Tag Archives: medicine

The Guardian reports: Johns Hopkins University announced it was planning to cut more than 2,000 jobs after the Trump administration slashed $800m in grants to the renowned academic institution. The funding for the positions had come from USAID, which the administration has gutted with massive cuts. A total of 247 domestic US workers and another 1,975 positions abroad in 44 …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Scientists are sounding alarms about a genetic mutation that was recently identified in four dairy cow herds, nearly one year after H5N1 bird flu was first reported in Texas dairy cattle. The change is one that researchers have dreaded finding because it is associated with increased mammal-to-mammal transmission and disease severity. “That is the mutation …

The New York Times reports: The Ebola outbreak in Uganda has worsened significantly, and the country’s ability to contain the spread has been severely weakened by the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign assistance, American officials said this week. The officials, representing a variety of health and security agencies, made the assessment during a meeting with U.S. Embassy staff in Kampala, …

The Birmingham News reports: The families of men who died in Alabama prisons and were returned without all of their organs sat in court Tuesday, watching as lawyers for the University of Alabama at Birmingham argued that the school’s contract allowed them to keep organs after autopsies. The hearing had mentions of Nazi Germany, rats, artificial intelligence and illegal organ …

The New Republic reports: On February 8, German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported that the Max Planck Society—one of the world’s top scientific research institutions—is experiencing an uptick in applications from American scientists. Its president said the society regards the U.S. as “a new talent pool” at a time when the Trump administration seeks to cut billions in funding to the …

Cincinnati’s CBS affiliate reports: Ken Long, a 54-year-old veteran from Eaton, has been denied a heart transplant at Christ Hospital due to his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Long, who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure nearly a year ago, believes the decision is based on his vaccination status.  “I don’t want to die because I got a granddaughter and …

Mother Jones reports: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has issued a statement that laid out sweeping plans for his first 100 days in office. Chief among his goals, he wrote, was to combat what he called a “growing health crisis” of chronic disease.  The government, he said, would “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake …

The Associated Press reports: Nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — roughly one-tenth of the agency’s workforce — are being forced out under the Trump administration’s move to get rid of all probationary employees. The Atlanta-based agency’s leadership was notified of the decision Friday morning. The verbal notice came from the U.S. Department of …

The Washington Post reports: A report from the CDC published Thursday shows some veterinarians who provide care for cattle were unknowingly infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus last year. The report on the cattle veterinarians found that a small number who had been infected did not knowingly work with infected dairy herds or animals. The CDC tested the blood …

Axios reports: The National Institutes of Health sent shockwaves through academic research circles late Friday, saying it will dramatically cut the rate it pays for universities’ administration and overhead costs to save the government more than $4 billion. The reductions will particularly hit elite institutions including Harvard, Yale and Johns Hopkins and fulfill a long-sought conservative goal that was included …

The New York Times reports: Cats that became infected with bird flu might have spread the virus to humans in the same household and vice versa, according to data that briefly appeared online in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but then abruptly vanished. The data appear to have been mistakenly posted but includes crucial information …

Reuters reports: Medical advocacy group Doctors for America on Tuesday sued the main U.S. health agencies over the sudden removal of websites containing “a broad range of health-related data and other information” after President Donald Trump took office. The lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C. federal court, names the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, Department of …

Axios reports: Dozens of newly confirmed cases of avian influenza in wild birds and the first verified U.S. case of a new strain of the virus are raising concern the bird flu crisis may be entering a troubling new phase. The outbreak is intensifying as the Trump administration maintains a pause on most external federal health agency communications, including publication …

CBS News reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took offline recommendations on how doctors should treat sexually transmitted infections and vaccinate adults Friday, as part of a sweeping purge of all mentions of “gender” from federal websites ordered by the Trump administration this week. “Doctors in every community in America rely on these treatment guidelines to know what …

Politico Europe reports: Bird flu poses an increasing pandemic threat as it becomes more adaptive, jumping to humans, pets and zoo animals, Europe’s disease and food agencies warned on Wednesday. They are urging countries to step up their surveillance and containment measures to prevent the virus from continuing to evolve and become more dangerous to people. “In 2024, avian influenza …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded approval for Johnson & Johnson’s nasal spray, Spravato, to allow it to be used as a standalone treatment for patients with severe depression, the company said on Tuesday. The ketamine-derived drug was first approved in 2019 to be used in combination with antidepressants, and later for patients experiencing suicidal thoughts or …

The New York Times reports: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moved on Tuesday to ban medical debt from appearing on credit reports, potentially lifting the credit scores of about 15 million Americans and making it easier for them to obtain loans. The finalized new rule would effectively prohibit loan providers from using medical information while making lending decisions. It is …

The New York Times reports: Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer, and alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label as packs of cigarettes do, the U.S. surgeon general said on Friday. It is the latest salvo in a fierce debate about the risks and benefits of moderate drinking as the influential U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans are about …

The Associated Press reports: Cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data. The most recent numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5. A norovirus infection is characterized by sudden vomiting and …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday its analysis of samples from the first severe case of bird flu in the country last week showed mutations not seen in samples from an infected backyard flock on the patient’s property. The CDC said the patient’s sample showed mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, the part …