Category: Public Health
State public health departments fear looming federal cuts in Trump’s next budget
If lawmakers hew to Trump’s vision, then state and county public health departments would be hit hard. States contribute to their own health departments, but a lot of them rely heavily on federal funding. Around half of local public health department funding comes from federal sources
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Spokane was one of hundreds of cities expecting federal funds to help manage rising heat wave risk – then EPA ended the grants
In 2021, 19 people died in Spokane County and about 300 visited hospitals with signs of heat-related illnesses. Scientists say it’s not a matter of if, but when, another deadly heat wave descends on the region.
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Health tips for a safe 4th of July
Food, water, air, fire and heat
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TOXIC CHEMICALS MAY BE HIDING IN MAKEUP – A DISCOVERY MADE THANKS TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN LOCAL RESEARCH
Kohl, kajal, and surma are traditional eyeliners worn by adults and children in local immigrant and refugee communities, including the local Afghan community. These eyeliners may contain toxic chemicals such as lead, which can damage the brain, heart, and other parts of the body.
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Guns kill more US children than other causes, but state policies can help, study finds
More American children and teens die from firearms than any other cause, but there are more deaths — and wider racial disparities — in states with more permissive gun policies, according to a new study.
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King County officials urge caution around lakes, rivers and Puget Sound as high rates of drownings continue.
Citing continued high rates of preventable drowning deaths, King County officials urge caution around water this summer. Over half of recent drowning deaths occurred in open water, where temperatures remain dangerously cold and rivers can have swift currents and submerged obstacles.
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Teachers and librarians are among those least likely to die by suicide − public health researchers offer insights on what this means for other professions
National and state data shows that educators in the U.S., including teachers, professors and librarians, are among the least likely to die by suicide.
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Measles Misinformation Is on the Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds
Republicans are far more skeptical of vaccines and twice as likely (1 in 5) as Democrats (1 in 10) to believe the measles shot is worse than the disease.
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Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More
More children ages 1 to 4 die of drowning than any other cause of death. Nearly a quarter of adults received mental health treatment in 2023, an increase of 3.4 million from the prior year. The number of migrants from Mexico and northern Central American countries stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol was surpassed in 2022 by the number of migrants from other nations. We know these things because the federal government collects, organizes and shares the data behind them. Every year, year after year, workers in agencies that many of us have never heard of have been amassing the statistics that undergird decision-making at all levels of government and inform the judgments of business leaders, school administrators and medical providers nationwide. The survival of that data is now in doubt, as a result of the Department of Government Efficiency’s comprehensive assault on the federal bureaucracy.
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Social factors help explain worse cardiovascular health among adults in rural vs. urban communities
Researchers found that factors such as levels of income and education, having enough food to eat, and owning a home mostly explained the higher rates of people in rural areas who had high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
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The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
In an aborted plan to roll out the news, the agency would have emphasized the importance of vaccinating people against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that has spread to 19 states, the records show.
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Combatting the measles threat means examining the reasons for declining vaccination rates
The anti-vaccine literature is not anti-science. It is filled with statistics and references to scientific studies, although the facts are often wrong. Parents who read this literature need more than the simple reassurance of experts that vaccines are safe and effective. They need to be shown evidence and have confidence that their concerns are being taken seriously.
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Second measles case identified in Washington state
Measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that causes fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected. It mainly spreads through the air after a person with measles coughs or sneezes.
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Flu kills two area children
The first was an elementary-age child. The second was a preschool-age child.
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CDC layoffs strike deeply at its ability to respond to the current flu, norovirus and measles outbreaks and other public health emergencies
The CDC began as a small branch of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1946 as an outgrowth of successes fighting malaria in southern states during World War II and before. Its founder, Dr. Joseph W. Mountin, envisioned that it would come to serve all states, addressing all communicable diseases. Since that time, the CDC has evolved into the nation’s premier public health organization, leveraging both clinical and population health sciences to prevent and mitigate challenges to the nation’s health.
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