Last week, a person in Louisiana was hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1 infection, a.k.a. bird flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this is the first severe case reported in the United States. As NBC News reports, the CDC said the patient was likely exposed to the virus from a […]
The Food and Drug Administration is (finally) making moves to ban the synthetic food coloring Red No. 3. As Food & Wine reports, last week, Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, shared with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it’s likely time to reevaluate the safety of red food dye. […]
For more than two years, farmers have fought a battle with a fatal strain of bird flu that continues to disrupt the U.S. egg supply. At one point, the shortage sent the price of a dozen regular eggs soaring to almost $5. Prices retreated somewhat, but they remain volatile. As Nerd Wallet reports, the current […]
Cases of whooping cough (pertussis) have surged all across the United States to higher than even pre-pandemic levels. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 17,500 pertussis cases have been reported in the U.S. so far in 2024, compared with only 3,962 cases for all of 2023. According to the Children’s […]
Two carcinogenic chemicals used in cleaning products and other common household goods have been banned in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a Dec. 9 press release. The chemicals — trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE or perc) — can cause multiple kinds of cancers and damage to the kidney, liver and immune and nervous […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to mandate bulk milk tank testing nationwide to address bird flu outbreaks in dairy herds. As USA Today reports, in an announcement Friday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it issued a new federal order that milk samples be collected and shared with the federal agency for testing. […]
National Handwashing Awareness Week is recognized the first full week of December each year. Personal hygiene begins and ends with our hands. And though we’re taught as youngsters to wash our hands before dinner, it’s important to remember that germs don’t care what time of day it is. Clean hands prevent sickness. So it’s especially […]
A new study on a drug widely prescribed for asthma is binding itself to receptors in the brain and is linked to severe mental health issues and suicide, according to new research. As Reuters reports, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) presented the preliminary results of a study on the asthma drug Singulair, which is sold generically […]
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday confirmed the country’s first case of H5N1 bird flu infection in a child. The good news is that the patient is reported to have experienced mild symptoms and is currently recovering from the illness. As Reuter’s reports, California’s public health department had reported the […]
In our hyper-connected world of social media, Zoom calls and Netflix binges, there’s a refreshing antidote — one that’s good for your mental health, reduces stress and anxiety and even helps your immune system: being in nature. As Yahoo Life reports, while any time spent outdoors is advantageous, there’s an actual “prescription” that can help you […]