The Environmental Protection Agency has banned two solvents, trichloroethylene and percoethylene, marking a victory for environmental and public health advocates, The New York Times reported Dec. 9.
Category: Public Health
A Centenarian Thrives Living Alone, Active and Engaged
Many older adults living alone, isolated and vulnerable, struggle with health issues. But a noteworthy slice of this growing group of seniors maintain a high degree of well-being. Meet Hilda Jaffe, age 102.
Amid flu season, emergency department visits increase: 4 updates
Seasonal influenza activity is on the rise in the U.S., with an uptick in both flu-related emergency department visits and laboratory-confirmed cases, according to a Dec. 6 CDC report.
Resources Are Expanding for Older Adults on Their Own
Aging alone, without a spouse, a partner, or children, requires careful planning. New programs for this growing population offer much-needed help.
Journalists Dig Into Vaccine Debate and America’s Obesity Rates
KFF Health News staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
US life expectancy to lag behind other nations by 2050: 4 takeaways
New projections for U.S. life expectancy forecast a slight increase by 2050, though the nation is expected to fall behind many other nations in global health rankings, according to research published Dec. 5 in The Lancet.
US sets whooping cough case record: 3 virus season updates
During Thanksgiving week, the CDC recorded 364 whooping cough infections, surpassing the previous record of 228 cases the same week in 2010.
How Measles, Whooping Cough, and Worse Could Roar Back on RFK Jr.’s Watch
Inoculation campaigns that protect children and adults from dangerous diseases rely on a delicate web of state and federal laws and programs. If senior officials cast doubt on vaccine safety, the whole system might collapse, especially in red states.
UH hospital treating traveler from Tanzania 'under isolation'
University Hospitals St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, is treating a patient with flu-like symptoms under isolation, a spokesperson for the Cleveland-based system confirmed to Becker’s Dec. 5.
KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: A Colorful Cast Could Lead Key Health Agencies
President-elect Donald Trump has made his choices to fill some top jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. They include controversial figures who were vocal critics of the Biden administration’s handling of the covid pandemic and have proposed sweeping changes to the agencies they would lead. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court heard its first two health-related cases of the term, challenging a Tennessee law barring transgender medical care for minors and, separately, challenging the FDA’s handling of e-cigarettes. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University and Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-Washington Post Well+Being “Bill of the Month” feature, about an emergency room bill for a visit that didn’t get past the waiting room.
