Disease Prevention

US health departments struggle to reach adequate staffing levels in public health

Tue, 2024-06-04 11:32 — mike kraft

US health departments experience workforce shortages and struggle to reach adequate staffing levels in public health

Gaps persist in hiring enough U.S. public health workers, and health departments continue to face challenges in recruiting new employees, according to a new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Indiana University. Insufficient funding, a shortage of people with public health training, and a lack of visibility for public careers, in addition to lengthy hiring processes, are cited as barriers contributing to an absence of progress for achieving a satisfactory level of workers. The results are published in Health Affairs.

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U.S. will make millions of birds flu vaccine doses to prepare for possible pandemic

Tue, 2024-06-04 09:45 — mike kraft

US will make millions of bird flu vaccines this summer As the H5N1 avian flu continues to spread among dairy cows in the United States, nearly 5 million doses of flu vaccine are now being prepared for possible use in humans. Robin Foster Medical Xpress

Since the outbreak in livestock began this spring, bird flu has been confirmed in three humans who worked on dairy farms in Texas and Michigan and health experts are concerned the virus could mutate to the point where it could spread easily among humans.

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Opinion: Why the New Human Case of Bird Flu Is So Alarming and the need for better monitoring

Mon, 2024-06-03 11:13 — mike kraft

The third human case of H5N1, reported on Thursday in a farmworker in Michigan who was experiencing respiratory symptoms, tells us that the current bird flu situation is at a dangerous inflection point.

The virus is adapting in predictable ways that increase its risk to humans, reflecting our failure to contain it early on. The solutions to this brewing crisis — such as comprehensive testing — have been there all along, and they’re becoming only more important. If we keep ignoring the warning signs we have only ourselves to blame.

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Future COVID shots should target JN.1, KP.2 subvariants --US FDA staff

Mon, 2024-06-03 10:12 — mike kraft

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Pedople with disabilities still struggle as public COVID precautions fade away

Mon, 2024-06-03 09:43 — mike kraft

As COVID precautions vanish, people with disabilities struggle with safety and isolation The pace of COVID fatalities in the U.S. has slowed significantly, with the nation’s death toll standing at more than 1 million people. With precautions like mandatory masking no longer in place, it can seem as if worries about the virus are gone as well. But for many people with disabilities, the threat is still very real. We hear from people in the disability community about their concerns. Andrew Corkery PBS NewsHour

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New International Regulations to Protect Against Pandemics Finally Approved at WHO Assembly

Mon, 2024-06-03 09:36 — mike kraft

'The World Has Won': New International Regulations To Protect Against Pandemics Finally Approved - Health Policy Watch After two years of intensive negotiations – including long nights this week – the World Health Assembly (WHA) finally passed amendments to the International Health Policy Watch

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FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA RSV vaccine for older adults

Fri, 2024-05-31 17:37 — mike kraft

FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA RSV vaccine for older adults | CNN The US Food and Drug Administration has approved another vaccine that can help protect older people from respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. The shot, made by Moderna and sold under the name of mResvia, could be another tool in the country’s RSV arsenal in the fall. Jen Christensen CNN

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Moderna’s shot is the third RSV vaccine for people 60 and older that’s gotten the green light from the FDA and the first mRNA vaccine among them. It’s the company’s second product to receive FDA approval, behind its Covid-19 vaccine.

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Even low lead levels in US water are linked to lead poisoning among susceptible people

Fri, 2024-05-31 10:51 — mike kraft

Study finds even low lead levels in US water are linked to lead poisoning among susceptible people

In a first-of-its-kind study, physician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) report that even lead levels below the EPA's threshold in household water may adversely affect individuals with chronic kidney disease.

In a nationwide, cross-sectional analysis of household water lead concentrations and blood characteristics in patients beginning dialysis therapy, the team's findings—published in JAMA Internal Medicine—suggested that levels of lead commonly found in U.S. drinking water may be associated with lead poisoning among susceptible individuals.