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This week, the F.D.A. is likely to approve the first gene therapy for sickle cell disease, a painful, life-shortening illness that affects around 100,000 Americans, most of them Black. (Daniela J. Lamas, 12/5)

Since the start of the pandemic, it has been obvious that nursing home residents are especially vulnerable to covid-19. Though less than 1 percent of Americans live in long-term-care facilities, more than 1 in 5 deaths from covid have happened in that setting. (Leana S. Wen, 12/5)

National Influenza Vaccine Week — Dec. 4 to 8 — serves as a reminder to make sure your seasonal vaccines are up to date, especially for flu and COVID-19. (William Barson, Megan Buller, Mark Herbert and Susan L. Koletar, 12/4)

“The courts regularly order people to drug treatment as a condition of probation, but also to be drug-free, and then, if they relapse, incarcerate them as punishment for violating the drug-free condition,” explained attorney Lisa Newman-Polk. “Sometimes judges use their discretion and choose not to incarcerate a person for a relapse, but the threat of incarceration is always there, which is extremely damaging for people who struggle with addiction.” (12/3)

Alcohol encourages people to engage in behaviors they would typically suppress, such as aggression, because it impacts the part of the brain that controls impulses and urges. The use of alcohol also interrupts cognitive processing, making it difficult to problem-solve, control anger and make good decisions — this is called cognitive functional impairment. (Courtney Messina, 12/4)