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Scientists worry about bird flu’s spread among cattle
A study found that the H5N1 virus can transmit very quickly from ferrets to ferrets through direct contact and cause lethal infection in the originally uninfected animals. Another study had found that the virus could spread through air between ferrets in different cages. However, the study didn’t find severe illness in the animals who were…
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A first look at the ruins of Khan Younis, a Gaza city
Israel has pulled out its soldiers from Gaza after a four-month battle with Hamas that killed over 31,000 Palestinians and over 1,200 people in the Jewish state. The conflict began on July 8 when Israel and Hamas agreed to end an eight-day ceasefire, following which Israel launched an offensive against Hamas. Gaza’s health ministry said…
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Scientists wake up to the mental-health toll of climate change
A case study of a medical student’s Survival during Hurricane Dorian due to Hurricane-Induced Depression has been published in the journal Climate Health. The 28-year-old student, who saw the fury of Hurricane Dorian and fear for country’s future because of its vulnerability to sea-level rise, said that people with depression receive inadequate treatment in low-…
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The US has final rules aboutforever chemicals in drinking water
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new rule to test drinking water for the risk of PFAS, a group of chemicals used in industrial manufacturing. It said that public drinking water systems will have to test the water and make sure its levels stay below mandated thresholds. The EPA estimated that up to 10%…
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Solar eclipse myths and rumors include radiation and food poisoning
The US Space Agency has said a solar eclipse can make people uncomfortable, as its heat can warm the eye. The myths about the moon turning black during a eclipse or the Earth’s two poles not seeing eclipses are all false, the agency said. The space agency also shared a hypothetical scenario where the eclipse…
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The CDC is watching and protecting against bird flu
As the US reported its first human case of bird flu, an expert said the virus can infect humans “not all the time”. “This is a virus that doesn’t infect humans…well, but can…cause very significant disease when it does,” the expert said. “The less human or cow transmission we have, the fewer of these mutations…
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The US makes it illegal to make heavy-duty vehicles emit greenhouse gases
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced new pollution rules for heavy-duty trucks in model years 2027 through 2032. The rule aims to reduce carbon emissions from heavy-duty trucks and soot and smog, which harms human health. It also estimates fuel savings of up to $3,700 and maintenance cost savings of up to $10,500…
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Is social media a factor in the epidemic of teenage mental illness?
Childhood has switched from being predominantly play-based to being phone-based and as a result, young people are less happy as children and less competent as adults, US psychologist Michael Haidt has claimed. He added that young people are not going into adulthood in a healthy way because they are wrapped in cotton wool by their…
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An old immune system needs to be regenerated
Researchers in the US say that a similar approach to rebalance aged human blood stem cells is under development. It’s possible that antibody treatment did more than just effect the dominant blood stem cell population, said Enca Montecino-Rodriguez, who underlies the development of white blood cells. Weissman said his team is working on a similar…
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Some trials give reasons for optimism
Personalized cancer vaccines could pose logistical challenges, such as timing when to give a vaccine relative to other interventions such as surgery. Immunity monitoring is done and tracking acquired immunity is important to assess vaccine efficacy. New T- cell monitoring techniques are needed for vaccines for cancer.Streamlining production will be essential to keep costs down…
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The New York Times explains why abortion is back at the Supreme Court
Doctors are challenging the US FDA’s actions that made abortion pills more accessible. Drug can be used through 10 weeks of pregnancy, rather than the previously limit of seven weeks, because of changes made by the FDA. The changes also relaxed the requirement that the drug be dispensed in person, allowing it to be sent…
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There are consequences for every drug in the abortion pill case
anti- abortion doctors are challenging the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) actions to makeabortion pills more accessible. “It would be traumatizing to the system,” said Marsha Henderson, a former FDA associate commissioner for women’s health and a 22-year Veteran of the agency. The FDA had made it easier for women to access abortion pills…
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The New York Times said that Kate’s Cancer announcement would be difficult
Actress Kate Farrell has said it’s important for children to know that it’s OK to have feelings, that this is a “hard situation” for them. She added that parents could begin by telling their children they have some news to share, that it is hard news and it’s OK to feel however they feel, but…
