All U.S. adults younger than 60 should be vaccinated against hepatitis B, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended Wednesday. Until now, the shots were recommended only for certain groups of adults, including prisoners, health care workers, international travelers, people with diabetes and certain other conditions, and those who inject drugs or who have multiple… read on > read on >
Here’s some comforting news for people who struggle with inflammatory bowel disease and worry that the immune-suppressing drugs they must take might blunt their response to COVID-19 vaccines: New research finds vaccination triggers a strong immune reaction in these patients. “At eight weeks, following completion of a two-dose mRNA vaccine series, 99% of patients had… read on > read on >
Large U.S. companies have until Jan. 4, 2022 to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Biden administration said Thursday. Unvaccinated workers must undergo weekly testing under the plan that applies to businesses with 100 or more employees and will cover 84 million private sector workers, the New York Times reported. President Joe… read on > read on >
The word went out late last month throughout Utah — if you’ve got a spare set of aluminum crutches lying around, you should donate them to your local hospital. An international shortage of aluminum has caused delays in shipments of crutches and walkers, so Utah hospitals banded together for #LeanOnUtah — a community drive to… read on > read on >
The sooner girls are vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), the lower their future risk of cervical cancer, a new study finds. Compared to unvaccinated women, the risk of cervical cancer was 87% lower among those who received the bivalent vaccine Cervarix at ages 12 or 13. By contrast, it was 62% lower in those who… read on > read on >
A growing number of American adults say they have a physical or mental disability, a new study finds. Of more than 400,000 adults who responded to a 2019 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 27% reported a disability. That’s a 1% increase since 2016, and represents about 67 million Americans, according to researchers… read on > read on >
Transplant patients and certain other folks may need four shots of COVID-19 vaccine for optimal protection, new research suggests. People with weakened immune systems who’ve received both doses of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines aren’t adequately protected against severe illness. They should be given a third shot plus a booster, according to the study. “These findings indicate… read on > read on >
A measure designed to lower prescription drug costs for seniors has been added to President Joe Biden’s social safety net and climate change bill that Democratic leaders hope to bring to a House vote this week. For the first time, the measure would enable the federal government to negotiate prices for medications covered by Medicare,… read on > read on >
Researchers may have unearthed a surprising risk factor for often-fatal brain bleeds: Sleepless nights. In a study of about 70,000 adults, researchers found that people with a genetic predisposition to insomnia were at somewhat higher risk of a brain aneurysm. An aneurysm is a weak spot in an artery wall that bulges out and fills… read on > read on >
It’s a life-and-death prediction: How likely is early-stage breast cancer to spread throughout the rest of a patient’s body? A new analysis that tried to make that call easier for doctors to predict found that a younger age at diagnosis was a strong indicator of spreading (“metastatic”) cancer. To come to that conclusion, the researchers… read on > read on >
