Category: Public Health

Telehealth Brings Expert Sexual Assault Exams to Rural Patients

Some rural residents must travel hours for a sexual assault exam. Specialized telehealth services are expanding so they can obtain care closer to home.

CDC's FluView report: 7 things to know

As flu activity continues its descent from an unusually early and strong season, the past week saw a flu hospitalization rate four times higher than the same week each year since 2010, according to the CDC’s FluView report. 

Youth diabetes cases to more than double in coming decades, CDC warns

A “startling” surge in diabetes diagnoses among American youth is predicted by 2060, according to a Dec. 29 CDC report.

COVID-19 admissions flatten: What CDC predicts for January

COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to be leveling off in the U.S. after a steady month of growth, though it’s still unclear how the holiday season may affect this trend.

US to enact testing requirement for travelers from China: 3 COVID-19 updates

Beginning Jan. 5, travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding flights headed to the U.S., the CDC said in a Dec. 28 announcement. The move comes as concern mounts over a growing surge of case…

Experts worry China's COVID-19 wave could spur new variant

The COVID-19 crisis in China is creating more opportunities for the virus to change, spurring concern that a new variant could emerge, CBS News reported Dec. 25. 

Vaccine hesitancy fueling resurgence of diseases, experts say

A measles outbreak in Columbus, Ohio, is sparking concern among health officials who believe that increased vaccine hesitancy will intensify a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, according to The Washington Post.

Flu activity remains high as descent begins: 5 notes

The nation’s worst flu outbreak in more than a decade is slowing down, though flu activity remains high overall, according to the CDC’s latest FluView report. 

New omicron subvariant on path to dominance, data suggests

Omicron subvariant XBB is encroaching on BQ.1 and BQ.1.1’s dominance, CDC data shows, as it accounts for 18.3 percent of U.S. cases and makes up more than 1 in 2 infections in the Northeast. 

CDC alerts clinicians on severe strep A increase

The CDC issued a health advisory Dec. 22 to alert the medical community of a rise in severe strep A infections among children.