Anesthesiologist Convicted; Oldest Conjoined Twins Die; ‘Donald Trump Did This’

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Dallas anesthesiologist Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., MD, was convicted for injecting a nerve-blocking agent and other drugs into IV bags, leading to a coworker’s death and several cardiac emergencies involving patients, according to federal prosecutors. (AP)

Meanwhile, two doctors from Ohio and Kentucky were sentenced to prison time and fined for their role in a $4 million urine drug testing scheme, the Department of Justice announced.

Lori and George Schappell, the oldest living conjoined twins, died in Pennsylvania at age 62. (AP)

Unauthorized enrollments in the Affordable Care Act by rogue brokers are causing havoc for tax filers. (KFF Health News)

The National Academy of Sciences wants permission to repurpose roughly $30 million in dormant donations by the Sackler family, the former owners of Purdue Pharma, and to wipe the family name from the endowment. (New York Times)

An invasive species of mosquito that can carry dengue was spotted in the Bay Area, according to California health officials. (KRON4)

Also in California, a health insurer gave the sole hospital in Catalina Island a $2 million grant to help it stay open, but only for the time being. (Los Angeles Times)

Permanent sterilization shot up among young adults following the Dobbs decision. (JAMA Health Forum)

“Donald Trump did this.” Vice President Kamala Harris blamed the former president for the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to uphold an 1864 ban on nearly all abortions. (BBC News)

Here’s a glimpse into how women at one Arizona clinic are grappling with the court ruling. (New York Times)

Six in 10 Catholics in America support abortion rights, according to new data from the Pew Research Center. (NPR)

In Maine, state lawmakers passed a bill that aims to shield healthcare workers who provide abortions or gender-affirming care from out-of-state lawsuits. (AP)

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoed a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors and a bill aimed at criminalizing the coercion of abortion, though the measures appear to have the needed votes for veto overrides. (NPR)

Joel Breman, MD, a disease investigator and global health icon who supported efforts to respond to the first Ebola epidemic, died at age 87. (NPR)

Mexico is battling a severe shortage of fentanyl for medical use, but cartels there have no trouble producing their own illicit forms of the opioid. (AP)

Health regulators in South Africa recalled Johnson & Johnson’s children cough syrup due to elevated levels of the toxin diethylene glycol. (Reuters)

Nigeria becomes the first nation to launch the new pentavalent meningitis vaccine, the World Health Organization announced.

The American Academy of Pediatrics launched a free, comprehensive guide for parents on childhood vaccinations.

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