Medicine

Politicians Shrug At US Decline In Life Expectancy

The Washington Post reports: Americans’ life expectancy decline remains a pressing public health problem — but not a political priority. The Washington Post spoke with more than 100 public health experts, lawmakers and senior health officials, including 29 across the past three presidential administrations, who described the challenges of attempting to turn around the nation’s declining life expectancy. Those challenges …

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CDC: High COVID Levels Ahead Of Holiday Travel

Axios reports: Wastewater analysis sites nationwide are showing high levels of COVID-19 as we head into the holiday travel season, per the latest CDC data. Almost every state reporting such data is showing at least “high” levels compared to baseline trends, with many reporting “very high” levels, as defined by the CDC. As of early December, 22 states had “very …

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COVID Deaths Up 25% Over Last Week Per CDC Data

The Messenger reports: Hospitalizations and deaths owed to COVID-19 are rising as the nation heads into the holidays, according to new data from the CDC. The CDC’s most recent report highlights a nearly 18% increase week over week in COVID hospitalizations. Concerningly, the data also shows a 25% increase in COVID deaths during the same week. The CDC estimates that …

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CDC Warns Of Latest Rise In COVID Hospitalizations

The Messenger reports: Tens of thousands of Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, as the world braces for a fourth year dealing with the deadly virus. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, COVID hospitalizations are on the rise for the third straight week. COVID hospitalizations have increased by nearly 11%, resulting in almost 20,000 new hospitalizations …

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STUDY: Unvaxxed 4X More Likely To Get Long COVID

The Messenger reports: Getting at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before your first bout of infection can significantly cut the risk of developing long COVID, according to a new study. Researchers from Sweden, who published findings Wednesday on The BMJ, analyzed data from over half a million Swedes aged 18 and over, who registered their first COVID infection …

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CDC Reports High Incidence Of Flu In Multiple States

Yahoo News reports: The U.S. flu season is underway, with at least seven states reporting high levels of illnesses and cases rising in other parts of the country, health officials say. The CDC posted new flu data on Friday, showing very high activity last week in Louisiana, and high activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina. …

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CDC: “Staggering” Global Rise In Measles Deaths

CBS News reports: The number of countries battling disruptive outbreaks of measles surged to 37 last year, a report published by the CDC confirmed Thursday, as officials warn that the global fight against the disease has struggled to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measles can be deadly, especially in children, but it is preventable with a common …

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FDA Approves Eli Lilly Diabetes Drug To Treat Obesity

The New York Times reports: The decision by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday to approve the weight loss drug tirzepatide adds a potent new tool to the fast-growing arsenal of obesity drugs. The drug, which will go by the brand name Zepbound, contains the same compound in the sought-after diabetes drug Mounjaro. Many people have used Mounjaro off-label …

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CDC Data Shows New COVID Variant Now Dominant

NBC News reports: A new Covid variant has become dominant in the U.S., but relatively few people have thus far gotten the new shots that could offer some protection against it. The variant, called HV.1, replaced EG.5 as the country’s most prevalent this week, according to data released Friday by the CDC. Just around 3.5 % of the U.S. population …

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CVS Pulls Decongestants As FDA Says They Don’t Work

The Insider reports: CVS this week said it is pulling many popular decongestants from its shelves after advisors to the Food and Drug Administration said the active ingredient simply does not work. In September, an advisory panel to the FDA ruled that phenylephrine, when taken orally, is no better than a placebo despite being on the market for more than …

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Jordanian Govt To Charge Anti-Vaxxers For Claiming The Measles Vax Causes Death, Sterility, Homosexuality

The Jerusalem Post reports: In a totally unexpected move, the Jordanian government has been forced to act quickly against what it called two parties who spread false information, causing chaos among children and parents. The prosecutor general is looking into possible cybercrimes committed to dissuade the public from the acceptance of the new measles (MR) vaccine that will be rolled …

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75,000 Kaiser Permanente Workers Go On Strike

CNBC reports: More than 75,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente — the nation’s largest health-care nonprofit organization — went on strike Wednesday at hospitals and medical offices in five states after the company and labor negotiators failed to resolve a dispute over staffing levels. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions has described the work stoppage as the largest strike of health-care …

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COVID Vaccine Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize

The New York Times reports: Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, who together identified a chemical tweak to messenger RNA that laid the foundation for vaccines against Covid-19 that have since been administered billions of times globally, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday. Together, Dr. Karikó and Dr. Weissman, who met over a copy machine at …

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POLL: 46% Of Adults Plan To Get New COVID Booster

ABC News reports: Nearly half of all adults in the United States plan to get the newly recommended COVID-19 vaccine, according to results from a survey released Wednesday. The latest poll conducted by the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor found that 23% of U.S. adults say they will “definitely” get the updated booster, 23% say they will “probably” get it, while …

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Musk’s Neuralink Seeks Volunteers For Brain Implants

Ars Technica reports: After years of delays, regulatory rejections, and allegations of animal abuse, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, is now recruiting its first human volunteers to have an experimental robot implant an experimental device directly into their brains. In a blog post Tuesday, the company announced that an independent institutional review board and an unnamed hospital site granted …

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CDC Issues Final Approval For New COVID Boosters

CNN reports: Everyone ages 6 months and older should get an updated Covid-19 vaccine, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday, to help lower the risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from the coronavirus. Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the agency, signed off on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP, a panel …

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CDC Panel Issues Broad Approval To New Boosters

NPR reports: A panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backed the broad use of new COVID-19 vaccines, as cases of the respiratory illness rise. The advisers voted 13-1 to recommend the vaccines for people ages 6 months and older. While the benefits appear to be greatest for the oldest and youngest people, the benefits of …

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FDA Advisors: Popular Oral Decongestants Don’t Work

The Associated Press reports: The leading decongestant used by millions of Americans looking for relief from a stuffy nose is likely no better than a dummy pill, according to government experts who reviewed the latest research on the long-questioned drug ingredient. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Tuesday against the effectiveness of the ingredient found in …

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Moderna: New Booster Effective Against Latest Variant

Reuters reports: Moderna on Wednesday said clinical trial data showed its updated COVID-19 vaccine will likely be effective against the highly-mutated BA.2.86 subvariant of the coronavirus that has raised fears of a resurgence of infections. The company said its shot generated an 8.7-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies in humans against BA.2.86, which is being tracked by the World Health Organization …

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Study: Single Mushroom Dose Greatly Eases Depression

Bloomberg News reports: A single dose of psilocybin can lead to a “rapid, robust, and sustained reduction” in symptoms of severe depression when taken in conjunction with psychotherapy, according to a new study. Patients across the US were given either a 25mg dose of the drug, found in magic mushrooms, or a B vitamin, before spending between seven and 10 …

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