GW Experts Available: CDC Report Finds Older Adults Make Up Two-Thirds of Covid-19 Hospitalizations

WASHINGTON (October 11, 2023) – According to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults 65 and older accounted for nearly two-thirds of Covid-19 hospitalizations in the United States this year, 61% of intensive care unit admissions and…

An International Infectious Diseases Leader’s Reaction to the CDC Health Alert on Measles

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning Americans to make sure they’re fully protected against the measles before traveling internationally this summer. The CDC issued a health alert and guidance on measles during the summer travel season. Dr.…

Latest Ochsner Health Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Data Shows Superior Outcomes for the Region

Hearing that a child needs heart surgery can be overwhelming. Fortunately, at Ochsner Health and Ochsner Hospital for Children, patients and their families are in expert hands. Recent pediatric outcomes for congenital heart patients show the hospital system’s highly specialized surgeons performed significantly better than others in the region — even when caring for the most complex cases. For the fifth year in a row, Ochsner’s surgical outcomes also continued to exceed national averages.

Role of CRNAs in Pain Management Included in Final CDC Clinical Practice Guidelines

The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) applauds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for providing more flexibility and clarity in their updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids. The final guidelines include acknowledgment of the role of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) as pain care providers, how pain care is administered, and the consideration for nonopioid therapies for subacute and chronic pain.

Needs and Challenges for COVID-19 Boosters and Other Vaccines in the U.S.

FAU researchers and collaborators provide the most updated guidance to health care providers and urge how widespread vaccination with these boosters can now avoid the specter of future and more lethal variants becoming a reality.

UCLA leads CDC-funded study on effectiveness of vaccines, boosters in ‘next phase’ of COVID

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has been awarded a $13.6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the long-term impact of infection among U.S. health care workers. The new yearlong grant project follows the 2020–21 Preventing Emerging Infections Through Vaccine Effectiveness Testing study, or PREVENT I, which was among the first to demonstrate the real-world benefit of mRNA vaccines in preventing symptomatic infection following their authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.

ACI to Host Webinar on CDC’s New Resource for Schools: Clean Hands and Spaces

Join the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) as we showcase the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention new online training resources – Clean Hands and Spaces – for educators, administrators, and supporting personnel in K-12 schools and early care and education settings. Sign-up now for the free August 4 webinar.

Nonopioid pain prescriptions increased after 2016 CDC guideline, study finds

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a guideline for prescribing opioids to patients experiencing chronic pain in 2016, the prescribing rate of non-opioid pain medication increased each year above and beyond what would be expected based on the preexisting trends, a new study finds. Researchers say the findings suggest more clinicians are carefully considering the risks of prescribing opioids.

Rutgers Chancellor Available to Discuss COVID-19 Booster Shots, Why Frontline Workers Need Them

Brian L. Strom, chancellor at the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and executive vice president for Rutgers Health Affairs, is available to discuss the COVID-19 booster shot and why frontline workers need to get them. Strom agrees with the Centers…

The CDC recommended that pregnant people be vaccinated against COVID-19. Learn more from BIDMC’s Dr. Ai-ris Collier, who has led research evaluating the immunogenicity of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.

Ai-ris Collier, MD, a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is available for expert comment regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that pregnant people be vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr. Collier has led research published…

UK HealthCare, Partners Receive Prestigious CDC Grant to Improve Stroke Care, Outcomes in Kentucky

UK HealthCare, UofL Health, the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program (KHDSP), and other state partners have been awarded the prestigious Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program Grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This $1.8 million grant aims to optimize both stroke prevention among those at high risk as well as improve the care and outcomes for stroke patients throughout Kentucky.

ACI, CDC Launch Redesigned “Healthy Schools, Healthy People” Website

The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) launched a new website for the Healthy Schools, Healthy People initiative, a joint effort of ACI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote hand hygiene and cleaning practices as a means to prevent the spread of infectious disease in schools and reduce illness-related absenteeism.

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center joins national call to get HPV vaccinations back on track

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center has joined 71 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in calling on the nation’s health care providers, parents and young adults to help get HPV vaccinations back on track. HPV causes several types of cancers, and nearly everyone gets infected with HPV by age 50.

American Cleaning Institute Joins National Blue Ribbon Task Force To Stem Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

The American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the trade association for the cleaning product supply chain, joined the National Blue Ribbon Task Force to Stem COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy. This is a national effort spearheaded by The Creative Coalition in partnership with the Dean of the Yale University School of Public Health that brings together the most significant influencers and leaders in the U.S. in a national campaign aimed at reducing vaccine hesitancy across the most vulnerable communities.

