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UrduTuberculosis is old—ancient even. The infectious bacterial disease that plagued Old Testament Israelites and took down pharaohs was eventually stunted by vaccinations, antibiotics, and public health measures like isolation, but it hasn’t been cured yet. More than a million people around the world still die from TB every year.
Tag: Public Health
State COVID-19 Websites Fail to Meet Accessibility Standards
During the COVID pandemic, U.S. states and territories created websites to share relevant public health information. But a new study finds the sites don’t meet accessibility standards.
Iron supplements provided in prenatal visits improved outcomes
Giving free prenatal iron supplements to medically underserved pregnant patients rather than only recommending them significantly reduced anemia and postpartum blood transfusions, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health report in a study published in JAMA Network Open.
Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity Announces its 2024 Cohort
The Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity U.S. + Global (AFHE), part of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity (Mullan Institute), based at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, is proud to announce its 2024 cohort — 16 emerging leaders from around the globe that are passionate about their common goal to achieve health equity.
Global background rates study analyzes data from 197 million people for assessment of COVID-19 vaccine safety
The US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) funded Global COVID Vaccine Safety Project has generated background incidence rates on a range of conditions designated as AESI (Adverse Events of Special Interest) for COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring. Conditions studied included myocarditis, pulmonary embolism, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
FAU Receives $750,000 Philanthropic Grant for Alzheimer’s Disease
A $750,000 philanthropic grant from the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation will help FAU develop partnerships and programs that will establish best practice for coordinated care and research for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
56 million Americans unknowingly exposed to secondhand smoke
Blood tests reveal that millions of Americans are exposed to tobacco smoke without knowing it.
More people develop sepsis than we thought — but more survive
Sepsis, also colloquially referred to as blood poisoning, is a serious condition. Just over 3,000 people die with a diagnosis of sepsis in Norwegian hospitals each year.
A quarter of people are undoing the benefits of healthy meals by unhealthy snacking
A quarter of people are undoing the benefits of healthy meals with unhealthy snacks, which increases the risk of strokes and cardiovascular disease.
The first local case of mpox caused by an imported case in the Chinese mainland
Monkeypox (mpox) is a zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus (MPXV) that has been primarily limited to Central and West African nations since its discovery. The recent spread of the West African lineage of MPXV in historically unaffected countries has raised concerns for global public health.
Public health expert offers advice re: new COVID-19 variants and fall vaccines
A late summer increase in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and the emergence of new coronavirus variants raises concerns about how best to counter infection and who should receive the newly-approved vaccines.
How Can I Reduce My Risk of Gynecological Cancer in 2023?
The American Cancer Society estimates about 115,000 women will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer this year. That’s one case about every five minutes. These types of malignancies originate in the female reproductive organs, most commonly the cervix, endometrium or ovaries. This…
Top Facts About ‘Flesh-Eating Bacteria’ and Warming Coastal Waters
Vibrio vulnificus is relatively rare, with only 100 to 200 cases reported each year in the United States. On Sept. 1, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory telling healthcare providers and the public to be aware…
Study Confirms No Benefit to Taking Fluvoxamine for COVID-19 Symptoms
A study led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) in partnership with Vanderbilt University found no symptomatic or clinical benefit to taking the antidepressant fluvoxamine at a dosage of 100 mg twice daily for 13 days for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
Fred Hutch to serve as national coordinating center for new Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander health studies
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center will serve as the national coordinating center for a new epidemiological cohort study among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AsA-NHPI). Fred Hutch was awarded a seven-year, $38.7 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to coordinate the effort to gather important health information on these populations, which are underrepresented in biomedical research.
Real-world examples demonstrate how systems science can address health inequities
As researchers increasingly recognize that causes for health issues are structural and interrelated, real-world, innovative case studies demonstrate the value of applying systems science to evaluate health interventions and address health inequities as seen in a special supplement, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in the October/December issue of Family & Community Health. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
To Cut Global Emissions, Replace Meat and Milk with Plant-Based Alternatives
Replacing 50% of meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land, according to new research in Nature Communications journal.
