Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, has tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced Wednesday. The 81-year-old director of NIAID tested positive on a rapid antigen test and has mild symptoms, the agency said in a statement. It said he is fully vaccinated and… read on > read on >
Managing epilepsy is an increasingly expensive process in the United States, with prices of brand-name anti-seizure drugs nearly quadrupling over eight years, a new study finds. From 2010 to 2018, the cost of brand-named epilepsy drugs, including meds like Vimpat (lacosamide), rose 277% overall, researchers found. Over the same period, the cost of generic drugs… read on > read on >
Women who follow a healthy plant-based diet after menopause appear to face a substantially lower risk for breast cancer, new French research indicates. After tracking more than 65,000 women for two decades, investigators found those who consumed a healthy, primarily plant-based diet saw their risk for developing any type of breast cancer drop by an… read on > read on >
Suicide rates are rising more slowly in states that have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a new study finds. “Suicide is a public health problem, and our findings indicate that increasing access to health care — including mental health care — by expanding Medicaid eligibility can play an important role in addressing… read on > read on >
Treating precancerous anal growths in people with HIV slashes their risk of anal cancer by more than half, according to a new study. Researchers found that treating these growths — called high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) — is a safe and effective way to reduce the risk of anal cancer. “We’ve now shown for the… read on > read on >
Adult flu shots have slumped in states with low COVID-19 vaccination rates, suggesting that COVID-19 vaccination behavior may have spilled over to flu-vaccine behavior, new research indicates. University of California, Los Angeles researchers point to declining trust in public health agencies caused by controversy over COVID-19 vaccines as a possible reason for the falloff in… read on > read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic changed kids’ lives in many respects, and sometimes for the better. Pot use, drinking, smoking and vaping all fell among U.S. youth, likely because they had to spend more time at home and less time with their friends, researchers say. The findings are based on an analysis of 49 studies. “One of… read on > read on >
An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Wednesday to recommend the emergency use of both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for the country’s youngest children. The approvals come not a moment too soon: More than two years into the pandemic, children younger than 5 still have no vaccine… read on > read on >
A centuries-old mystery as to the origins of the Black Death has been solved, according to an international team of scientists. They said the plague pandemic that killed up to 60% of people in Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa in the mid-1300s originated in central Asia in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Plague first… read on > read on >
Nearly 400 crashes have been tied to advanced driver-assistance technologies in the past year, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported Wednesday. Those accidents resulted in six deaths and five people being seriously injured, the agency said in the first large-scale safety report it has compiled on automated vehicles, the NHTSA said in… read on > read on >
