CDC

CDC recommends morning-after pill to fight STIs in gay, transgender populations

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CDC recommends morning-after pill to fight STIs in gay, transgender populations

Guidelines for using an antibiotic morning-after pill to curb sexually transmitted infections are on the horizon, as US health officials plan to endorse the proposed regulations. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released proposed guidelines for the use of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis to decrease bacterial infections, like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, … Read more

More than half of US adults won’t get updated COVID booster vaccine: survey

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More than half of US adults won’t get updated COVID booster vaccine: survey

A new poll has revealed how many people are planning on getting — or not getting — the latest COVID-19 vaccine. Results from the survey conducted by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor showed that 23% of US adults will “definitely get” the updated vaccine and 23% will “probably get” it. Meanwhile, 33% of … Read more

COVID vaccine pill that kills virus before it infects the body could be coming

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COVID vaccine pill that kills virus before it infects the body could be coming

There may soon be an option to take a pill rather than a vaccine to protect against COVID-19. A new paper in the journal Biology Methods and Protocols, published Wednesday by Oxford University Press, reported that researchers in Japan have developed a way to administer the COVID vaccine orally. The pill would allow for easier distribution … Read more

These 10 nutrition mistakes could be taking years off your life: Here’s what to do instead

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These 10 nutrition mistakes could be taking years off your life: Here’s what to do instead

If food is medicine, many Americans are in dire need of a new prescription, according to experts. Adults who stick to a healthy diet are much less likely to experience obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even some types of cancer, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — yet most Americans aren’t getting the … Read more

99% of new COVID-19 deaths reported by CDC not just due to virus: data

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99% of new COVID-19 deaths reported by CDC not just due to virus: data

Nearly 99% of the COVID-19 deaths reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week were not primarily caused by the coronavirus, new data shows. According to the CDC’s COVID-19 dashboard, just 1.7% of the 324 COVID-19 deaths logged in the week ending Aug. 19 had the virus listed as the primary cause of death. The … Read more

Don’t ‘kiss or snuggle’ your turtle amid salmonella outbreak: CDC

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Don’t ‘kiss or snuggle’ your turtle amid salmonella outbreak: CDC

This time, it might be wise to kiss and tell. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging reptile owners not to “kiss or snuggle your turtle” amid an ongoing “multistate outbreak” of salmonella linked to “small turtles” that has sickened more than two dozen people across the nation. As of Wednesday, there were … Read more

Brain-eating amoebas: What to know about the risk of swimming in fresh water

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Brain-eating amoebas: What to know about the risk of swimming in fresh water

Cooling off in lakes, rivers and streams is a hallmark of the summer — but for an unlucky few, it can lead to an infection caused by Nagleria fowleri, a bacteria more commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba.  In the U.S., there have been at least three reported deaths this year from the infection, which occurs when … Read more

US suicides hit an all-time high last year

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US suicides hit an all-time high last year

About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data suggests suicides are more common in the U.S. than … Read more

CDC says COVID variant EG.5 is now dominant, including strain some call

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CDC says COVID variant EG.5 is now dominant, including strain some call

The EG.5 variant now makes up the largest proportion of new COVID-19 infections nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated, as multiple parts of the country have been reporting their first upticks of the virus in months. Overall, as of Friday, 17.3% of COVID-19 cases nationwide were projected to be caused by EG.5, … Read more

Flea-borne typhus deaths are rising in LA: new CDC report

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Flea-borne typhus deaths are rising in LA: new CDC report

Health experts are alarmed at a spike in typhus cases in Los Angeles County, where three recent deaths have been blamed on the disease. The disease is spread by fleas that have come into contact with animals — cats, possums, dogs and rodents — that are carrying the illness. In the 1930s and 1940s, typhus … Read more

Star student killed by brain-eating amoeba: ‘Her mental state changed so drastically’

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Star student killed by brain-eating amoeba: ‘Her mental state changed so drastically’

Star student Megan Ebenroth, 17, tragically died last month after contracting a rare, brain-eating amoeba while swimming in Georgia. The death was reported last month, but the victim’s identity wasn’t confirmed until now. “I’m still in shock,” the teen’s mother Chrissy Ebenroth told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution while discussing the “extraordinary” pupil’s passing. “But I can’t … Read more

Babies born in fall and winter should get RSV shots, CDC recommends

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Babies born in fall and winter should get RSV shots, CDC recommends

Many babies should get a shot soon after birth to protect them from RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The recommendation clears the way for a new option experts have hailed as a historic advance to curb the leading cause of hospitalizations for American infants.  A panel … Read more

Growing number of meat allergy cases linked to tick bites, CDC warns

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Growing number of meat allergy cases linked to tick bites, CDC warns

Growing number of meat allergy cases linked to tick bites, CDC warns – CBS News Watch CBS News In a report released Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 450,000 Americans since 2010 may have developed alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially life-threatening meat allergy that is spread by tick bites. … Read more

Mysterious illness triggered by tick bite could affect thousands — but many doctors are unaware of it

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Mysterious illness triggered by tick bite could affect thousands — but many doctors are unaware of it

A little-known, life-threatening food allergy that is triggered by a tick bite could be affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Thursday.  The condition is called Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) — also known as the “red-meat allergy” or … Read more

Toddler killed by rare brain-eating amoeba

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Toddler killed by rare brain-eating amoeba

A 2-year-old boy named Woodrow Bundy tragically died after contracting a deadly brain-eating amoeba while swimming in Nevada. The boy’s mother, Briana, broke the heartrending news in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “Woodrow Turner Bundy returned victoriously to our father in heaven at 2:56 am,” she wrote. “He is my hero and I will forever … Read more

ER visits spiked for children sickened by cannabis during pandemic: CDC

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ER visits spiked for children sickened by cannabis during pandemic: CDC

During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency rooms saw a spike in cannabis-related events in adolescents, according to new data released on Thursday. Findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the number of adolescents visiting the ER was higher during the pandemic years than in 2019. Most of the incidents reported by the CDC … Read more

Deadly typhus spread by bug bites now found in US

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Deadly typhus spread by bug bites now found in US

A potentially deadly form of typhus that’s spread by chiggers has been detected in the United States for the first time. Scientists from the CDC discovered that chiggers — also called trombiculid mites — in North Carolina parks are infected with the bacteria that causes scrub typhus. Scrub typhus can cause severe multi-organ failure if … Read more

Nearly 1 in 10 US kids diagnosed with developmental disability: CDC

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Nearly 1 in 10 US kids diagnosed with developmental disability: CDC

The number of American children that have been diagnosed with developmental disabilities has increased, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The agency unveiled new findings Thursday showing that nearly one in 10 children in the US were diagnosed with a developmental disability in 2021, an increase from previous years. Specifically, the prevalence in … Read more

CDC gives guidance for trans people ‘chestfeeding’ kids, accused of failing to consider possible health risks

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CDC gives guidance for trans people ‘chestfeeding’ kids, accused of failing to consider possible health risks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official website published advice for trans and non-binary individuals on seeking guidance on how to “chestfeed” their infants. In sections of the major health institute’s guidance on breastfeeding, it contained information for those who have had much of their breasts removed in gender-reassignment surgeries, or for biological men taking hormones … Read more

US ‘ill prepared for a global pandemic,’ outgoing CDC chief warns

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US ‘ill prepared for a global pandemic,’ outgoing CDC chief warns

Years after the COVID-19 pandemic started, is the US prepared for the next pandemic? No, according to the outgoing director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “Decades of underinvestment in public health rendered ‌‌the United States ill prepared for a global pandemic,” Walensky, 54, wrote Tuesday in a New York … Read more