public health – News Stories About public health - Page 7

Whooping Cough
Outbreak Worst
in 50 Years

Jul 20, 2012 4:48 AM CDT

Whooping Cough Outbreak Worst in 50 Years

Adults should get booster shots, CDC says

(Newser) - The US is facing its worst epidemic of whooping cough since the 1950s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that adults—especially pregnant women and those who spend time around children—get booster shots. Some 18,000 cases of the highly infectious disease have been...

Big Apple Healthier
Thanks to Trans Fats Ban

STUDY SAYS

Jul 17, 2012 3:54 AM CDT

Big Apple Healthier Thanks to Trans Fats Ban

Consumption of damaging fat is way down, researchers find

(Newser) - New Yorkers are healthier today thanks to the city's groundbreaking ban on trans fats in restaurant food, according to a new report. Researchers from the city's health department found that diners consumed an average 2.4 fewer grams of trans fat per lunch after the 2008 ban took...

Banning Big Sodas:
Nanny State or Smart Move?

OPINIONs

May 31, 2012 1:44 PM CDT

Banning Big Sodas: Nanny State or Smart Move?

Mayor Bloomberg's proposal draws flak and praise

(Newser) - Mayor Bloomberg wants to ban sodas bigger than 16 ounces from being sold in New York City (with a few exceptions ), and as the AP points out, he's likely to get his way considering he appoints everyone on the city's Board of Health. A sampling of reaction:...

'Bizarre' Finding: Exercise
May Be Bad for Some

study says

May 31, 2012 7:38 AM CDT

'Bizarre' Finding: Exercise May Be Bad for Some

About 1 in 10 end up with higher heart disease risks

(Newser) - Congratulations, couch potatoes: A new study might give you ammunition to rationalize your lack of exercise. The review of six studies found that 10% of regular exercisers ended up with worse levels of blood pressure or insulin, two indicators of heart disease, reports the New York Times . On the other...

NYC Moves to Ban
Big, Sugary Drinks

May 31, 2012 7:16 AM CDT

NYC Moves to Ban Big, Sugary Drinks

Mayor proposes 16-ounce limit at restaurants, movie theaters

(Newser) - Michael Bloomberg wants to boot big, sugary drinks from the Big Apple. The New York City mayor has unveiled a plan to ban the sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 ounces at restaurants, arenas, movie theaters, and street carts, reports the New York Times...

Chagas Disease 'New AIDS of the Americas'

Chagas Disease the
'New AIDS of the Americas'

May 29, 2012 5:33 AM CDT

Chagas Disease the 'New AIDS of the Americas'

300K in US have potentially fatal tropical disease

(Newser) - An insect-borne disease many people have never heard of is quickly becoming the "new AIDS of the Americas," researchers warn. Chagas disease, caused by parasites carried by blood-sucking insects, infects up to 8 million people in the Americas. Many carriers never show symptoms but close to a quarter...

25 Calif. Babies May Have Been Exposed to TB

25 California Babies May
Have Been Exposed to TB

May 25, 2012 4:10 AM CDT

25 California Babies May Have Been Exposed to TB

Infected person visited 2 neonatal intensive care wards

(Newser) - The parents of 25 babies in northern California have been warned that their children may have been exposed to tuberculosis in their first days of life. A person with active tuberculosis visited neonatal intensive care wards in two hospitals in Sacramento and Sutter County in March and April of this...

TB Patient
Jailed for
Refusing
Medication

May 17, 2012 3:55 AM CDT

TB Patient Jailed for Refusing Medication

California meth user was risking public health

(Newser) - A tuberculosis patient in California who refused to take medication to stop his condition from becoming contagious has been locked up to protect the public. Armando Rodriguez, 34, missed eight out of nine doses in the space of 47 days. He told health officials who visited his home that he...

Raising 'Good Cholesterol'
Might Not Help

May 16, 2012 6:42 PM CDT

Raising 'Good Cholesterol' Might Not Help

It doesn't seem to cut heart risks in major new study

(Newser) - If you've been diligently working to raise your levels of "good cholesterol" to maintain a healthy heart, a study in the Lancet has some sobering news: You might be wasting your time. It's true that high levels of the cholesterol, called HDL, are associated with a lower...

Treatable Infections
Cause 1 in 6 Cancers

Treatable Infections Cause 1 in 6 Cancers

HPV, hepatitis B vaccines key part of cancer prevention

(Newser) - A sixth of all cancers worldwide are the result of potentially treatable or preventable infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites, according to a new study. Researchers found that that almost 2 million new cancer cases in 2008 were caused by the human papilloma virus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and...

