Some experts are concerned that new COVID-19 shots that would be more effective at preventing severe disease from current circulating strains than the existing bivalent booster won’t be ready soon enough.
Category: Public Health
Pioneering Study Links Testicular Cancer Among Military Personnel to ‘Forever Chemicals’
The military first documented health concerns surrounding chemicals known as PFAS decades ago yet has continued to use firefighting foam made with them. Despite scores of lawsuits by its personnel and high rates of testicular cancer among troops, it has been slow to investigate a connection.
10 states where COVID-19 admissions are rising fastest
COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. are ticking up again, albeit from record lows. There were 9,056 new admissions for the week ending July 29, marking a 12.5 percent jump from the previous week.
Physicians should 'think fungus' amid rising infections, CDC expert says
Fungal infections have been on the rise since COVID-19’s inception, but public health tracking tools, tests, and data systems in the U.S. are not quite where they need to be yet, Tom Chiller, MD, CDC’s head of mycotic diseases, told Becker’s.
Man contracts infection from unknown bacteria after cat bite: Case study
A man bitten by a stray cat in the U.K. developed an infection from a bacterial species that wasn’t present in any DNA database, researchers reported in a case study published in the August edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
US has a new dominant coronavirus variant
A variant the World Health Organization and CDC began tracking in mid-July, XBB-offshoot EG.5, became the dominant COVID-19 variant in the first week of August, according to CDC data.
Seeking Medicare Coverage for Weight Loss Drugs, Pharma Giant Courts Black Influencers
Novo Nordisk, the dominant company in the multibillion-dollar market for weight loss drugs, focuses on Black lawmakers and opinion leaders to spread the message that obesity is a chronic disease that needs treatment.
Why experts anticipate new COVID-19 shots to be effective, despite flurry of strains
New COVID-19 shots targeting omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 are slated to be ready in September. That strain only accounts for about 10 percent of U.S. cases, though experts say other circulating strains are similar enough to XBB.1.5 that the new shots sho…
Missouri officials warn of possible measles exposure at Barnes Jewish Hospital
Health officials in Missouri are warning the public about a risk of possible measles exposure at three different locations — including at Barnes Jewish Hospital, an urgent care clinic and a fitness center in the greater St. Louis region in late Ju…
Physicians warn against TikTok trend of rubbing castor oil in eyes
A new TikTok trend that promotes the use of castor oil for improved eyesight and reduced wrinkles has ophthalmologists concerned, NBC News reported Aug. 5.
