#public-health

#public-health

New CDC data shows that there's been at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths from the flu so far this season. Many of these cases have been tied to "subclade K" - a variant of the H3N2 virus, which is a subtype of influenza A. Experts and patients say subclade K is an example of the "super flu," referring to a strain that spreads quickly and rapidly, becoming more troublesome.

Whooping cough cases are sweeping in the U.S., with tens of thousands infected and at least 13 people dead from the bacterial infection this year. While the infection rate is lower than last year, it remains above typical prepandemic years, and the number of deaths has risen. The respiratory infection, also known as pertussis, is characterized by a severe, violent cough that can leave peopleespecially infantsstruggling to breathe. Although rarely fatal, its lingering symptoms have earned it the moniker of the 100-day cough.

The first test of the Wynn-Stelt's water came back with PFAS levels at 24,000 parts-per-trillion, much higher than the 4-10 ppt limits the federal government would later set for the chemicals in 2024. It was such a high number local officials thought it had to be an error, but subsequent tests have shown numbers as high as 100,000 ppt for various PFAS, known as "forever chemicals" because they do not readily break down in water, soil, wildlife and humans.

It seems possible that what will ultimately emerge is a clarified sense of principles and a deeper commitment to them (which is why part of the conflict is over American history itself). On one hand, there are the heads of the federal government and their spokespeople, whose lies are part of their disdain for the electorate and the rule of law.

"Dr. Katz led the financial turnaround of NYC H+H, expanded access to more New Yorkers, and steered the nation's largest municipal health system through COVID-19," Mamdani said.

Known as the land of ice and fire, Iceland has one of the most mesmerizing sceneries on the planet. But nature is not the only thing that will take your breath away when you travel to this Nordic island; so will the alcohol prices. Iceland has the most expensive alcohol in Europe, according to Eurostat. Icelandic alcohol prices are nearly triple than the EU average, though the country itself is not part of the European Union.

Look at the condition we're living in. I've lived here for 64 years, I came to this country at 16 I've never seen it this bad. I'm sick, he says. I try my best. At the end of the day, I just want my area clean. That's all I want. Piles of bin bags, broken glass and furniture have been dumped on the street outside his home and the mosque next door.

Ultra-processed foods filled with preservatives, additives and flavour enhancers have been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. In the UK and US, more than half of the average diet consists of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), such as ready meals, fast food and fizzy drinks. A previous BMJ study in 2024 linked UPFs to 32 harmful health effects including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death.

This is is the fifth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth first talk through Article Two, which establishes the executive branch, section by section. Elizabeth explains the constitutional powers and limitations of the presidency, including hiring and firing, impeachment, pardons, and presidential duties - and how President Trump and the current Supreme Court are upending those powers.

The federal agency says 23 people in seven provinces got sick with the bacterial illness after eating or handling certain flavours of the frozen snack between early October and late November. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled several pepperoni and bacon Pizza Pops on Sunday due to an E. coli contamination that is under investigation. The outbreak has now reached Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Kara is not a lawyer. Her background is in public health and communications. Yet she now leads a company that has used AI to summarize more than 3.3 million judicial opinions and made them free and publicly available. In our conversation on "Notes to My (Legal) Self," she explained how justice, like health, is a public good. And access to law is one of its critical delivery systems.

For Grandma: A tariff! Did they not want tariffs? That's what we got everyone. Sorry. For Uncle Greg: A TINY CAR!!! (We're making these now.) For Her: A photoshoot with Vanity Fair. Nothing says "glamour" like Vanity Fair. Usually. But sometimes the picture they take of you comes out looking like Dorian Gray's DMV photo-unflattering, but in a way that implies deep spiritual corruption. This gives a fun Russian-roulette aspect to the gift!

Clouds settle low in the sky as dusk sets in across Pajaro Valley. Fields of strawberries stretch out as far as the eye can see, catching the last amber rays of the day. In the distance, the twin stacks of Moss Landing Power Plant sit among factories pushing plumes of smoke into the air. On the exterior wall of a house in Castroville, a newly installed sensor glows green with an important message: It's safe to go outside.

Although relational AI has potential therapeutic benefits, recent studies and emerging cases suggest potential risks of emotional dependency, reinforced delusions, addictive behaviors, and encouragement of self-harm,

It helps keep people being responsible for their pets

An intense surge in flu cases driven by a newly dominant virus strain is sweeping across Europe, placing healthcare systems in several countries under severe pressure, the World Health Organization has said. The WHO said on Wednesday that at least 27 of the 38 countries in its European region were reporting high or very high influenza activity, with more than half of patients with flu-like symptoms testing positive in six countries including Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia and the UK.

