A February flu surge has arrived
A second wave of influenza is hitting doctors' offices and urgent care clinics nationwide, according to the latest national flu data. “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase across the country,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. The new cases are coinciding with patients who were sick with the flu several weeks ago, and are now experiencing common complications. Up to a third of hospitalized flu patients develop bacterial pneumonia within a few weeks of their acute illness.
Young girl with heart conditions denied being added to transplant list over vaccination status, family says
A mother is speaking out after she says her 12-year-old daughter was denied a place on the heart transplant list at Cincinnati Children's Hospital because of her vaccination status. Brayton and Jeneen Deal, who adopted Adaline from China, said she was born with two heart conditions that will now require a transplant. When the Deals were in the process of adopting Adaline, the adoption agency told them to pick another child because "her heart was so bad, she wasn't going to make it," they wrote in a GoFundMe campaign.
Spinal cord stimulation restores movement for people with 'muscle wasting' disorder
People with spinal muscle atrophy (SMA), an inherited neuromuscular disease, usually experience muscle weakness that impacts movement. New research suggests that electrical spinal cord stimulation could improve muscle function for these patients, even restoring the capability to walk. In studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, sessions of spinal cord stimulation were shown to restore motor neuron activity and improve muscle strength in the legs for patients with SMA.
Lara Trump on food, health and America's children: 'We want the truth'
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump and mom of two, will host a new program on Fox News Channel called "My View with Lara Trump" on Saturday evenings, it was announced on Wednesday. Trump, 42, is married to Eric Trump and is a former Republican National Committee co-chair. She's also been outspoken about the need for improved health in America. In an on-camera interview a few days ago with Fox News Digital, she said she's "like a lot of parents out there today" in terms of being concerned about the health and well-being of her young children. (See the video at the top of this article.)
Prostate cancer cases spike in this US state as doctors share likely reason
Cases of prostate cancer are on the rise in California, according to new research. A study by UC San Francisco (UCSF) included nearly 388,000 men who had prostate cancer between 2004 and 2021. The incidence rate of cases increased 6.7% per year on average between 2011 and 2021, the JAMA-published research revealed.
The secret reasons for 'Zoom fatigue' among American workers
People are suffering from "Zoom fatigue" for some very specific reasons, according to a recently published study. In the post-pandemic world, the increasing reliance on virtual meetings has led to the identification of a new phenomenon among people who are apparently fed up with talking to colleagues on computer screens. This phenomenon has "significant" implications for workplace productivity and individual well-being, scientists say, as news agency SWNS reported.
Seafood samples contain high levels of microplastics in US state, say researchers
Microplastics were detected in almost every seafood sample found off the coast of the western U.S. in a recent study, researchers claim. The study, led by Portland State University (PSU), identified "anthropogenic particles" — which are materials produced or modified by humans — in the edible tissue of six different species of fish. Those included black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp, according to a PSU press release.
US officials advise travelers to be careful in Uganda because of Ebola
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Wednesday urged Americans traveling to Uganda to take precautions because of an Ebola outbreak — and said they are helping Ugandan health officials respond to the threat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel alert does not call on travelers to steer clear of Uganda, but it does urge enhanced precautions, such as avoiding people with symptoms and skipping visits to health care centers unless travelers have an urgent medical need. Ugandan health officials last week reported that a nurse at a hospital in the capital, Kampala, died of Ebola. It was the first recorded fatality since the country’s last outbreak of the disease ended in early 2023. World Health Organization officials this week noted the “extensive travel” of the infected person, who visited a number of medical facilities while symptomatic, “increasing the risk of widespread transmission.
USDA detects second bird flu strain in dairy cows
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has detected a bird flu strain in dairy cattle that previously had not been seen in cows, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on Wednesday. Before this detection, all of the 957 bird flu infections among dairy cow herds reported since the outbreak began last year had been caused by the same strain of the virus, according to the USDA. Nearly 70 people in the U.S. have contracted bird flu, most of them farm workers, as the virus has circulated among poultry flocks and dairy herds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bird flu has also killed tens of millions of egg-laying hens and has driven egg prices to record highs. The USDA said in a release that genome sequencing of milk from Nevada had identified a different strain present in dairy cows for the first time. Reuters reported news of the detection of the second strain on Wednesday ahead of the agency’s announcement.
Potentially deadly zoonotic virus found in US, sparking concerns of spread to humans
A fatal virus has reportedly been discovered in shrews in Alabama, sparking concerns about potential contagion to humans. The Camp Hill virus — thought to be the first "henipavirus" in North America — was discovered by researchers at The University of Queensland. A henipavirus is a genus of viruses that is zoonotic, which means it can be spread from animals to humans.