Humanity’s best protection against bird flu will be the development of effective vaccines, a new study says. The H5N1 avian flu has been raging through cattle and poultry in the United States, increasing fears that the virus will make the leap into humans and potentially cause another pandemic. Only two people to date are known…  read on >  read on >

An experimental mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death in lab animals, researchers report. The vaccine could help fight the H5N1 bird flu outbreaks now spreading in wild birds, poultry and cows in the United States, researchers said. Stopping those outbreaks is key to preventing the…  read on >  read on >

Weighted blankets are trendy items, largely based on the idea that the pressure of a heavy blanket will help a person more easily slip into slumber. But they do little to help troubled children sleep better, a new study has found. There was no difference in sleep between weighted and normal blankets among a group…  read on >  read on >

Backyard chickens are causing outbreaks of salmonella across the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns. About 109 people in 29 states have gotten sick from salmonella after touching or caring for backyard poultry, the CDC said in a health advisory. Of those, 33 people have been hospitalized, the CDC said.…  read on >  read on >

“Ugh, I’m so busy these days I can barely think straight. It’s so crazy.” No doubt some friend or coworker (maybe even yourself) has moaned about how stressed and overworked they are. Sometimes its fully justified, but in many cases folks see it as “stress bragging,” or “busy bragging,” signaling how important and needed the…  read on >  read on >

Development and uptake of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine has been crucial in reducing rates of virus-linked cervical cancers in women. Now, the accumulated data suggests the vaccine is saving men from fatal cancers, too. Overall, men who got the vaccine [typically as boys] saw their odds for HPV-linked cancers slashed in half, according…  read on >  read on >