National:

With the upcoming Passover holiday, measles cases are expected to increase following a recent outbreak in Ultra-Orthodox communities of New York including Brooklyn, Rockland County, and northern Westchester County. Since Passover is traditionally celebrated with large gatherings and feasts, the highly contagious disease is expected to rapidly spread during the celebrations. With 329 reported cases in New York City alone, New York State is enforcing the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and advising parents to vaccinate their babies above six months of age.

Sixty people – including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and health professionals – were charged with illegally prescribing opioid medications on April 17. Many cases involve issuing illegal prescriptions in exchange for money and sex, while others were about dentists unnecessarily extracting patients’ teeth to rationalize prescribing opioid drugs. The cases occurred over seven states and involved more than 350,000 illegal prescriptions of over 32 million pills.

International:

The French government is divided on how to move forward in rebuilding the Notre-Dame Cathedral spire after it collapsed in an uncontainable fire on April 15. The two sides of the debate are whether to preserve the original design or incorporate a more modern style. French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe stated on April 17 that there will be a competition of potential designs to address this debate and eventually reconstruct the spire.

Myanmar promised to release over 9,000 prisoners in light of the Burmese new year season beginning on April 17, which is a usual occurrence during this festive time. However, this year’s pardoning does not include two Reuters reporters whose exposé work won a Pulitzer Prize. The two reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, were arrested in December of 2017 and were sentenced to seven years in prison for revealing the country’s military abuses and possessing state secrets. Their appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected earlier this year.