public health

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Climate Change Health Costs Will Be Colossal

'This is a problem with a human face'

(Newser) - The health care costs that climate change will cause have been overlooked—and they'll be staggering, according to a new study. Researchers looked at six climate-related disasters in the US, including wildfires, a hurricane, and a flood, and calculated that those six disasters alone cost the US $14 billion...

Listeria Death Toll Hits 18
 Listeria Death Toll Hits 18 
Oct 5, 2011 5:00 AM CDT

Listeria Death Toll Hits 18

More cases still expected, says FDA official

(Newser) - The death toll from the listeriosis outbreak linked to cantaloupes rose to 18 as government officials confirmed three more deaths yesterday. The total number of illnesses is now 100, according to the CDC. An FDA official says more victims are expected, since listeria symptoms can take up to two months...

Cantaloupe Death Toll Rising, May Hit 16

CDC reports 13 confirmed deaths and 72 illnesses from listeria outbreak

(Newser) - Health officials say at least 13 people have died from possible listeria illnesses traced to Colorado cantaloupes, making it the deadliest food outbreak in more than a decade. The CDC said today that 72 illnesses and 13 deaths are linked to the tainted fruit. Most of the victims were age...

Michigan to Track Kids' Weight in State Registry

Doctors will have to report BMI stats of young patients

(Newser) - Michigan is getting aggressive on childhood obesity: Under a new initiative, doctors will be required to report kids' body weight and BMI stats to a state registry, the AP reports. The children's identity would remain anonymous, but the move could still trigger concerns about privacy or the government overstepping...

Each Hour of Boob Tube Hacks 22 Mins. Off Your Life
Each Hour of Boob Tube Hacks 22 Mins. Off Your Life
in case you missed it
Aug 20, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

Each Hour of Boob Tube Hacks 22 Mins. Off Your Life

Each hour watching TV can take 22 minutes off your life

(Newser) - Watching TV could be as dangerous as smoking or obesity, with each hour in front of the boob tube shortening your life by 22 minutes, reports the Telegraph . For adults who watch six hours of TV a day, that works out to nearly five years of less living. Researchers used...

US Sees Dangerous Shortage of Cancer Drugs

Lawmakers, health officials trying to find solutions: New York Times

(Newser) - The New York Times today raises the alarm about serious shortages of drugs needed to treat common forms of cancer and other diseases. A record 180 such drugs have been deemed to be in short supply this year, and lawmakers, doctors' groups, and the drug industry itself are looking for...

Ground Turkey Linked to Salmonella Death, Illnesses

But feds don't have enough information yet for a recall

(Newser) - Ground turkey joins the salmonella scare parade. The CDC says one person has died and nearly 80 others have gotten sick across the country since March, apparently from eating contaminated batches of the meat, reports ABC News . The feds don't have enough information yet to issue an official recall...

&#39;My Husband&#39;s Circumcision Saved My Life&#39;
'My Husband's Circumcision 
 Saved My Life'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 29, 2011 1:26 PM CDT

'My Husband's Circumcision Saved My Life'

It prevented me from getting his HIV: Diane Cole

(Newser) - Circumcision haters are out in force these days, with a vote coming later this year in San Francisco on whether to ban the practice entirely . But opponents overlook the health benefits that circumcision brings, specifically how it cuts down on the transmission of HIV, writes Diane Cole in the Wall ...

Big Tobacco Beats Hospital Lawsuit
Big Tobacco Beats
Hospital Lawsuit
Apr 30, 2011 7:30 AM CDT

Big Tobacco Beats Hospital Lawsuit

Landmark Missouri suit fails

(Newser) - It was a "case of David versus Goliath," as hospitals took on tobacco companies in Missouri, a hospital lawyer says—and Goliath won. A jury decided yesterday that tobacco companies aren't liable for money spent on patients with tobacco-related illnesses who can't pay their bills, reports...

To Avoid Leprosy, Stop Playing With Armadillos

Wild ones can transmit disease to humans

(Newser) - Weird health advice of the day: Too much direct contact with armadillos—as in handling or eating them—can cause leprosy. Scientists for the first time have concluded that the animals can spread the disease to humans, reports the Los Angeles Times . The finding helps explain how some of the...