Rutgers Pediatrician Available to Discuss New CDC Guidelines for Reopening Schools

Lawrence Kleinman, a pediatrician and professor at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is available to discuss the latest guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention around the country’s safe reopening of schools. “The reopening of…

UCLA seeks volunteers for study of COVID-19’s impact on health to support “longhaul” survivors

UCLA researchers are seeking participants for an innovative study examining the impact of COVID-19 on survivors who continue battling health issues long after they were infected and thought to have recovered, known informally as “long COVID” and “longhaulers.”

Houston Methodist expert notes COVID-19 precautions lead to historic drop in flu cases

A silver lining is emerging amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Influenza numbers are way down – 98 percent down, according to the CDC. Locally, during flu season last year, Houston Methodist’s system of eight hospitals saw 250 to 450 flu cases per week. This year the hospital system has seen only 2 to 5 flu cases per week so far. The numbers tell a striking story. Handwashing, masking and social distancing work.

AACI Applauds Approval of COVID-19 Vaccine, Supports Widespread Vaccination Efforts

The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) commends the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its swift action to grant Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins Medicine

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.

Menacing Assaults on Science Causing Alarming and Avoidable Deaths in the U.S.

In early 2016, the U.S. was judged to have been best prepared for the existential threat of a pandemic, but turned out to be the least prepared for the actual threat. In a commentary, researchers say that “pandemic politics” is causing assaults on science, the FDA and CDC. They say that politicization of the FDA and CDC is creating continued losses of trust by the U.S. public and continued harm to their longstanding reputations of respect and admiration worldwide.

Morristown Medical Center’s Dr. Stephen Winters Discusses What Everyone Should Know About Atrial Fibrillation

September is National Atrial Fibrillation Month, and Stephen L. Winters, MD, director of the Cardiac Rhythm Management Program, Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute, Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center, wants the public to know some surprising facts about this increasingly common heart condition.

CDC Data Shows E-cigarette Makers Continues to Prey on Youth – and FDA Policy Lets Them

Today, the CDC released data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey showing that in 2020, 20 percent of high school students and nearly 5 percent of middle school students used e-cigarettes. Most concerning, the data shows that among youth e-cigarette users, 38.9 percent of high school students and 20 percent of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes on 20 or more of the past 30 days; 22.5 percent of high school users and 9.4 percent of middle school users reported daily use.

AACC and CDC Partner to Improve Cardiovascular Disease Testing Around the World

AACC, a global scientific and medical professional organization dedicated to better health through laboratory medicine, is pleased to announce a new collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation that aims to expand lipid testing in resource-limited countries. Improving access to this essential testing could help reduce the high worldwide mortality rate from cardiovascular disease by enabling patients to get treated for this condition earlier.

ATS Statement on Latest COVID-19 Policy Actions: Convalescent Plasma and Testing of Asymptomatic Patients

The American Thoracic Society is alarmed by two federal agency policy actions that may significantly impact our nation’s COVID-19 response. This week, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 disease. This action was taken despite a lack of adequate evidence demonstrating a clear benefit for most patients. As pulmonary and critical care clinicians and researchers who treat individuals with COVID-19, we are concerned that an EUA for convalescent plasma has the potential to put patients at risk.

COVID-19: How South Korea Prevailed While the U.S. Failed

In a commentary, researchers demonstrate the stark differences in public health strategies from two democratic republics: South Korea and the United States, which have led to alarming differences in cases and deaths from COVID-19. After adjusting for the 6.5 fold differences in populations, the U.S. has suffered 47 times more cases and 79 times more deaths than South Korea.

Back to School?

Dr. Terry Adirim provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 and return to school for school-age children. Adirim is a physician executive with senior leadership and executive experience in academic medicine and the federal government. Her expertise includes pandemic planning and response, health care quality improvement and patient safety, and health policy and management.

New York State Department of Health Announces Study on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

The New York State Department of Health today announced that the Department has led a study on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19, which was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Department collaborated with the University at Albany School of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to complete the study.

Dangerous Tick-Borne Bacterium Extremely Rare in New Jersey

There’s some good news in New Jersey about a potentially deadly tick-borne bacterium. Rutgers researchers examined more than 3,000 ticks in the Garden State and found only one carrying Rickettsia rickettsii, the bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. But cases of tick-borne spotted fevers have increased east of the Mississippi River, and more research is needed to understand why, according to a study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss How to Handle Groceries at Home

New Brunswick, N.J. (March 31, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Donald W. Schaffner is available for interviews on how to handle groceries safely at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you are concerned about the outside of food packages being contaminated, I suggest…