The first confirmed U.S. case of the Omicron variant has been reported in California, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. The patient was a traveler, apparently from the San Francisco area, who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, the CDC said in a statement. The person, who was fully vaccinated,… read on > read on >
With HIV a continuing threat to women’s health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the first long-acting device to protect women from sexually transmitted HIV. The device is a vaginal ring made of silicone elastomer, a flexible rubber-like material that makes it easy to insert and comfortable to use. The ring releases the antiretroviral… read on > read on >
Parents who want to read to their toddlers and give them a developmental boost ought to pick up a traditional paper book rather than an e-book on a tablet, a new study reports. Toddlers are more likely to interact with their parents when they’re sharing a paper children’s book rather than a tablet, University of… read on > read on >
Blows to the head are common among America’s kids, with close to 7% showing signs of a brain injury at some time in childhood, U.S. health officials report. Sports, falls and abuse are likely causes, experts say. Concussions and other head injuries are more common among white kids than Black or Hispanic kids. And prevalence… read on > read on >
Asthma is a tough disease for kids and their parents to manage well, but not keeping it under control may make these children up to six times more likely to wind up in the hospital with severe COVID-19, new research shows. With the cold and flu season about to kick in and COVID-19 rates climbing… read on > read on >
Stop that racket! A screeching rubber chicken tops this year’s list of noisy toys that pose a threat to children’s hearing. The Sight & Hearing Association’s annual Noisy Toys List for 2021 includes toys that tested louder than 85 decibels (dB), which is the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety’s level for mandatory… read on > read on >
They once ruled the planet, but even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex could suffer from bone disease, new research shows. Scientists used imaging to examine the lower left jaw of a fossilized T. rex skeleton discovered in Montana in 2010. The skeleton, which is about 68 million years old and one of the most complete skeletons… read on > read on >
Americans who are vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 should have enough antibody protection to prevent severe illness if they become infected with the new Omicron variant, White House COVID response officials said Tuesday. Omicron has caused concern among medical experts due to a “large number of mutations, around 50, much larger than previous variants,” including… read on > read on >
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Tuesday voted narrowly to recommend emergency use of Merck’s new antiviral pill to help prevent severe COVID-19 in high-risk patients. By a 13-10 count, the panelists recommended molnupiravir for use by older COVID-19 patients or those who have medical conditions that make them especially susceptible to… read on > read on >
The first wave of girls to receive the HPV vaccine are much less likely to contract or die from cervical cancer than women just a few years older, a new study reports. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), for which a vaccine has been available since 2006. Cervical cancer… read on > read on >