Last Tuesday afternoon, Dean Andrea Baccarelli at the Harvard School of Public Health sent out a brief message announcing that one of the country's most experienced and accomplished public health leaders, Dr Mary T Bassett, would step down as director of the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights. The email struck a polite, bureaucratic tone, thanking her for her service and offering an upbeat rationale for a new focus on children's health.

The more we dug, the more we realized there was a gap between the procedure's public perception as a routine, normal part of giving birth and what experts were saying. We set out to figure out why. We also wanted to better understand the complexity involved in a procedure that can be life-saving and is also performed around double the rate the World Health Organization says is "ideal" for maternal and infant health.

Toronto is seeing rapidly increasing flu activity particularly among children, with flu season coming early this year, Dr. Michelle Murti said in a statement Tuesday. It's being driven by influenza A, she said, which has affected children more severely. This early surge is leading to more pediatric cases requiring hospital care, underscoring the seriousness of the current season, she said, saying influenza A has also been spreading to adults and people in long-term care.

One of our mandates at Grub Street is to take an obsessive approach not only to the pleasures of restaurants but the business of building and running restaurants. The year's most popular stories demonstrate it's a topic that interests you, too: reports on a restaurant group's debt, industry memoirs, woes at the Tin Building, reservation worries, and even a look into how much salt we're all eating (spoiler: it's too much) were part of our 20 most-read articles, defined by total minutes of audience engagement.

Actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found fatally stabbed Sunday at their home in Los Angeles. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested, and has spoken publicly about struggles with drugs and periods of homelessness as a teen. [New York Times] Governor Gavin Newsom is hiring two CDC officials fired by Trump to work for the California health department.

Pregnant people who get a COVID vaccine are dramatically less likely to experience severe symptoms of the disease or to give birth prematurely, according to a comprehensive new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Those who got the shot during pregnancy, rather than before they were pregnant, showed even lower odds of health complications. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that COVID vaccines are safe and beneficial across different populations.

"You're standing for what's supposed to be 35 minutes, which can go on up to 45 minutes. I've had previous surgeries, so my back is just locking up from the standing - I'm hobbling on to the train at this stage,"

Smoking is one of the clearest public-health failures of our time. More than 500,000 Americans still die each year from smoking-related illnesses, and globally the picture is even more alarming. In the United States, anti-smoking campaigns have reduced the number of new cigarette users, but the effectiveness of these measures may be fading. Indeed, the headline of a widely-shared news story notes "Celebrities Are Making Smoking Cigarettes Cool Again". Yikes.

A quintessential holiday spice made by a single manufacturer has been recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for possible contamination. The FDA recalled Lucky Foods brand cinnamon powder on Tuesday after an analysis conducted by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets found high levels of lead. It's unclear how the product became contaminated. Lead may be present in food products as a result of the environment in which they're grown or processed.

Ultrafine particles are impossible to see and are often missed by conventional monitoring techniques, and therefore they are not covered by air pollution laws. In 2021, the Dutch Health Council and the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the growing evidence that ultrafine particles are damaging our health. This includes 75 studies, mostly relating to lung inflammation, blood pressure and heart problems, along with risks to foetal growth. Technical differences between the studies, however, meant that the WHO was unable to set a standard.

The climate crisis supercharged the deadly storms that killed more than 1,750 people in Asia by making downpours more intense and flooding worse, scientists have reported. Monsoon rains often bring some flooding but the scientists were clear: this was not normal. In Sri Lanka, some floods reached the second floor of buildings, while in Sumatra, in Indonesia, the floods were worsened by the destruction of forests, which in the past slowed rainwater running off hillsides.

French health officials are working to trace all the contacts of two men who contracted Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a potentially deadly disease that typically only occurs in the Middle East. These cases of the disease are the country's first in 12 years, according to the French health ministry. The men, both of whom are in their 70s, are in a stable condition.

Scientists have issued an urgent warning that some of the synthetic chemicals that help underpin the current food system are driving increased rates of cancer, neurodevelopmental conditions and infertility, while degrading the foundations of global agriculture. The health burden from phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides and Pfas forever chemicals amounts to up to $2.2tn a year roughly as much as the profits of the world's 100 largest publicly listed companies, according to the report published on Wednesday.

East Bay parks officials say hikers should beware of an unusually large number of toxic and potentially deadly mushrooms sprouting across the region. The East Bay Regional Parks District issued an advisory Tuesday warning park visitors about the fast-growing fungi, which include the death cap and western destroying angel varieties. Both species benefitted from a spate of early-season rain storms that allowed them to appear in greater volume than usual for this time of the year.

Over the past year, I've noticed a pattern among some of my colleagues in public health, biomedical research, and the university settings in which I work. It's a strange, reflexive tic: Faced with bad-faith criticism from malign actors, we shrink back, saying, "Oh, it's not you. It's me," and walk onto their terrain with accommodation in our hearts. Some may think that, faced with the full fury of the far right, some kind of retreat is the only option.