U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths More Than Quadrupled from 1999 to 2020
Regardless of race, age, geography or urbanization, drug overdose deaths in the U.S. more than quadrupled from 1999 to 2020, causing 1,013,852 deaths. The rates increased 4.4 times from 6.9 per 100,000 in 1999 to 30 per 100,000 in 2020.
Unionized Nursing Homes 78% More Likely to Report Workplace Injury and Illness Data to OSHA
Nursing homes that unionize are more likely to report workplace injury and illness data to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a new study published today in the journal Health Affairs says.
Mapping the coronavirus spike protein could provide insight into vaccine development
Although the COVID-19 pandemic was the first time most of humanity learned of the now infamous disease, the family of coronaviruses was first identified in the mid-1960s.
Maintaining Stable Weight Increases Longevity Among Older Women
UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science researchers investigated the associations of weight changes later in life with exceptional longevity and found that women who maintained their body weight after age 60 were more likely to reach exceptional longevity.
Research shaped career of O’Donnell School of Public Health leader
Saad B. Omer, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., Founding Dean of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, discovered a passion for public health while he was a medical student in Pakistan.
Study Shows Technology Boosts Public Health Programs
SCALE-UP Counts was designed to promote COVID-19 testing in local schools. Huntsman Cancer Insitute’s Yelena Wu, PhD, hopes the insight gained from the program improves cancer screening and education initiatives.
Remoteness didn’t protect Amazonian Tsimané from COVID-19
Voluntary collective isolation alone was ineffective to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 into small-scale, remote Indigenous communities of the Tsimané in the Bolivian Amazon.
Mount Sinai Researchers Find Asian Americans to Have Significantly Higher Exposure to “Toxic Forever” Chemicals
Asian Americans have significantly higher exposure than other ethnic or racial groups to PFAS, a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals also known as “toxic forever” chemicals, Mount Sinai-led researchers report.
Case Study: Overcoming Barriers to Venom Immunotherapy for Fire Ant Allergy Patients
Dr. John Carlson, pediatric allergy and immunology specialist at Ochsner Health, shares a case study recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
FAU Lands $4.2 Million NIH Grant for Air Quality and Alzheimer’s Risks Study
Lake Okeechobee rural residents are subjected to repeated, intermittent exposures to air pollution during agricultural fires.
Police Involvement May Hamstring Overdose Outreach Efforts
A new study finds law enforcement plays a critical role in launching programs designed to reduce the risk of repeat overdoses in people who use drugs.
UC Irvine-led study links low-dose radiation to higher cancer risk
Long-term exposure to low-dose radiation is linked to an increased risk of cancer, according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine. In the U.S., radiation exposure for the average person doubled between 1985 and 2006, mainly from medical imaging procedures such as CT scans, highlighting the need for its judicious use.
Several vaccines associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease in adults 65 and older
Prior vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria, with or without pertussis (Tdap/Td); herpes zoster (HZ), better known as shingles; and pneumococcus are all associated with a reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research from UTHealth Houston.
UTSW Q&A: Experts talk about opioid abuse, risks, treatment
Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription painkillers and synthetics like fentanyl, continue to rise.
Benefits of Electric Stoves on Health and Environment in Ecuador
An international team of researchers led by UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science investigated the health and environmental impacts of a program in Ecuador that put induction stoves in 750,000 households.
Traditional healers in rural Mpumalanga help diagnose HIV
An initiative of Wits University’s MRC/Wits Agincourt Research Unit, the Traditional Healers Project convened two ‘open houses’ at local primary healthcare facilities – Rolle Clinic and Thulamahashe Community Health Centre in rural Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga – in March 2023.
