The prevalence of Clostridium difficile infections in children has increased over the years, with more than 20,000 cases reported annually, according to research published Aug. 10 in Pediatrics.
Category: Public Health
Minnesota tracking TB outbreak
Health officials in Minnesota are reportedly tracking a tuberculosis outbreak with seven confirmed cases and a possible eighth across three counties, ABC affiliate KSTP reported Aug. 9.
US unveils 1st dashboard tracking heat-related illnesses
With hospitals reporting packed emergency rooms and halted surgeries as parts of the nation swelter, the HHS launched the first national dashboard to track heat-related illnesses Aug. 9.
'We need it now': Experts worry over timeline for new COVID-19 shots
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.
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.
