A panel of science advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent recommended on Thursday that a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can be given to 5- to 11-year-olds. The move is expected be confirmed by a sign-off from CDC director Dr. Rochelle Wallensky, and follows on authorization from U.S.… read on > read on >
A baby formula plant closed in February at the heart of the current U.S. shortage of the product could reopen as soon as next week, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told House lawmakers on Thursday. The Abbott Nutrition’s Michigan formula plant is the largest in the nation, and it was closed… read on >
Two drugs are better than one when it comes to stopping asthma attacks in progress, a new clinical trial has found. The study, of more than 3,100 asthma patients, found that a two-drug “rescue” inhaler worked better than a standard inhaler in thwarting severe asthma exacerbations — helping some patients avoid trips to the hospital.… read on > read on >
A new report on how Black Americans are faring against cancer offers up a decidedly mixed picture. The risk that a Black man or woman in America will die from cancer has steadily declined over the last two decades, the newly published research found. Unfortunately, that risk still remains higher for Black Americans than for… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, May 19, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Falls pose a major risk to people with heart problems, and health experts need to do more to understand and prevent the danger, a new report says. “Falls are very common,” said Dr. Sarah Goodlin, senior author of the scientific statement from the American Heart Association.… read on > read on >
U.S. hospitals are running low on contrast dye injected into patients undergoing enhanced X-rays, CT scans and MRIs. The fluid, which makes the routine but potentially life-saving scans readable, helps doctors identify clots in the heart and brain. The shortage is expected to last until at least June 30, the American Hospital Association (AHA) says.… read on > read on >
The number of American children affected by acute hepatitis of unknown cause continues to grow, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. So far, the agency’s investigation has spotted 180 pediatric cases in 36 states and territories over the past seven months. That’s an increase of 71 from the last time… read on > read on >
Masks may not be required, but Americans should consider wearing one anyway if they live in an area where COVID-19 case numbers are high, federal health officials said Wednesday. That advice currently applies to about one-third of Americans, all of whom now live in areas with high levels of community transmission, according to the U.S.… read on > read on >
Faced with mounting pressure to help desperate parents, President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the power of the wartime Defense Production Act to get more of the precious product into American homes. Under the new powers, the federal government can use commercial aircraft or air cargo planes owned by the Defense Department to transport infant… read on > read on >
The first U.S. case this year of a rare and potentially fatal virus known as monkeypox has been diagnosed in a man in Massachusetts who recently traveled to Canada, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. The illness does occasionally arise in the United States, but the Massachusetts case comes on the… read on > read on >
