Category: Public Health

HHS to debar nonprofit tied to Wuhan research lab

HHS has plans to debar the infectious disease nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance from being awarded federal funds due to lack of “responsibility.”

Medics at UCLA Protest Say Police Weapons Drew Blood and Cracked Bones

In contrast to police statements, volunteer medics said they treated serious wounds as UCLA’s pro-Palestinian protest was besieged by police and counterprotesters, including some injuries that appeared to be caused by “less lethal” projectiles fired by cops.

After a Child’s Death, California Weighs Rules for Phys Ed During Extreme Weather

A California lawmaker wants the state to craft guidelines for how and when schoolchildren can play or exercise during extreme weather, including heat waves. The bill comes after a 12-year-old boy died after a physical education instructor told him to run as the temperature topped 90 degrees.

About 200 exposed to measles at UC Davis Health, officials say

Sacramento public health officials have confirmed one pediatric measles case and about 200 potential exposures after a child visited the UC Davis Medical Center’s emergency department in early May. 

Nursing Homes Wield Pandemic Immunity Laws To Duck Wrongful Death Suits

More than 172,000 nursing home residents died of covid. In lawsuits, some families who lost loved ones say they were misled about safety measures or told that covid wasn’t a danger in their facilities.

FDA preparing to respond to bird flu in humans, but risk remains low: 5 updates

The FDA is preparing to respond should bird flu begin circulating more widely among humans, though the threat the disease currently poses to humans remains low, the agency’s commissioner Robert Califf, MD, told senators May 8. 

Drug resistant infections reported after stem cell treatments in Mexico

Three people have contracted Mycobacterium abscessus after receiving stem cell treatments in Mexico, according to a May 9 report issued by the CDC.

KFF Health Tracking Poll May 2024: The Public’s Use and Views of GLP-1 Drugs

KFF’s latest Health Tracking Poll examines the public’s views and use of an an increasingly popular class of prescription drugs used for weight loss and to treat diabetes or prevent heart attacks or strokes. The poll finds 12% of adults report having t…

Poll: 1 in 8 Adults Say They’ve Taken a GLP-1 Drug, Including 4 in 10 of Those with Diabetes and 1 in 4 of Those with Heart Disease 

About one in eight adults (12%) say they have taken one of an increasingly popular class of prescription drugs known as GLP-1s that are used for weight loss and to treat diabetes and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, a new KFF Health Trackin…

Democrats Seek To Make GOP Pay for Threats to Reproductive Rights

Democrats running for office are using abortion rollbacks to galvanize voters, with abortion rights ballot initiatives amplifying their lines of attack. In Missouri, the leading Democratic candidate for the Senate also blames Republican Sen. Josh Hawley for threatening access to IVF.