Category: Health News
Syphilis Is Killing Babies. The U.S. Government Is Failing to Stop the Disease From Spreading.
The only drug that treats syphilis during pregnancy is in short supply. Untreated, the disease can pass to newborns, killing them or leaving them with disabilities. As cases rise sharply, the government isn’t doing much to prevent shortages.
The Cost of Freeing Drinking Water from ‘Forever Chemicals’
In proposing the limits, EPA officials said that they had leveraged the latest science to protect the public from PFAS pollution. Environmental groups welcomed the move as long overdue. But the standard has drawn widespread criticism from the water utility industry and some scientists who say that in many places, small drops in PFAS water levels will matter little for exposure or health.
‘Shell game’: When private equity comes to town, hospitals can see cutbacks, closures
But state laws can change the trajectory of the story.
I’m trying to lose weight and eat healthily. Why do I feel so hungry all the time? What can I do about it?
Nick Fuller, University of Sydney Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, famously said nothing is certain except death and taxes. But I think we can include “you’ll feel hungry when you’re trying to lose weight”…
Older adults want to ‘age in place,’ but their options are limited in most states
As America gets grayer, advocates are pushing for new types of housing. By Robbie Sequiera, Staff ReporterStateline As older adults begin to outnumber young people in the United States in the coming decade, advocacy groups are challenging states to shift…
How to lower your risk of breast cancer
Everyone has breast tissue, and everyone has some risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. And even though you can’t change risk factors like your age or family history, you can still lower your risk.
Thousands of People Moved to the Rural South During the First Year of the Pandemic. Where Did They Come From?
Out of all the people who moved from larger cities to rural areas in 2021, two-thirds wound up living in the rural South.
TIPS FOR CLEAN AIR INDOORS ON SMOKY DAYS: A PUBLIC HEALTH COMIC
Comic by Meredith Li-Vollmer from Public Health — Seattle & King County
The orgasm gap and why women climax less than men
In one study of more than 50,000 people, 95% of heterosexual men said they usually or always orgasm when sexually intimate, while only 65% of heterosexual women said the same.
Headlines
Western Washington enters heat wave . . . West Nile virus detected in Grant County . . . Air pollution linked to dementia . . . 5 Victorian-era diseases that are back . . . Should you worry about your BMI?
Measles case in King County
Public Health – Seattle & King County is investigating a confirmed measles case in a child. People who were at Aki Kurose Middle School, Pike Place Market, World Market, and HopeCentral Pediatrics & Behavioral Health in Seattle may have been exposed to measles if they were there within the time span that this person passed through while infectious.
Heat Advisory Issued this Weekend for Washington State
The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s for much of western Washington by Monday. Since many Washingtonians do not have air conditioning in their homes, cooling off can be a challenge, particularly for people with health conditions, the elderly, and infants.
My scan shows I have thyroid nodules. Should I be worried?
Thyroid nodules are very common, with more than half of people scanned show small nodules. At age 30 it is estimated around 30% of women will have a nodule. By age 70, approximately 70% of women will have at least one. Most never cause problems. But when should you follow up and get treatment?
Medication abortion could get harder to obtain – or easier: There’s a new wave of post-Dobbs lawsuits on abortion pills
Medication abortion now accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States, but there are a raft of new legal battles that may expand or limit access.
Rare genetic disease may protect Ashkenazi Jews against tuberculosis – new study
Genes carried by many Ashkenazi Jews that put them at a higher risk of a rare disorder, Gaucher disease, also help protect them against TB.