A new Omicron subvariant called BA.4 appears to be driving a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in South Africa, health experts say. The number of daily cases reported by the country has shot up from just a few hundred a few weeks ago to just over 6,000, and the rate of positive tests has jumped… read on > read on >
For the past couple of centuries, humans have been breeding dogs to meet specific physical characteristics — to make Golden Retrievers fluffy, to make Rottweilers muscular, or to make Chihuahuas tiny. Dog enthusiasts have thought they also were passing along specific behavioral traits within breeds, giving rise to certain stereotypes — Golden Retrievers are affectionate… read on > read on >
Thousands of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. South could have been avoided if more people masked, social distanced, kept kids from school and made other behavioral changes to reduce the spread of the virus, researchers say. In other words, if they had acted more like folks up North. The study authors suggested that if the… read on > read on >
(HealthDay News) – The first U.S. case of bird flu in a human has been confirmed in Colorado, federal and state health officials reported Thursday. Still, the risk to the general public is low, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed. The patient, a 40-year-old man who was working on a farm with… read on > read on >
If you’re unlucky enough to need hospitalization for COVID-19, it won’t really matter which variant you’re infected with: The same level of care is required for patients with either Delta or Omicron, a new study reveals. This is true even though people infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are much less likely to be… read on > read on >
Land parasites that pose a risk to human and wildlife health can hitch rides on the millions of pounds of microplastics that float between oceans, a new study shows. “It’s easy for people to dismiss plastic problems as something that doesn’t matter for them, like, ‘I’m not a turtle in the ocean; I won’t choke… read on > read on >
If you’re thinking about donating a kidney, new research could alleviate your concerns. “The results of this study are extremely reassuring for individuals who are considering being living kidney donors. We found that this lifesaving surgery, when performed at experienced transplant centers, is extremely safe,” said study co-author Dr. Timucin Taner, chair of transplant surgery… read on > read on >
Coverage for eligible, necessary care is denied each year to tens of thousands of seniors with private Medicare Advantage plans, U.S. federal investigators say. In a report released Thursday, the team from the inspector general’s office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Medicare needs to improve oversight of these plans and… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday released proposed rules — first announced a year ago — to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. “The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an… read on > read on >
If longevity were a priority when choosing a pup, Jack Russell terriers and Yorkshire terriers would be top picks. Those little dynamos have the longest life expectancy of a host of common dog breeds, according to a new study by Dr. Dan O’Neill, an associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College… read on > read on >
