The Delta variant of COVID-19 is upending any return to normalcy in some parts of the United States, with locales like Los Angeles County urging vaccinated folks to once again don masks indoors. Infectious disease experts said these places are acting with an abundance of appropriate caution, given that the Delta variant is more transmissible… read on > read on >
Many women in the United States aren’t screened for cervical cancer because they can’t afford it, a new study finds. Screening helps reduce cervical cancer cases and deaths, but disparities in screening rates exist based on income, insurance status, race and ethnicity. “Low-income women need greater access to insurance coverage options, Medicaid eligibility, or free… read on > read on >
Can pets get COVID-19 from their beloved owners? Yes, they can. In fact, a pair of new studies suggest that COVID-19 is quite common among cats and dogs in households where someone has contracted the virus. But at a virtual meeting of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology slated for next week, both research teams… read on > read on >
A steep rise in vaccination rates has dropped COVID-19 from the first to the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, a new analysis shows. The disease was the third leading cause of death for much of 2020, but became the leading cause of death in December 2020 and early 2021, reaching a… read on > read on >
The notion of parents picking out genetically perfect babies may seem like science fiction. But in a new report, a multidisciplinary group of researchers warn that some companies have already started to offer couples going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) the means to pick better embryos through polygenic scoring. Polygenic scores are a “weighted average… read on > read on >
The head of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday stood by the agency’s latest mask guidance, saying that fully vaccinated Americans need not wear face coverings as the pandemic ebbs. Even so, there are instances where local authorities might set more stringent measures to protect the unvaccinated against the highly contagious… read on > read on >
(Healthday News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s controversial approval of a new Alzheimer’s drug, along with its high price, is now being investigated by two House committees. “We have serious concerns about the steep price of Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm and the process that led to its approval despite questions about the… read on > read on >
Poor quality sleep can shave years off your life, and these effects may be magnified if you don’t get enough physical activity. That’s the bad news. The good news is that getting more exercise may help counter some of the health risks known to accompany poor quality sleep, new research shows. Folks who scored low… read on > read on >
Want to hold a preschooler’s interest in learning something new? Give them just enough information to make them want to know more, a new study suggests. This creates the perfect mix of uncertainty and curiosity in children, said researchers from Rutgers University, in New Jersey. “There is an infinite amount of information in the real… read on > read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic likely played a role in the 50% increase in deaths from fireworks in the United States last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says. Many public fireworks displays were canceled last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That led many people to light rockets, sparklers and firecrackers in their own… read on > read on >
