humanities.

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The Illinois Department of Public Health's 2025 Illinois Homelessness Mortality and Morbidity Report highlights that people experiencing homelessness have an average life expectancy of 55.5 years, while those with stable housing live, on average, to 74.2 years.

Latest Morbidity/Mortality Report shows persons experiencing homelessness have much higher rates of hospitalizations and premature death.

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The report, created in partnership with IDPH, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, and the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, also offered several recommendations to help improve the health and well-being of people without stable housing.

“One of the key pillars of Illinois’ state plan to end homelessness is to close the mortality gap for people experiencing homelessness,” Illinois’ Chief Homelessness Officer Christine Haley said in a statement. “This report provides the data we need to make smart decisions about where and how to invest in housing and health care that will have the biggest positive impact on the lives of our unhoused neighbors.” [Health News Illinois] 

For more details and view the report>

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Update: The new SNAP guidelines will take effect on February 1, 2026. These changes may impact benefits for many individuals. Illinois has launched a website to help you review the updated SNAP program requirements. It is urgent to share this information with anyone who may be impacted or needs to update their details.

Illinois officials estimate up to 400,000 people may lose SNAP benefits under the new rules (Chicago Sun-Times). This significant change requires prompt attention from SNAP recipients. An estimated 340,000 Illinois residents may be without food due to these changes (Chicago Tribune). 

The Illinois Department of Human Services recommends that all SNAP recipients notify DHS of their work status or eligible exemptions to avoid losing benefits. 

Share the link below or call 1-800-843-6154.

Visit this page>

The Institute of Medicine of Chicago is an advocate of the social determinants of health, access to care, preventive health, and more. Check out IOMC's Programmatic Focus here> 

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CHICAGO ──The Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC), a leading 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing health equity, is pleased to announce the appointments of Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD, as President-Elect and Fellow of IOMC, and Beena Peters, DNP, RN, FACHE, FABC, FAAN, as Secretary and Fellow of IOMC. The Board of Governors unanimously approved both appointments on December 8, 2025.

“Welcoming Dr. Archana Chatterjee and Dr. Beena Peters in these roles marks a pivotal moment for IOMC,” said Dr. Lorenzo Pence, FACOFP, FAODME, Billings Fellow, President, IOMC. Dr. Pence, who also serves as Senior Vice President for Osteopathic Accreditation at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, added, “Their passion and expertise will energize our mission to close gaps in care, foster innovation, and champion a healthier future for all. I appreciate the support of the Board as we continue the success of IOMC, over 110 years, in advancing health equity.”

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Illinois’ nursing home rate reform has led to “modest” improvements in patient health, according to a recent report from national researchers. [Health News Illinois] 

The analysis linked the 2022 reforms to a 12.2 percent increase and a 0.5 percentage point drop in 90-day hospitalization rates. 

Those hospitalization rates decreased by about 4.1 percent for Illinois patients compared to those in other states.

The researchers from Lehigh University, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University and the University of California, Los Angeles examined mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits among nursing home residents from the second quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2023 through linked Medicare claims and minimum data set assessments.

“In this case-control study, we found that a Medicaid policy that incentivized high staffing levels was associated with modest improvement in some dimensions of patient health,” the study said. 

It is projected that if similar reforms were adopted nationally, it could prevent over 6,000 hospitalizations per year.

The law incentivized staffing improvements by providing facilities with bonus reimbursements up to $38.68 per Medicaid resident-day based on acuity-adjusted staffing levels.

Researchers said three other states have adopted similar staffing incentives, including Maine, New Jersey and Ohio.

Visit Health News Illinois here> 

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As behavioral health crises drive prolonged emergency department boarding and staff burnout, health systems are adopting targeted strategies to ease the burden and improve care transitions. From building dedicated billing teams to integrating technology into daily workflow, behavioral health leaders want to engage with patients even earlier and more consistently than before. As behavioral health crises drive prolonged emergency department boarding and staff burnout, health systems are adopting targeted strategies to ease the burden and improve care transitions. From building dedicated billing teams to integrating technology into daily workflow, behavioral health leaders want to engage with patients even earlier and more consistently than before.  [Becker's Behavioral Health]

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February 17, 2026   |  12:00 PM CT   |  Webinar

A Public Health Opportunity: Addressing the Health Needs of Justice Involved Individuals during Reentry

Open to all. 

Overview

Public health and incarceration are inextricably linked. The reentry of returning citizens impacts not only the individuals who have been incarcerated but the overall health of the community.

Health care for those formally incarcerated is crucial for the following reasons:        

• Prevents Recidivism
• Improves Health Outcomes
• Reduces Health Disparities
• Supports Community RE-entry
• Ensures Human Rights
• Protects the health of the community

By attending this webinar, you will:

Speaker 

Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD

Associate Dean, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Professor, Family and Community Medicine, Center for Family Medicine in Springfield, Illinois.

Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD, is an Associate Dean at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She is a Professor  of Family and Community Medicine and provides care at the Center for Family Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. Dr. El-Amin is appointed to the SIU’s Department of Medical Education and the department of Medical Humanities.

She completed her residency in family practice and community medicine as chief resident at the University of Texas-Houston (2001). She earned her medical degree at Georgetown Medical School (1998) and a bachelor’s degree in biology at Hampton University in Virginia (1993).

Dr. El-Amin is board certified in family medicine and is a member of the National Medical Association, where she chaired the Women’s Health Section (2008 – 2019). She has been a community health advocate and activist for over two decades.

Her passion is equity and dismantling the systems that underpin health disparities is unparalleled in our community. She has won numerous awards and accolades for her teaching, and she brings a heart for service, justice and healing to everything she does.  Dr. Willis El-Amin has served on the boards of the National Commission of Correctional Health Care, Central Illinois Boys and Girls Club, Springfield YMCA, and the Community Foundation of the Land of Lincoln and is a member of the ELAM 2020 class of fellows.

More details and to register> 

If you are interested in sponsoring this program or other IOMC programs, please contact us at sponsorship@iomc.org. 

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