Q: In regard to the girl who recently had the lung transplants because of cystic fibrosis: Is this considered a cure?
—Gene Turner, Atlanta
A: Sarah Murnaghan's lung transplant isn't a cure for cystic fibrosis, doctors said. "You're keeping them alive and hopefully, well, hoping that something else will come along that will make the big difference," Dr. Anastassios Koumbourlis, pulmonary chief at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, told USA Today. The paper reported that about 150 to 200 people with cystic fibrosis have received lung transplants every year since 2007 and more than 80 percent survived one year and more than 50 percent survived five years, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Doctors say transplanted lungs aren't affected by cystic fibrosis, but it damages other organs. "The reality is that lung transplantation is not a perfect solution," Dr. Stuart Sweet, pediatric lung transplant chief at Washington University in St. Louis, told the paper. Murnaghan, who is 10, had her first lung transplant June 12, but it failed, and she had another one June 15.
Q: Is the new head of the IRS, Danny Werfel, the same person as the former University of Florida quarterback? If so, what qualifications does he have for the job?
—Terry Campbell, Big Canoe
A: Werfel, who was selected as the acting commissioner of the IRS in May, isn't the same person as Danny Wuerffel, who won the Heisman Trophy and led Florida to college football's national championship in 1996. Werfel graduated from Cornell and has a master's degree from Duke and a law degree from North Carolina.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
