Houston’s top health stories of 2022

More from Julian Gill: An excruciatingly painful disease brought a Zambian girl to Houston. Years later, she can’t leave.

Here’s a closer look at the biggest health stories of the year: 

Omicron 

January 

Around this time last year, the world was introduced to a new COVID variant that proved more contagious than all its predecessors. First identified in South Africa, omicron drew widespread concern for the number of mutations it contained, allowing it to dodge antibodies and vaccines. At its peak, omicron infected more than 800,000 Americans per day, shattering the previous daily infection record and further stressing an already exhausted health care workforce. 

Descendants of omicron, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, now dominate worldwide. Experts do not predict another record-breaking wave this holiday season, but they urge caution as cases again begin to rise.

Transplanted 

February 

The story of Jesus Ceja Ceja — a three-part series that chronicled his lung transplant after a devastating COVID infection — was a stark reminder of COVID’s impact on otherwise healthy young people. The transplant meant Jesus, a 29-year-old from Mexico who spent most his days insulating pipes at chemical plants and oil refineries throughout the Gulf Coast region, would have a dramatically shorter life expectancy. But he did not have a choice. The surgery was the only way he could go home again with his wife, Perla, and two young children. 

DEEP DIVE: What is it like to receive a lung transplant?

Texas Children’s pauses hormone treatment 

March 

The largest pediatric hospital in the country temporarily stopped prescribing gender-affirming hormone therapies, following a controversial directive from Republican state leaders to investigate medical treatment for transgender youth as child abuse.

The decision to pause treatment showed the directive’s widespread chilling effect among health providers. Court rulings have blocked investigations for many families, but transgender health care continues to be a target for the GOP at the state and national level.

In an updated statement in mid-December, the hospital said it has “continued to provide high-quality care for our transgender patients while also ensuring that we safeguard them, their families and our providers.” 

Formula shortage 

May

Mothers looking for baby formula in May found bare store shelves, months after bacterial infections forced one of the largest formula manufacturers to recall defective brands and shut down a key factory.

Pandemic-related supply chain issues compounded the problem. At one point, 90% of the formula supply was out of stock in Houston, according to the retail-tracking firm Datasembly. The federal government has since taken steps to improve distribution, but families in some parts of the country still struggle to find formula, according to reports.

Roe v. Wade 

June

The overturning of Roe v. Wade rolled back five decades of abortion protections and cleared the way for Texas to implement multiple bans on the procedure.

Texas had already restricted most abortions by allowing private citizens to sue providers. The Supreme Court decision let the state go a step further, with stringent criminal penalties targeting doctors who terminate a pregnancy. Texans seeking abortions have been forced to go to other states. In some cases, vague exemptions in the law have led to treatment delays for pregnant patients who face potentially life-threatening complications.    

RSV and flu 

July

COVID-19 changed the timing of common respiratory virus outbreaks, with both flu and RSV seeing an earlier-than-usual surge in 2022. Experts trace the change back to masking and social distancing, which prevented widespread exposure to both COVID and the more typical seasonal illnesses.

WINTER WAVE: Houston may avoid ‘tripledemic,’ but COVID poised for another winter wave

Now, as people’s behavior returns to normal, many children are becoming infected for the first time. Both viruses create cold-like symptoms and can be severe for infants and young kids. Houston pediatricians have reported a consistently high number of children hospitalized with either virus. It’s unclear when the viruses may return to their familiar patterns. 

Monkeypox 

July

When Americans put the omicron surge in the rear view, a new global health threat emerged. Monkeypox, endemic to Central and West Africa, started spreading internationally in May, again challenging U.S. health officials’ ability to contain an outbreak. Most of the cases were among men who have sex with men. The national vaccine supply was not enough to meet the demand. Confusion and frustration over eligibility requirements marred the rollout.

In the months since the initial outbreak, monkeypox infections have slowed dramatically. The virus, however, has not been eliminated, and Harris County health officials urge people to follow CDC guidance for preventing further spread. 

Maternal death report 

September 

State health leaders said the release of an important analysis of 2019 pregnancy-related deaths would be delayed until the middle of 2023, after the midterms and legislative session. This decision drew criticism from lawmakers, who wanted the analysis to draft policy, and maternal health advocates who accused state leaders of intentionally withholding the report.

The state did release the analysis Dec. 15, which showed that Texas continues to struggle to care for women during and after pregnancy, especially Black women, who are three times as likely to die as their white counterparts. 

julian.gill@chron.com