2+ hour, 8+ min ago (885+ words) A decades-old data set tracking the health of new moms and babies was disrupted by CDC layoffs last spring, and there are still unanswered questions about the program's future. A decades-old data set tracking the health of new moms and babies was disrupted by mass layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last spring. Since then, the agency has taken some steps to get back on track, but there are still unanswered questions about future resources and data reliability, according to former employees, researchers and state public health officials. The CDC has overseen the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) for nearly 40 years. The population-based surveillance system tracks pregnancy experiences, from pre-birth to postpartum. The goal is to improve health outcomes at a time when the United States still faces serious challenges with maternal and infant mortality. "In…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (429+ words) Scientific information on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website was replaced on Wednesday with anti-vaccine talking points that don't rule out a link between vaccines and autism, despite an abundance of evidence that there's no connection. Video above: CDC releases new guidance on COVID-19 booster shots Bullet points on the top of the page now state that "vaccines do not cause autism is not an evidence-based claim" because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism. However, the preponderance of scientific evidence shows this is not true, according to a position statement from the Autism Science Foundation. "The science is clear that vaccines do not cause autism. No environmental factor has been better studied as a potential cause of autism than vaccines. This includes vaccine ingredients as well as the body's response to vaccines,…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (582+ words) Canada is no longer measles-free because of ongoing outbreaks, international health experts said Monday, as childhood vaccination rates fall and the highly contagious virus spreads across North and South America. The loss of the country's measles elimination status comes more than a year after the highly contagious virus started spreading. Canada has logged 5,138 measles cases this year and two deaths. Both were babies who were exposed to the measles virus in the womb and born prematurely. Measles elimination is a symbolic designation, but it represents a hard-won battle against the infectious disease. It is earned when a country shows it has stopped the continuous spread of the virus within local communities, though occasional cases might still pop up from travel. Measles typically begins with a high fever and also causes a rash on the face and neck. While most people…...

6+ day, 4+ hour ago (150+ words) Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson was released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital Monday, the Rainbow PUSH Organization said, after sources said he was receiving care to manage his blood pressure. File video above: Jesse Jackson honored on stage at 2024 DNC Jackson, 84, a prot'g' of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has been under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), the Rainbow PUSH Coalition said in a previous statement. He is currently in stable condition, the organization that Jackson founded said Monday. "Our family would like to thank the countless friends and supporters who have reached out, visited, and prayed for our father," said Yusef Jackson, son and family spokesperson. "We bear witness to the fact that prayer works and would also like to thank the professional, caring, and amazing medical and security staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. We humbly ask…...

5+ day, 6+ hour ago (162+ words) Bird flu cases have subsided, but the Agriculture Department is warning of a new surge soon. Cases of the avian or bird flu have fallen, leaving little to no impact on your Thanksgiving menu. The White House highlighted that egg prices are down 86% from their ultra-high prices earlier this year when cases of the disease spiked. Infections don't really impact chicken or turkey meat. However, the situation is expected to change soon. The Department of Agriculture says it expects a bad bird flu season, as migrating birds can pass the disease to poultry and other animals. Right now, killing infected birds is the only way to stop the disease from spreading. The Agriculture Department is offering farmers a free evaluation of their infection risk and investing in new research to find a cure. The department says chicken farmers are better…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (594+ words) More young people experiencing a psychiatric emergency began showing up in the emergency department of a Boston hospital with cannabis in their system after recreational marijuana was legalized than before, according to a new study. To Dr. Cheryl Foo, a psychologist at Mass General Brigham and one of the study authors, the results were "really startling." The researchers examined health records from 7,350 people treated by Mass General Hospital's psychiatric emergency service. They focused on those who tested positive for THC, comparing visits before recreational dispensaries opened -- from Jan. 1, 2017, to Nov. 19, 2018 " to visits during the first year recreational marijuana was sold, from Nov. 20, 2018, to December 31, 2019. The impact on young people was clear: a 300 percent increase. "From 5 percent to nearly 20 percent of teenagers who had cannabis detected in their urine when they were coming in for a psychiatric emergency," Foo said. Dr....

2+ day, 17+ hour ago (198+ words) Massachusetts hospitals have added roughly 10,000 jobs since 2020, but face persistent shortages in critical areas, according to a new statewide workforce report released by the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. The report, which was published earlier this month, said vacancies in key roles dropped from 19,000 in 2022 to 13,600 in 2024. The MHA attributes this progress to targeted hiring, expanded training programs, and state-funded workforce initiatives. "Nursing roles saw the most improvement, with five of the top 10 vacancy rate reductions occurring in nursing positions," the report states. "One in every 10 nursing roles are now vacant, compared to a 15% vacancy rate in 2022." Hospitals also reported a sharp decrease in their reliance on temporary travel nurses, with traveler hours falling 42% from 2023 to 2024, according to the association's survey summary on page 9. However, the report said use of temporary labor remains four times higher than pre-pandemic levels. Despite the…...

4+ day, 14+ hour ago (653+ words) A years-long bird flu outbreak is still impacting many turkey farms, but that doesn't mean it's impacting the turkey you are cooking for Thanksgiving. Our partners at PolitiFact help you 'Get the Facts' on what bird flu is actually doing, and how you can still safely enjoy your Thanksgiving turkey. Turkeys are supposed to go "gobble-gobble," not "Ah-CHOO!" But bird flu is on the rise in the U.S. again. The recent jump in cases might hike the price of your Thanksgiving, but it won't make dinner unsafe. Cooking poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills the virus. Plus, infected poultry is unlikely to appear in the food supply in the first place. To ease your mind, here's a quick flap through need-to-knows about bird flu ahead of the holiday week. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a naturally occurring disease among wild birds,…...

3+ week, 4+ hour ago (480+ words) President Donald Trump criticized Democrats' latest healthcare demands while encouraging Republicans to send money directly to the American people to buy insurance. President Donald Trump is pitching an alternative to Democrats' health care demands, which are central to the government shutdown fight. It comes as senators are working through the weekend for the first time since the shutdown began 40 days ago, and the impacts are piling up. Flight cancellations are mounting while SNAP benefits remain delayed for millions. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said he's recommending that Senate Republicans move funding away from insurance companies and instead send it "DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over." He called "Obamacare," also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), "the worst Healthcare anywhere in the World." Sen....

51+ min ago (531+ words) A senior Food and Drug Administration official on Friday said the agency will change its vaccine approval process, alleging that COVID-19 vaccination resulted in the deaths of 10 children. Video above: White House links Tylenol in pregnancy to autism; experts say evidence falls short In an internal memo obtained by CNN, Dr. Vinay Prasad " the FDA's chief medical and scientific officer and the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research " claimed, "Healthy young children who faced tremendously low risk of death were coerced, at the behest of the Biden administration, via school and work mandates, to receive a vaccine that could result in death." Prasad did not provide details about the deaths or how the FDA came to that conclusion, but pointed to "an initial analysis" that examined 96 deaths and linked 10 to the COVID-19 vaccination. He also claimed that…...