Around two-thirds of adults in the United States are not planning to get the updated COVID-19 booster shots soon, according to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a health policy nonprofit organization.
Only a third of adults polled said they either already received the updated shots or plan to get the booster as soon as possible,...
Friday, September 30, 2022
British health officials recommend everyone over the age of 55 be screened for lung cancer
Health officials in the United Kingdom are recommending that citizens older than 55 who have smoked a cigarette, even once, should be checked for lung cancer.
The U.K. National Screening Committee made this recommendation to help fight against the disease that has become the most cause of cancer death in the country. The age recommendation from...
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Katie Couric's breast cancer: What other women can learn from her diagnosis
Longtime television journalist Katie Couric announced this week that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of this year and has now undergone successful surgery to remove a 2.5-centimeter tumor.
"Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. On June 21st, I became one of them," Couric tweeted on Sept....
Kids with head lice don't need to leave school: report
Health experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) say children don't have to be sent home from school if they have head lice.
The Illinois-based association of pediatricians issued a clinical report on Monday, Sept. 26, which states lice are not a "health hazard" because they are not connected to disease and have a low transmission rate.
"There...
Anxiety screenings recommended by US task force will cause overdiagnosis, overprescription, psychologist warns
Pushing primary care doctors to screen all patients for anxiety will lead to overdiagnosis and overprescribing, as well as exacerbate existing shortages in mental health resources, a psychologist said.
"It’s the wrong solution at the wrong time," Dr. Jonathan Shedler, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San...
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Israel has one of the lowest death rates from prostate cancer in the world
Men in Israel have one the highest survivability rates against prostate cancer compared to other countries around the world.
The country's Health Ministry announced this week that Israel's death rate from the disease is one of the lowest globally, ranking at 143, according to Jerusalem Post. Moreover, the data released by the agency noted that...
Scientists test new malaria vaccine with box full of mosquitoes: 'Whole forearm swelled'
Scientists are trying to find a new malaria vaccine by sticking people's forearms over a box full of mosquitoes.
Researchers at the University of Washington are using mosquitoes to inject human participants with genetically modified Plasmodium parasites that stop them from getting sick. However, their bodies produce antibodies that make them...
Alzheimer’s drug study yields positive results in early stages of disease
An experimental Alzheimer's drug made by Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen slowed cognitive and functional decline in a large trial of patients in the early stages of the disease, they said on Tuesday, potentially a rare win in a field littered with failed drugs.
Multiple drugmakers have so far tried and failed to find an effective treatment for the brain-wasting...
Melatonin should be avoided in children unless directed by a health care professional, says sleep academy
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is urging parents to consult a health care professional before starting their child on melatonin, according to a recent health advisory.
"While melatonin can be useful in treating certain sleep-wake disorders, like jet lag, there is much less evidence it can help healthy children or adults...
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Researchers study whether child vaccines and asthma are linked
A number of scientists have wondered if aluminum, a vaccine additive that has been used for decades, had a role in allergies and asthma in children.
A new federally funded study has found a possible link, but experts say the research has important shortcomings and is not a reason to change current vaccine recommendations. The study doesn’t claim aluminum...
FDA warning about NyQuil chicken TikTok challenge may have spiked interest
A statement issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking people to stop combining NyQuil with chicken after a "Sleepy Chicken" challenge went viral on social media earlier may have unintentionally spiked interest in the trend.
There were fewer than five searches for NyQuil chicken content on TikTok a day prior to the Sept. 15 statement...
Japan’s herd immunity for COVID-19 nears 90%
Japan's population level immunity to COVID-19 has reached about 90% in major population areas after a recent Omicron wave, though that level of protection is likely to diminish in a matter of months, according to a study published on Tuesday.
That level of so-called "herd immunity" reflects partial protection imparted from both natural infection and...
Congo declares end to Ebola outbreak in eastern province
Democratic Republic of Congo has declared the end of its latest Ebola virus outbreak in the eastern province of North Kivu, Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda said in a statement on Tuesday.
The fifteenth outbreak in the central African country emerged when a new case of the deadly virus was confirmed in the eastern city of Beni on Aug. 22.
Testing...
Monday, September 26, 2022
Cholera deaths in Syria reach 29
A cholera outbreak in several regions of Syria has killed 29 people, the Syrian health ministry said on Monday in what the U.N. has called the worst outbreak in the war-torn country for years.
Rapid assessment testing confirmed 338 cases since the outbreak was first recorded last month, with the bulk of deaths and cases in the northern Aleppo province,...
Uganda Ebola rises to 16 as outbreak grows
Uganda said on Sunday its Ebola caseload had jumped to 16 people while a further 18 people also likely had the disease, fuelling fears of a spreading outbreak that involves a strain for which a vaccine has not yet been found.
In a tweet, the ministry of health also said the death toll of confirmed cases remained four while 17 others classified as probable...
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Breath training may help reduce blood pressure by serving as a 'dumbbell for the diaphragm': New study
Strength training isn’t just for biceps.
It may also provide support for the muscles that help us breathe to reduce blood pressure.
A daily dose for six weeks of high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) reduced the systolic blood pressure by an average of nine millimeters of mercury, according to a new study published in the...
Friday, September 23, 2022
Should you get the flu shot this year? Doctors reveal their decision
With influenza cases already being reported in the month of September 2022, many health officials are recommending that anyone six months and older get their flu shot in September and October of this year to prepare for the upcoming flu season.
"It is a perfectly good time for [people] to get the shot, right now," said Dr. Aaron Glatt, M.D., chair...
Uganda Ebola death toll rises to four
Three more Ebola patients have died in Uganda, the health ministry said on Friday, bringing the total death toll to four, days after authorities confirmed an outbreak of a strain of the deadly disease for which no vaccine has yet been approved.
Uganda's health ministry said it had confirmed 11 cases of Ebola in total, including the four deaths.
The...
WHO says ability to track COVID variants diminishing as surveillance declines
The World Health Organization warned Thursday that the ability to track COVID-19 variants and subvariants around the world is decreasing due to declining surveillance.
"With surveillance declining, the number of tests are declining, the numbers of sequences that are being conducted and being shared are declining. And, that limits our ability...
Thursday, September 22, 2022
US task force recommends anxiety and depression screenings for adults
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended anxiety and depression screenings for adults as mental health concerns among Americans rise.
The task force recommends that adults below the age of 65 undergo screenings for anxiety. Meanwhile, the policy for depression is recommended for all adults, including those who are pregnant and postpartum....
Baby formula shortage: FDA response report cites outdated system, training issues
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged that its response to the infant formula shortage was hindered by outdated technology and delays.
In a 10-page report, the agency said the tech that supports systems that allow the public and other stakeholders to submit product safety and quality complaints, adverse event reports and product...
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Chronic lack of sleep may negatively affect our immune cells, raising certain health risks: New study
Losing an hour-and-a-half of sleep each night on a consistent basis may lead to inflammatory disorders and cardiovascular disease, according to a new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
The study — published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on Wed., Sept. 21, 2022 — found that a chronic lack of sleep could...