In an estimate that far exceeds reported totals, an expert panel appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that there were nearly 15 million more deaths worldwide during the first two years of the pandemic than would normally have been expected. That compares with an official tally of 6.2 million COVID-19 deaths reported… read on > read on >
Yet another subvariant of of the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in the United States and is likely to become the dominant strain within weeks, experts say. Early research suggests that BA.2.12.1 — a subvariant of the highly contagious BA.2 subvariant — is better able to evade the immune system than previous versions of the… read on > read on >
Survivors of teen and young-adult cancers may feel they’ve dodged a bullet, but they’re not totally in the clear. A new study reveals a high risk of developing and dying from new cancers later on. These young people require close monitoring, according to researchers at the American Cancer Society. “The risk of subsequent primary cancer… read on > read on >
If you’re still wiping down groceries, doorknobs and light switches in an attempt to thwart COVID-19, maybe you can relax a little: You’re 1,000 times more likely to get COVID from the air you breathe than from surfaces you touch, a new study suggests. University of Michigan researchers tested air and surface samples around their… read on > read on >
As early as age 6, children who carry extra weight could be headed down a path toward future diabetes or heart disease, a new study suggests. The study, of nearly 1,000 Danish children, found that kids who were overweight often had elevations in blood sugar and insulin by the time they were school-age. They also… read on > read on >
Kids who feel their true gender identity doesn’t match the sex they were given at birth are sometimes given the chance to adopt the lifestyle and characteristics of the opposite gender, in a process known as “social transitioning.” It involves no treatments or surgery, yet some people question whether kids who socially transition at a… read on > read on >
Only 18 percent of parents of children under 5 say they plan to get their child vaccinated against COVID as soon as they can, while nearly 4 in 10 say they will “wait and see” before getting shots for their child, a new U.S. survey reveals. Nearly 3 in 10 (27%) said they would “definitely… read on > read on >
State bans on affirmative action have prompted a precipitous decline in the number of U.S. medical students from racial/ethnic minority groups, a new study finds. “We know that a more diverse physician workforce leads to better care for racial- and ethnic-minority patients,” said lead researcher Dr. Dan Ly, an assistant professor of medicine in the… read on > read on >
Despite what you may have heard, rats and other city wildlife aren’t likely to trigger future pandemics in people, according to a new study. The COVID-19 pandemic has scientists trying to determine where future outbreaks are most likely to start. It’s long been suspected that critters in cities might act as reservoirs for viruses that… read on > read on >
Overweight kids don’t have it easy, and a new study warns they may also at increased risk for type 1 diabetes later in life. “A critical window exists in childhood to mitigate the influence of adiposity [being severely overweight, or obese] on the escalating numbers of type 1 diabetes diagnoses,” said the study’s lead author,… read on > read on >
