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This is a MedPage Today story. Public health officials are looking into reports of a small potential uptick in neurologic complications of influenza in children — particularly a rapidly progressing and dangerous condition called acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). Adrienne Randolph, MD, MSc, of Boston Children’s Hospital, said she reported about 12 potential cases of flu-associated ANE to CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) in the past few weeks. Randolph’s position as the leader of the Pediatric Intensive Care Influenza Network gives her particular insight into what’s happening with influenza complications in children across the country. "There’s not a study going on to say that these cases are all really acute necrotizing encephalopathy," Randolph told MedPage Today, urging caution about making preliminary conclusions. "That’s why I informed the CDC about potential cases across the U.S. that I was made aware of. They can…

This is a MedPage Today story. A patient at Provident Hospital in Chicago allegedly stabbed an emergency physician in the chest. (FOX 32) A physician in the U.K. is facing a second hearing over sexual misconduct allegations that he talked to female patients in a "hypnotic way." (BBC News) A Florida nurse may lose her eyesight after a patient allegedly attacked her and broke nearly every bone in her face. A 33-year-old man has been arrested in the attack. (WFLA, NBC Miami) Nebraska family physician Jacob Smith, MD, has been accused of distributing child pornography. (KOLN) Missouri physician Sonny Saggar, MD, was sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison for healthcare fraud, after billing federal payers for doctor visits that were actually performed by assistant physicians. (KSDK) Five-year-old Thomas Cooper’s mother watched in horror as he burned to death in a hyperbaric chamber that went up in flames. The family plans to take legal action in the coming weeks. (Detroit Free…

This is a MedPage Today story. Thousands of employees of federal health agencies have been let go in a chaotic and slow-rolling Trump administration purge over the holiday weekend. While the total number of dismissed employees appears to be smaller than originally expected, the changes sowed confusion as some staffers received termination notices over the weekend, while others waited for expected firings that never came. This includes members of CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, a 2-year fellowship program that trains the next generation of "disease detectives." One employee from an agency within HHS who asked to remain anonymous described "chaos and confusion" as leadership "tries to sort this all out." Initial reports suggested about 5,200 employees across HHS agencies — among about 80,000 total employees — would be let go, but on Tuesday the totals were unclear. The focus was on "probationary" employees, or those generally within the first year of their…

This is a MedPage Today story. HAVANA, Fla. — For a rural community, this town of 1,750 people has been more fortunate than most. A family doctor has practiced here for the last 30 years. But that ended in December when Mark Newberry, MD, retired. To attract a new doctor, Havana leaders took out want ads in local newspapers, posted notices on social media, and sweetened the pot with a rent-free medical office equipped with an x-ray, an ultrasound machine, and a bone density scanner — all owned by the town. Local leaders hope the recruitment campaign will help attract candidates amid a nationwide shortage of doctors. "This is important for our community," said Kendrah Wilkerson, Havana’s town manager, "in the same way that parks are important and good future planning is important." According to a Florida Department of Health report, doctor shortages affect all or part of nearly every county, but less populous counties, such as Gadsden, where Havana is located, have the…