Air pollution impacts the youngest humans, with new research linking dirty air to almost 6 million premature births and almost 3 million underweight babies worldwide in 2019. More than 90% of the world’s population lives with polluted outdoor air, a new study points out. And its effects continue through the years: Preemies or children with…  read on >  read on >

The highly contagious Delta variant is the reason more people have decided to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a new poll shows. But the survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation also found that among unvaccinated Americans, nearly 75% say they believe that the need for booster shots proves the vaccines don’t work. Given the diverging viewpoints,…  read on >  read on >

Two of the country’s top political leaders put talk into action on Monday, getting their booster doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. As they received their third dose of vaccine, President Joe Biden and Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell both called for Americans to get vaccinated and to get their boosters when and if eligible,…  read on >  read on >

Hookworms — a common parasite in animals — have become resistant to multiple deworming drugs used to kill them, a new study finds. Veterinarians typically use three types of drugs to kill hookworms, and all three have lost their effectiveness, researchers report. Moreover, as more hookworms survive, they’ll be a threat to people, too, according…  read on >  read on >

It seems like common sense for people who’ve had COVID-19 to think they now have natural immunity, and therefore don’t have to bother getting vaccinated. Common sense, yes, but also incorrect, infectious disease doctors say. Your case of COVID — especially if it was very mild — probably didn’t create enough of an immune response…  read on >  read on >