#public-health

#public-health

House burping is what America's content creators have christened the German practice of Luften, or airing out their homes by opening windows, presumably because it's a bit like burping a baby. TikTok is full of them enthusiastically describing it as a mom hack, or explaining it's supposed to keep sickness away. Does this Luften keep sickness away, then? It's supposed to shift stale air, ensure adequate ventilation and prevent mould buildup, all of which are good for people and places.

As water-intensive data centres expand worldwide, their impact on sanitation, inequality and disease is emerging as a serious and under-examined threat. Bubble is probably the word most associated with AI right now, though we are slowly understanding that it is not just an economic time bomb; it also carries significant public health risks. Beyond the release of pollutants, the massive need for clean water by AI data centres can reduce sanitation and exacerbate gastrointestinal illness in nearby communities, placing additional strain on local health infrastructure.

Speaking from working right now in the middle of our flu season, where we haven't been able to handle a surge in acute care need anywhere in Canada it seems, I would be concerned going forward about having a surge in need for hospital resources, said Varner, CMAJ's deputy editor and an emergency doctor in downtown Toronto, in an interview with CBC News.

In some counties, vaccination rates increased after the pandemic, which got them past the recommended level of protection. Many more counties decreased their rates though.

Back in 2024, after a reporting trip for a whiskey magazine, I got tired of drinking. Perhaps it was the sluggishness I felt each morning, or maybe it was the podcast I'd heard while traveling, which shared the news that one or two glasses of red wine was not, as we had long been told, healthy. Whatever the reason, I tossed in the daily drinking towel after that trip, figuring that going forward, I might only have a drink or two every now and again.

A drop in precancerous growths in women who hadn't received the jab suggests the existence of a 'herd effect' against the virus.

Currently, Amazon is putting all workers, site visitors, and the local and wider communities at risk of exposure to a serious infectious disease.

It all comes amid a massive bloom of aptly named death cap mushrooms, which has been fueled by potent storm systems in October and December and has left health officials pleading with foragers to stop collecting wild mushrooms altogether. "Since death cap mushrooms are easily confused for safe-to-eat, lookalike mushrooms, all mushroom foraging should be avoided," the health department warned Wednesday.

The California Department of Public Health reported 35 people between the ages of 19 months and 67 years have been sickened in the outbreak since November. That number is far higher than the average number of mushroom poisonings in California, which is around five per year. Three adult deaths in the state have been linked to ingesting poisonous mushrooms, and another three people have undergone liver transplants.

"I find that the views [Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough," he wrote in a resignation letter he shared publicly on social media. He said he was leaving because the CDC, the once-premier public health agency tasked with protecting the health of people in the U.S., had been transformed into a political instrument, with its scientific mission subverted, vulnerable populations erased, and evidence distorted. The agency, he wrote, had submitted to "radical non-transparency" and "unskilled manipulation of data."

"What we've identified here could help improve adherence to vaccination quicker if we target the right people," he says.

Stone said his vote is influenced by a letter the council received last month from the Santa Clara County Medical Association, which represents more than 4,000 local health professionals. The letter outlined doctors' concerns about the health impacts of synthetic fields, and recommended the council vote against turf. "When our county doctors are telling us that a proposed solution may do harm and offer an alternative, I believe we have the responsibility to choose that safer path even when it's harder," Stone said.

When it comes to safe travel destinations, the Netherlands consistently ranks at the top, especially for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ travelers. Its progressive values, strong social systems, and long-standing reputation for peace create an environment where visitors feel welcome and secure. That sense of safety and inclusion is more than anecdotal. It's reflected in how travelers recently rated the country.

An in-depth discussion was needed to come up with a respectful, and meaningful response that would help to repair the harm that has been done to the Jewish community. The refusal of the majority of the City Council, including the mayor, to do so was a significant failure of leadership. They refused to see how incitement of hatred against Jews leads to violence and the destruction of a pluralistic democracy.

Well, there are also new alcohol guidelines to go along with it. The new guidelines remove the previous recommendation that men limit their alcohol intake to two drinks or less per day and women to one or less. Now, the guideline simply advises, "Limit alcohol consumption for better overall health."

Nearly every day, city workers huddle at a street corner in the Mission District, usually outside of the Gubbio Project at 15th Street and Julian Avenue. It's their meetup before going out for another day of dealing with the homelessness, addiction and mental health crisis on the streets of the neighborhood. This " Swiss Army knife " team of teams has been working together for nearly a year now, under the coordination of Santiago Lerma, former District 9 legislative aide, current Mission street team lead for the Department of Emergency Management. They represent three city departments and two contracted groups: the Department of Public Health, Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Department of Emergency Management, and city contractors Urban Alchemy and Ahsing Solutions.