public health

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HIV Adoptions From Abroad on Rise

Ethiopia leads nations on finding US homes

(Newser) - More US families are adopting HIV-infected children from overseas, primarily in Ethiopia, the AP reports. Stats from one international agency show 38 adoptions of infected Ethiopian children this year, up from 13 in 2007 and four in 2006. HIV adoptions have also increased in China, Ghana, Haiti, and Russia, say...

Ovarian Cancer Test 'Premature,' Critics Worry

Early screening's false positives may cause unneeded surgeries

(Newser) - Though a new ovarian cancer test gives hope that the 21,000 new cancer cases expected this year may be detected at a treatable stage, the FDA is worried OvaSure may do more harm than good, the New York Times reports. If the unregulated test detects cancer where there isn't...

Recession Makes Us Healthier
 Recession Makes Us Healthier 
ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2008 4:35 PM CDT

Recession Makes Us Healthier

Strapped budgets can help people improve habits

(Newser) - A slow economy might mean more people are stressed, but research shows that tough times are actually good for us, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rates of illnesses—particularly those related to lifestyle changes, like heart disease—decrease, as do accident and death rates. And while some may drown their...

1918 Flu Survivors Still Have Killer Antibodies

Findings help fight against avian flu

(Newser) - The flu pandemic that killed up to 100 million people in 1918 left survivors with a strong set of antibodies—strong enough to still be viable today, Reuters reports. Mice given survivor antibodies managed to fight off the deadly flu when they were infected with the virus extracted from exhumed...

Burger King Bather in Hot Water
 Burger King Bather in Hot Water 
Aug 12, 2008 5:03 PM CDT

Burger King Bather in Hot Water

Public health uproar ensues after prank video goes online

(Newser) - Diners in Ohio are feeling queasy after an internet video surfaced yesterday showing a young man taking a bath in a local Burger King’s sink. In the video, employees and a store manager watch a heavily tattooed “Mr. Unstable” relax in a bubble bath. Burger King reps tell...

'Coercive Paternalism' Is Bad Parenting

Laws designed to force public to choose healthy options is 'Orwellian'

(Newser) - Under the banner of what’s good for you, an insidious new trend is growing. “Coercive paternalism,” Steve Chapman writes in Reason, is the wrong-minded older sibling of the much-in-vogue “libertarian paternalism” responsible for dietary information in chain restaurants. “Libertarian paternalists … limit themselves to promoting...

Americans Face Hearing Loss 'Epidemic'

Hearing impairment far more common than expected

(Newser) - Americans are likely to face an epidemic of hearing impairment in coming years as the use of personal listening devices soars and the population ages, Reuters reports. A third of adults already has hearing loss to some degree and the proportion is expected to rise significantly. White Americans, men, and...

US Health Care Stinks: Study
 US Health Care
 Stinks: Study 
Jul 17, 2008 10:33 AM CDT

US Health Care Stinks: Study

Huge inefficiencies put American system last among 19 developed nations

(Newser) - The US health care system gets dismal grades in a ranking of 19 industrialized countries, Reuters reports. A private foundation looked at key indicators like efficiency and access, and found the US did very poorly despite spending the most money—putting it last on the list. Health-care dollars were squandered...

Teen Pregnancy on Rise for 1st Time in 15 Years

Jump has health chiefs worried

(Newser) - The teen pregnancy rate increased in 2006 for the first time since 1991, reports CNN. Officials from the National Institutes of Health aren't sure if the 2.8% increase in the number of teen moms is a blip or the start of a trend, but the figures are a "...

Salmonella Now Largest Food-Borne Outbreak in US

More than 1,000 cases reported; tomatoes and hot peppers still the main suspects

(Newser) - The number of salmonella cases has surpassed 1,000, making it the nation's largest food-borne outbreak, says the CDC. Despite the volume of cases, investigators still can't quite pinpoint the exact cause or source, LiveScience reports. Certain types of tomatoes, hot peppers and cilantro—the main ingredients of salsa—remain...

Polluting Pentagon Rebuffs EPA Orders

Pentagon challenges agency's right to order toxic chemical clean up

(Newser) - The Pentagon is holding out on an Environmental Protection Agency order to clean up pollutants from three military bases where chemicals have become an "imminent and substantial" threat to the public health and environment, the Washington Post reports. The Defense Department also won’t sign contracts to clean up...

Percentage of Teen Smokers Holds Steady at 20%

Lack of progress in recent years worries health officials

(Newser) - The number of teens who smoke has stopped declining, and anti-smoking activists worry that complacency is setting in, the Washington Post reports. The latest survey shows that 20% of kids between the ages of 13 and 17 light up, a figure that has generally held steady since 2003. It remains...

Chicago Watchful for Second Helping of Tainted Taste

Officials remind of their limited role, year after salmonella outbreak at popular festival

(Newser) - With news still coming of people stricken by tomatoes tainted with salmonella, health officials say they're taking full precautions to prevent another outbreak at this year's Taste of Chicago, the Tribune reports. Booths will be inspected four times a day for sanitary conditions at the event, which begins today—though...

City Plans to Test Every Bronx Adult for HIV

Bid to tackle highest AIDS death rate in NY

(Newser) - City officials aim to test every Bronx adult for HIV by 2011 under an ambitious initiative to tackle the high rate of AIDS deaths in the borough, the New York Times reports. The voluntary testing would become routine in emergency rooms and storefront clinics and would pare down consent requirements...

Tomato Salmonella Cases Rise to 383 in 30 States

Increase may be due to closer scrutiny, rather than new outbreak

(Newser) - Federal health officials have learned of 106 more cases of salmonella linked to tainted tomatoes, putting the outbreak's total to 383 and counting. Most of this newest influx of cases were people who got sick weeks ago but had not been counted previously. Some states began doing closer checking for...

New Shower Curtains Smell Like Cancer

PVC products linked to wide-ranging and long-lasting ills

(Newser) - Ever wonder about that smell given off by new shower curtains? Well, according to a new study, it’s poisonous. An independent organization has found that PVC shower curtains on shelves at Wal-Mart, Target, Sears and others may give off measurable amounts of dangerous, volatile organic compounds that could linger...

US Firms Balk at EU Crackdown on Chemicals

Tough new regs shift burden to proving products are safe

(Newser) - The European Union has passed a series of tough new laws requiring companies to prove that the chemicals in their products are safe, the Washington Post reports. The rule is the exact opposite of US law—which requires proof that a chemical is dangerous before it can be regulated—and...

$10 Mosquito Nets Move Young Donors to Save Lives

Malaria solution is hands-on way to help

(Newser) - Mosquito nets, at $10 a pop, are a low-cost, effective way to prevent malaria—and they've become a cause célèbre for young people across the country, who've raised millions in donation drives, the New York Times reports. “You can say $10 saves a life,” says one...

San Francisco, Seattle Top US Fittest Cities List

Los Angeles trails in measures of healthy living, environment

(Newser) - San Francisco has narrowly edged out Seattle for the distinction of being America's fittest big city, says a new study released by the American College of Sports Medicine. Judging 16 large metropolitan areas on factors ranging from exercise frequency and fruit intake to the availability of parks and public transportation,...

C-Sections Propel Jump in Preemies
C-Sections Propel Jump
in Preemies
May 29, 2008 11:56 AM CDT

C-Sections Propel Jump in Preemies

Risks, costs skyrocket for premature infants, new research notes

(Newser) - The number of US babies born before reaching normal gestation jumped by a third from 1996 to 2004, the Los Angeles Times reports, with Cesarean sections accounting for much of the rise. With health risks and high costs associated with premature babies, the trend presents "a serious problem,"...

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