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The Supreme Court is involved in the case
The US Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on Tuesday in a challenge to abortion pill access across the country. More than six in 10 abortions in 2023 were carried out via medication, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute. Anti-abortion activists are challenging abortion pill access across the country, including in states where abortion…
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The use of abortion pills has increased in recent years
A study by the University of Texas at Austin found that telemedicine vendors in the US offer women free abortion pills. The study evaluated prospective patients using written questionnaires, issued prescriptions from doctors who were typically in Europe and had pills shipped from pharmacies in India. Community networks typically asked for information about the pregnancy…
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A State Department official warns Israel that there will be significant reputational damage in the Gaza war
Israeli forces have carried out an attack on a hospital in Gaza Strip, the second such attack in two weeks. The Israeli military said that it has killed “over 140 terrorists” and netted over 250 arrests of individuals that troops have identified as Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters. It added that there have been no…
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At a time of mounting tension over the war in Gaza, Blinken will visit Israel
US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will visit Israel on Friday, will meet with PM Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers from the Israeli war cabinet, an official said. Blinken’s visit comes after Israel carried out a raid on the largest hospital in Gaza for the second time in a week. Blinken had arrived in…
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In Gaza, famine is imminent; how Louisana’s abortion ban changed maternal care
Doctors in Louisiana are delaying prenatal care until 12 weeks of pregnancy because of the state’s restrictions on abortion, a report by Physicians for Human Rights and Lift Louisiana said. It added that black and low-income women are being put at risk because of the ban. “We were stunned by…how much regular medical practice for…
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There is chaos in Haiti, a country without a leader
Haitian street gangs are holding press conferences, even as their members hold much of Port-au-Prince hostage, terrorize the country at large and kidnap people, including children, women and health workers. A doctor said he had a call from a friend seeking care for a family member. “This is not a time to get sick…People are…
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Alabama lawmakers pass IVF immunity legislation
Several clinics in the US state of Alabama have halted in-vivo fertilization after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are “children” with a Constitutional right to life. Alabama’s immunity law will allow people to resume treatment without fear of another change to state law, which could lead to prosecution, its sponsors said. The…
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Artificial intelligence tools are still generating misleading election images
Open source image generation software like Midjourney has been found to generate misleading election images about 65% of the time, according to a new analysis. Researchers tested 160 prompts on ChatGPT Plus and Midjourney, among others, and found that Midjourney was most likely to produce misleading election-related images. “The real weakness was around images that…
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Soon, the first over-the-counter birth control pill will be available in the US
The US’ Food and Drug Administration has approved an over-the-counter birth control pill called ‘Opill’ to be sold without a doctor’s prescription. It is the first non-prescription birth control drug to be approved for use without a doctor’s prescription. It was approved by the FDA last year after the US Supreme Court ruled that women…
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Relief to Palestinians in Gaza is a last resort
Gaza health authorities said at least 100 people were killed on Thursday in a clash between aid trucks and Palestinians trying to get to the convoy. More than 30,000 people have died in the war between Israel and Gaza since October, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel allowed only a trickle of aid to enter…
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The health care company has ties with the Russian-linked criminals
UnitedHealth Group, the health insurer, confirmed that a cyber attack on healthcare providers nationwide has been identified as the work of Blackcat. The attack has led to more than a week-long outage of the United-owned Change Healthcare system, disrupting payments at hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across the US. UnitedHealth is currently working with Google-owned Mandiant…
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Death Toll in Gaza passes 30,000
Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies to Gaza Strip in a bid to end the fighting with Hamas. The decision came after Israel launched an operation against Hamas on October 7. Over 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the local health ministry.