Trending News Today: Expert Panel Urges Routine Hepatitis A Vaccination for Homeless

The US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on Wednesday to recommend routine vaccination against hepatitis A for homeless individuals, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, the recommendation would make it easier for shelters, emergency rooms, and clinics that serve the homeless to offer hepatitis A vaccinations along with other services. Homeless encampments can contribute to the disease through unsanitary conditions, such as contaminated food or needles used for injection drugs, the article reported.

A new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV found that many young Americans support an expansion of government services, including a single-payer health care program, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, 69% of respondents between the ages of 15 and 34 years old favor a single-payer program, while 80% of young Democrats and 40% of young Republicans favor a government-run health insurance program. Sixty-two percent of those who will be old enough to vote in the midterms rated health care as a very important issue in deciding how to vote, the article reported.

On Wednesday, President Trump signed a bipartisan opioid legislation package, which passed Congress earlier this month, The Hill reported. According to the article, the bill includes several treatment, prevention, and enforcement provisions geared towards curbing the opioid epidemic. Notably, the bill includes a provision aimed at stopping the flow of deadly synthetic opioids into the United States from other countries and reauthorizes funding for the 21^st Century Cures Act, the article reported.