U.S. Flu Season Off To Early Start, CDC Urges Vaccination — Early Vaccine Coverage Data Shows Millions Unprotected Still – Significant increases in flu activity in the United States have occurred in the last two weeks, indicating that an early flu season is upon us. These increases in activity overlap with National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) being observed December 2-8, 2012.
Sustained action needed for ?Getting to Zero? — Zero New Infections, Zero AIDS-related deaths & Zero discrimination – India is on track to achieve the global targets of ?Zero New Infections, Zero AIDS-related deaths & Zero discrimination?. However, sustaining prevention focus and intensity in the areas where significant declines have been achieved, is highly critical to consolidate the gains, while effectively addressing the emerging epidemics.
Potentially Toxic Flame Retardants Found in Many U.S. Couches — Flame retardant Tris and PentaBDE in couches may pose health risks – Tris – a chlorinated flame retardant that is considered a probable human carcinogen was found in more than half of all couches tested in a study. This potentially toxic or untested chemical flame retardants may pose risks to human health.
More than half of young HIV-infected Americans are not aware of their status — Too many young people continue to become infected and few are tested for HIV – Young Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 represent more than a quarter of new HIV infections each year (26 percent) and most of these youth living with HIV (60 percent) are unaware they are infected. The most-affected young people are young gay and bisexual men and African-Americans.
NIH-funded researchers show possible trigger for MS nerve damage — Results of study in mice may lead to new treatments – High-resolution real-time images show in mice how nerves may be damaged during the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis. The results suggest that the critical step happens when fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein, leaks into the central nervous system and activates immune cells called microglia.
AAP Recommends Emergency Contraception Be Available to Teens – Teen pregnancies have declined over the past few decades, but the United States continues to see substantially higher teen birth rates compared to other developed countries. Use of emergency contraception can reduce the risk of pregnancy if used up to 120 hours.
Grapefruit?medication interactions increasing — Grapefruit juice can be dangerous for people on certain medications – Grapefruit juice can be dangerous for people on certain medications. The potential of drug interactions with grapefruit juice has been out there a long time, but most people just aren’t aware of it.
Preterm birth can be prevented with a few proven treatments, Lancet article say – Lowering preterm birth rates by an average of 5 percent across 39 high-resource countries, including the United States, by 2015 would prevent prematurity for 58,000 babies a year. In the Lancet, the expert group says prevention of preterm birth could save billions in economic costs.
Fasting Time Prior to Blood Lipid Tests Appears to Have Limited Association With Lipid Levels – Fasting prior to blood lipid tests appears to have limited association with lipid subclass levels, suggesting that fasting for routine lipid level determinations may be unnecessary.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may benefit HIV infected women – Women with HIV may benefit from a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), despite having already been exposed to HPV, a study finds. Although many may have been exposed to less serious forms of HPV, more than 45 percent of sexually active young women who have acquired HIV appear never to have been exposed to the most common high-risk forms of HPV.
CDC Responds to Multistate Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and Other Infections — Fungal meningitis outbreak in US – 404 cases – Nine more people have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis in an outbreak linked to tainted steroid injections, health officials reported today. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has increased the tally of cases to 404 in 19 states.
NYU Langone Medical Center – Updated Statement – Superstorm Sandy Tests Hospital Preparedness – After the onslaught of superstorm Sandy caused the back-up generator at New York University’s medical center to fail, hospital officials say at least 300 patients were successfully evacuated to other area hospitals overnight.