How to Dodge BPA in Daily Life

Fresh food diet best way to avoiding risky chemical

(Newser) - The estrogen-mimicking compound BPA, linked to health problems including breast cancer and infertility , is found in plastics, canned food, and even store receipts. It's nearly impossible to avoid it completely, but researchers say eating more fresh food helps and Fast Company has some tips for further cutting down exposure. Try...

More People Surviving Cancer
  More People Surviving Cancer 
Mar 11, 2011 11:05 AM CST

More People Surviving Cancer

Number of survivors rises 20% in six years

(Newser) - More people than ever can call themselves cancer survivors, according to new federal stats. Highlights from the New York Times :
  • One in 20 adults has survived some form of the disease, including one in five people over age 65.
  • The total number of survivors rose to 11.7 million in
...

US Faces Suit for Infecting Guatemalans With Syphilis

Lawyers representing some of 700 victims seeking settlement

(Newser) - A class action suit representing some of the 700 men deliberately infected with syphilis by the US government will be filed tomorrow unless the feds come up with an acceptable settlement, plaintiffs' lawyers warned. The US intentionally affected victims from 1946-48 to study the effects of the disease. The Obama...

On Food Safety, We Need That Old 'Poison Squad' Spirit

Crusaders of old were willing to risk their lives

(Newser) - Ho-hum: Alfalfa sprouts sickened nearly 150 people earlier this month. Sadly, we've come to expect these kinds of outbreaks, writes Deborah Blum in Slate . What we need is a modern-day Harvey Washington Wiley, she suggests. He's the USDA scientist who created high-profile "poison squads" in the early 1900s, in...

LA Investigates Mysterious Playboy Mansion Illness

It's not what you're thinking

(Newser) - Must've been something in the air, but dozens of people at a Playboy Mansion fundraiser earlier this month contracted a really ... nasty ... respiratory infection, and LA County public health officials are now investigating, reports the LA Times. Officials are surveying all 700 attendees of a conference called Domainfest global after...

Watchdog: Disney Bags Have Too Much Lead

Shopping bags exceed federal limit for kids, says group

(Newser) - An environmental watchdog group says two versions of plastic Disney shopping bags go way over the federal limit for lead in kids' products. The Center for Environmental Health tested the reusable Toys Story and Cars bags sold by Safeway—the chain says the bags are no longer for sale—and...

NYC Uses Blunt, Scary Images for HIV Ad

But critics say it's too negative, ineffective

(Newser) - New York City's health department loves its blunt ads , and a new one on HIV is drawing familiar criticism for being too graphic and negative, reports the New York Times . The spots on TV and YouTube warn gay men that even though HIV is now treatable, the disease still takes...

Recession Endangers Emergency Response Plans

Report cites progress but warns of state budget cuts

(Newser) - States are more prepared than ever to respond to public emergencies, but the recession is putting all those gains at risk, an annual assessment warns. The report from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gives states their highest marks since the report's inception in the...

'McVictim Syndrome' Helps Keep Americans Fat
'McVictim Syndrome' Helps
Keep Americans Fat
OPINION
Dec 8, 2010 12:04 PM CST

'McVictim Syndrome' Helps Keep Americans Fat

Opinion: Americans want to find a scapegoat for their waistlines

(Newser) - A physician worried about the nation's obesity epidemic says Americans must first overcome what he calls "McVictim syndrome"—the urge to find a scapegoat. "McVictimization teaches Americans to think that obesity is someone else's fault—and therefore, someone else's problem to solve," writes David Gratzer in...

Florida Sees First Cholera Case From Haiti
 Haiti's Cholera Reaches US 
Nov 17, 2010 4:34 PM CST

Haiti's Cholera Reaches US

Florida sees first case, but officials say it's not a big threat

(Newser) - Cholera has made its way to US shores, but health authorities in Florida say it's no cause for alarm, CNN reports. A woman who returned from a visit to Haiti fell ill with the disease, which has now killed 1,100 people there and spread to the neighboring Dominican Republic....

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