Expert can comment on Covid resurgence
As COVID-19 cases are rising, Rutgers School of Public Health dean Perry N. Halkitis is available to comment on new variants, vaccines, testing, and steps to protect the health of people and populations. The following quotes from Halkitis can be used…
Past Carle President Lynne Barnes to lead MHA program at Illinois
Lynne Barnes, past president of Carle Foundation Hospital, has been hired as director of the Master of Health Administration degree program in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois.
Study Uncovers Barriers to Mammography Screening Among Black Women
The study finds utilization of annual screening mammograms suboptimal among low-income Black women with several reported perceived and actual barriers. Most had a low breast cancer risk perception. Interestingly, participants perceived mammograms as very beneficial: 80 percent believed that ‘if breast cancer is found early, it’s likely that the cancer can be successfully treated;’ 90 percent indicated that ‘having a mammogram could help find breast cancer when it is first getting started.’
Study Identifies Pitfalls, Solutions for Using AI to Predict Opioid Use Disorder
Researchers examined peer-reviewed journal papers and conducted the first systematic review analyzing not only the technical aspects of machine learning applied to predicting opioid use, but also the published results.
Research pinpoints inflammation source behind atherosclerosis
Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas have discovered in mice how high cholesterol causes blood vessels to become inflamed, a necessary prerequisite for atherosclerosis – the “hardening of the arteries” responsible for most heart attacks and strokes. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could lead to new interventions to protect against cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of death globally.
Most pancreatic cancer patients don’t get lifesaving surgery
Only 22% of Texas patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer received standard-of-care surgery to remove their tumors, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report in a new study. The findings, published in the Journal of Surgical Oncology, are a call to action to improve treatment in the Lone Star State for this deadly disease, the authors say.
These Foods Can Help You Live Longer and Protect the Planet
Eating more planet-friendly foods could help you live a longer, healthier life, according to new research.
House appropriations bill would slash life-saving medical research, disease prevention and treatment
The Endocrine Society opposes severe funding cuts proposed in the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) funding bill that would put life-saving endocrine research, disease prevention, and treatment at risk.
New findings show private equity investments in healthcare may not lower costs or improve quality of care
Global systematic review shows no indications that increasing financialization is making healthcare more efficient
Health Experts Available on Impacts of Extreme Heat, Smoke, Flooding
Columbia public health experts are available for media interviews on the health impacts of these climate change-related emergencies, and how to protect ourselves The Southwest and West are facing a second week of extreme temperatures that have already claimed more…
Air monitor can detect COVID-19 virus variants in about 5 minutes
Now that the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, scientists are looking at ways to surveil indoor environments in real time for viruses. By combining recent advances in aerosol sampling technology and an ultrasensitive biosensing technique, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have created a real-time monitor that can detect any of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants in a room in about 5 minutes.
Heat-related Emergencies on the Rise – Ochsner Health Expert Available to Interview
With temperatures and the heat index reaching 100 degrees, taking the proper precautions to prevent heat stroke is important. Heat Stroke is a major cause of illness and even death during the hot summer months. It is a danger for…
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health breaks ground on a building that embodies the education, research and practice to keep Texans healthy
The most prestigious school of public health in the state and fourth-largest in the country, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health will break ground on a 10-story, 350,000-square-foot tower in the Texas Medical Center that underscores the school’s mission of health promotion and disease prevention, sustainable access to affordable health care with improved outcomes, and training the next generation of leaders in public health sciences.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated alcohol home delivery, increasing alcohol consumption
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states expanded online alcohol sales and alcohol home delivery laws. One of the first U.S. studies of the impact on adults of home delivery of alcohol during the early months of the pandemic found significantly more alcohol consumption and binge drinking among those who obtained their alcohol through home delivery than those who did not. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.
Killer algae creeping down the coast of California
Algal blooms, exacerbated by climate change, shown to have a connection with several adverse health effects in humans and animals In the past month, thousands of sick or dead animals have been reported along the California coastline because of exposure…
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.…
Walkable Neighborhoods Help Adults Socialize, Increase Community
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to socialize and have a stronger sense of community, report researchers at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.