42% of Americans Will Be Obese by 2030

STUDY SAYS

May 8, 2012 1:01 AM CDT

42% of Americans Will Be Obese by 2030

But growth in obesity rate has slowed down significantly

(Newser) - The once-explosive growth in the proportion of Americans who are obese has slowed, but it's still expected to grow to 42% by 2030, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control study. The study found that if the obesity rate stays at the current level—34%—then some $550...

US Measles Cases Spike

Apr 19, 2012 2:25 PM CDT

US Measles Cases Spike

222 patients makes it worst year in 15 years

(Newser) - Last year was the worst year for measles in the US in 15 years, say health officials. The 222 cases marks a big jump from the 60 or so seen in a typical year. Most of the cases were imported, either by foreign visitors or by US residents who picked...

Need Your Appendix Out?
Not So Fast

Apr 6, 2012 10:03 AM CDT

Need Your Appendix Out? Not So Fast

Study shows that antibiotics might be a better alternative

(Newser) - Having your appendix taken out may be a common, ho-hum procedure as far as surgeries go, but a new study suggests it may be too common. British researchers say antibiotics could be a better alternative, reports the BBC . Their study found that two-thirds of patients treated with the drugs for...

60 Minutes Asks,
'Is Sugar Toxic?'

Mar 31, 2012 11:29 AM CDT

60 Minutes Asks, 'Is Sugar Toxic?'

Sweetener's spate of bad publicity goes prime time

(Newser) - Crank up the sugar lobby. The sweetener will get the 60 Minutes treatment tomorrow night, with a spate of doctors arguing that it's essentially poison. One UC endocrinologist uses the word "toxic," and thinks the big debate between sugar and high-fructose corn syrup is a waste of...

Ruling Might End Use of Antibiotics in Animal Feed

Mar 23, 2012 1:16 PM CDT

Ruling Might End Use of Antibiotics in Animal Feed

Judge tells FDA to put process in motion

(Newser) - A decision yesterday by a federal judge could mean that farmers have to stop mixing antibiotics into animal feed, reports the OnEarth blog. The judge ordered the FDA to warn drug-makers of the coming change and give them a chance to prove that the antibiotics are safe and won't...

1 in 6 Americans
Is a Binge Drinker

Jan 11, 2012 6:40 AM CST

1 in 6 Americans Is a Binge Drinker

Nation's heaviest boozers are in Wisconsin, study finds

(Newser) - Federal health officials have released their most detailed study yet of America's binge drinkers—and if you're a college-educated, high-earning young white man from Wisconsin, you may already be drunk by the time you read this. Researchers found that 38 million Americans, roughly a sixth of the adult...

Meant to Soothe,
Hospital Water Walls
Spread Danger

STUDY SAYS

Jan 11, 2012 6:36 AM CST

Meant to Soothe, Hospital Water Walls Spread Danger

Water wall linked to outbreak of Legionnaire's disease

(Newser) - Getting too close to a water wall or other decorative water fountain in a hospital can turn you into a patient, especially if you have underlying health problems, a new study warns. Researchers focused on a hospital in Wisconsin, where a water wall in the lobby was linked to an...

Failing Artificial Hips
Will Cost Us Billions

Dec 28, 2011 1:45 PM CST

Failing Artificial Hips Will Cost Us Billions

Tens of thousands of US patients could face failing implants

(Newser) - In the coming years, tens of thousands of US patients could face operations to replace artificial hip implants that are failing prematurely—and the cost could reach billions for taxpayers, insurers, employers, and others. In an extensive look at the problem, the New York Times calls it “the most...

New Yorkers Living Longer Than Most of Us

Dec 28, 2011 8:38 AM CST

New Yorkers Living Longer Than Most of Us

City's life expectancy now 2 years above national average

(Newser) - A Big Apple a day might help keep the Grim Reaper away: Newborn New Yorkers can now expect to live a lot longer than the average American, Mayor Michael Bloomberg says. At 80.6, the city's life expectancy—which was long well below the national average—is up almost...

Kids Increasingly
Skipping Vaccines

analysis

Nov 28, 2011 9:06 AM CST

Kids Increasingly Skipping Vaccines

Health officials concerned about new outbreaks

(Newser) - US health officials are concerned about a growing trend: Parents who opt out of vaccinating their children as required by public schools. In eight states, more than one in 20 public school kindergarten students aren't getting all of the required vaccines, according to an AP analysis. Over the past...