Category: Public Health

Viewpoint: Could a fungal infection spur the next pandemic?

In 2022, WHO created a priority list of pathogenic fungi and noted invasive fungal diseases are on the rise worldwide, particularly in immunocompromised populations. Could fungi spur the next pandemic?

Farmworkers Face High-Risk Exposures to Bird Flu, but Testing Isn’t Reaching Them

Federal officials are offering $75 to dairy workers who agree to be tested for bird flu. Advocates say the payments aren’t enough to protect workers from lost wages and health care costs if they test positive.

The biggest gaps in US women's health across 15 categories

Healthcare delivery and efficacy is disproportionate across all conditions for women in every single country, according to an analysis from McKinsey & Co. and the World Economic Forum.

New Help for Dealing With Aggression in People With Dementia

A sedative shouldn’t be the first thing tried to help people with dementia who exhibit distressing behaviors. A new website is a comprehensive, free resource that offers guidance to caregivers.

WHO updates list of most dangerous drug-resistant pathogens

For the first time in seven years, the World Health Organization has updated its list of the most dangerous, antimicrobial resistant pathogens. The revised list includes 24 pathogens from 15 different families of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The Case of the Armadillo: Is It Spreading Leprosy in Florida?

A single Central Florida county reported 13% of all U.S. leprosy cases in 2020. Researchers have teamed up to investigate whether armadillos are passing the bacteria that cause the disease to humans — which is especially concerning as the animals expand their range farther north.

FDA Urged To Relax Decades-Old Tissue Donation Restrictions for Gay and Bisexual Men

Federal regulations prevent gay and bisexual men from donating tissue, such as corneas, ligaments, and blood vessels. Similar restrictions have been relaxed or lifted for donated blood and organs in recent years.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Anti-Abortion Hard-Liners Speak Up

While Republican candidates in many states downplay their opposition to abortion, the most vehement wing of the movement, which helped overturn Roe v. Wade — those who advocate prosecuting patients, outlawing contraception, and banning IVF — are increasingly outspoken. Meanwhile, some state legislatures continue to advance new restrictions, like a proposal moving in Louisiana to include abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol on the list of the most dangerous drugs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins schools of public health and nursing and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Shefali Luthra of The 19th about her new book on abortion in post-Roe America, “Undue Burden.”

CDC: Stroke rates went up 15% in younger adults

Throughout the last 10 years, stroke rates have risen by 15% among in adults under the age of 65, according to data released May 23 by the CDC.

Maintaining microbiome health crucial in fighting antibiotic resistance, CDC says

Focusing on pathogen reduction and treatments that restore beneficial bacteria in a patient’s microbiome may be key in the fight against growing antibiotic resistance, a CDC report published May 22 found.