Category: Prevention
Hot Weather Precautions
Severe heat may cause illness or even death. When temperatures rise to extreme highs, reduce risks by taking the following precautions.
FDA’s approval of the world’s first vaccine against RSV will offer a new tool in an old fight – 4 questions answered
The new vaccine has been shown to be 80% effective at protecting against RSV-related disease and 94% effective at protecting against severe disease.
Why you need to stop scrolling in the bathroom
Research has also found that even if you clean your phone with antibacterial wipes or alcohol it can still be recolonised by microorganisms, indicating that sanitisation must be a regular process.
Free Dental, Vision and Medical Care Offered for People in Need
Seattle/King County Clinic returns for an eighth year to Seattle Center, April 27 – 30, with free dental, medical, and eye care services for those who struggle to access or afford healthcare.
Public Health — Seattle & King County describes its efforts to reduce overdoses
If you are a King County resident, order online to have free naloxone mailed to any address. It arrives in plain packaging to protect your privacy.
3 ways to unlock the power of food to promote heart health
A common theme among these three approaches to eating is that they are all considered plant-based, and small changes can make a difference in your overall heart disease risk. “Plant based” does not necessarily mean you have to be 100 per cent vegan or vegetarian to get their benefits. Plant-based diets can range from entirely vegan to diets that include small to moderate amounts of animal products.
Masking requirements in healthcare, long-term care, and correctional facilities to end April 3 in Washington state.
DOH infection prevention and control guidance continues to recommend masks for patients, healthcare providers, and visitors in healthcare settings. Licensed healthcare facilities are required to have infection prevention policies and programs consistent with CDC guidance.
80% of pregnancy-related deaths in Washington state were preventable, study
Behavioral health conditions, including suicide and overdose, remain the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths. Other common causes were hemorrhage and infection.
One easy way to fight antibiotic resistance? Good hand hygiene
Hygiene and antibiotic use interact. Antibiotic use had less of an effect on the evolution of antibacterial resistance as hygiene levels increased. This is because evolution toward resistance depends on variation in bacterial sensitivity to antibiotics. By affecting the distribution of resistant and sensitive bacterial strains across patients, hygiene limits the bacterial diversity needed to evolve resistance.
Mental Health Care Must Promote Wellness, Not Just Treat Illness
The nation’s mental health care system is currently focused almost exclusively on preventing and treating mental illness — conditions like depression, anxiety, and personality disorder that adversely affect a person’s mood and behavior. Although these are critical factors in mental health, so too are the components of life that are associated with feeling good, finding happiness and meaning, connecting with others, and feeling engaged — qualities that can be collectively described as positive mental health, or mental wellness.
Faeces, urine and sweat – just how gross are hot tubs? A microbiologist explains
while you’re relaxing in the warm water, you’ll likely breathe in or swallow your Jacuzzi partner’s body’s bacteria, viruses and fungi.
King County and the City of Seattle will no longer require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.
With King County’s high level of vaccination booster uptake and lower levels of community spread, hospitalizations due to COVID infection remained at a safe level, making the overall risk forecast low enough to lift the mandate for employees, volunteers, and contractors.
Yes, masks reduce the risk of spreading COVID, despite a review saying they don’t
An updated Cochrane Review published last week is the latest to suggest face masks don’t work in the community.
However there are problems with the review’s methodology and its underpinning assumptions about transmission. Well-designed real-world studies during the pandemic showed any mask reduces the risk of COVID transmission by 50–80%, with the highest protection offered by N95 respirators.
Marriage provides health benefits – and here’s why
One theory that seeks to explain the link between marriage and health is the act of self-selection. Simply put, people who are wealthier and healthier than average are more likely not only to get married but also to find a partner who is wealthier and healthier than average. While this may be part of the story, marriage also provides partners with a sense of belonging, more opportunities for social engagement and reduced feelings of loneliness. This social integration, or the extent to which people participate in social relationships and activities, can greatly influence health – from reducing the risk of hypertension and heart disease to lowering one’s risk of death or suicide.
AMA offers 10 health recommendations for new year
Many people kick off the start of each new year with big-picture health resolutions—ambitious, immediate lifestyle changes that are very difficult to maintain,” said AMA President Jack Resneck, Jr., M.D. “The good news is that small, positive health choices made right now can have long-lasting effects.”