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☆ Some states are loosening their Covid isolation guidelines, shifting away from CDC recommendations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Oregon changed its isolation policy in May when the Covid-19 public health emergency lifted, and California followed suit earlier this month. The recent order from the California health department notes that the potential infectious period spans from two days before through 10 days after symptoms or a positive test. Less restrictive isolation policies could allow people to feel more comfortable with testing, which could prompt them to get treatment or feel more comfortable taking other protective measures. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon’s state health officer, said that equity was a key factor considered in the decision to change isolation policy in the state. Public health policy decisions are rarely black-and-white, experts say, and weighing tradeoffs can be more of an art than a perfect science.

Persons: Tomás Aragón, ”, Jennifer Nuzzo, we’re, Dan Barouch, Sarita Shah, Dean Sidelinger, ” Barouch, –, ” Nuzzo, Shah, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, you’re, ” Shah, “ Organizations: CNN —, US Centers for Disease Control, California Department of Public Health, CDC, Pandemic, Brown University School of Public Health, Center, Virology, Vaccine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical, Emory University, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: California, Oregon, COVID, hospitalizations, Covid

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Health officials in Southern California are warning people to avoid eating raw oysters from parts of Mexico after more than 200 people recently fell ill with suspected cases of norovirus. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has reported more than 150 suspected cases of gastrointestinal illness linked to raw oysters, while in San Diego County, health officials said Thursday that they had 69 confirmed and probable cases. That was based, at least in part, on the findings of an investigation conducted by San Diego County health officials. The California Department of Public Health warned consumers that raw oysters harvested from those locations may be contaminated with the norovirus, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. The norovirus cases included both restaurant patrons and consumers who bought oysters at shops and ate them at home.

Persons: Laguna Manuela Organizations: ANGELES, — Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, The U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Wednesday, FDA, Laguna De Guerrero Negro, California Department of Public Health Locations: Southern California, Mexico, Los, San Diego County, Orange , Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura counties, The U.S, Mexican, Sonora, of California, Laguna, Baja California, Estero Morua, San Diego

☆ High mobile phone use may impact sperm count, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Male sperm count has fallen by more than 50% globally in the last 50 years, leaving researchers scrambling to understand why. The men also had a 30% higher risk for a low sperm concentration, a less important measure of sperm count in a milliliter of semen. On the positive side, researchers found that as phone technology improved over the 13 years of the study, the impact on sperm count began to ease. As cell phone usage climbed, sperm count dropped, with the lowest levels among men using their phone 20 or more times a day. The greatest association between low sperm count and concentration and phone use were between 2005 and 2007.

Persons: ”, Allan Pacey, Alison Campbell, Campbell, Alexander Pastuszak, Pastuszak, Luis Alvarez, ” Pacey, “, it’s, ” Pastuszak Organizations: CNN, University of Manchester, Mobile, “, The University of Utah School of Medicine, California Department of Public Health Locations: United Kingdom, Salt Lake City

☆ STIs are on the rise in the US. A pill taken after sex could help slow them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Yet recent research suggests that one pill of the drug can be effective in preventing such infections among men who have sex with men if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex. He added that any guidance from the CDC will help “fill gaps,” provide direction to clinics and offer a framework for using doxyPEP for STI prevention. “Drug resistance when taking doxyPEP is currently being studied in people using this treatment for STI prevention. “There are still many STI prevention and treatment gaps left to fill. “In STI prevention, we’ve been relying on tools that are decades, sometimes centuries old.

Persons: Dr, Jonathan Mermin, ”, doxyPEP, Stephanie Cohen, “, “ We’re, ” Cohen, ” David C, Harvey, ” Harvey, DoxyPEP, someone’s, Annie Luetkemeyer, gonorrhea, ” Luetkemeyer, Connie Celum, Kenya Medical Research Institute —, Jenell Stewart, Stewart, ” Stewart, Suneer Chander, Wisp, ” Chander, Sanjay Gupta, Mermin, Deidre McPhillips Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC’s National Center, HIV, CDC, San Francisco Department of Public Health, California Department of Public Health, San Francisco Department of Public, National Coalition, STD, “, New England, of Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF, University of Washington, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Hennepin Healthcare, University of Minnesota, PEP, Food and Drug Administration, CNN Health Locations: United States, San Francisco, Seattle, King County, Washington, Kenya, Hennepin

☆ Americans in most states will no longer receive Covid exposure notifications on phones
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Americans in most states will no longer receive Covid exposure notifications on their smartphones now that the U.S. public health emergency has ended. On Thursday, the organization said "the majority of states" stopped using the exposure notification system after the Biden administration ended the public health emergency on May 11. There is no clear tally of how many Americans activated the exposure notification feature on their phones or downloaded apps over the past three years. Despite these benefits, some Americans have been skeptical of the Covid exposure notification tools. State decisions to end Covid exposure notifications are part of a broader shift in how the country responds to the pandemic.

☆ Covid-sniffing dogs can help detect infections in K-12 schools, new study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Months prior, Glaser and her team were implementing the school’s Covid-19 testing program, using antigen nasal swab tests. It’s not as simple as just handing those things out at school and having the kids do them,” said Glaser, who oversaw antigen testing programs at some California public schools. For now, Glaser and her colleagues described in a new study the lessons they learned from the Covid-19 dog screening pilot program that they launched in some California K-12 public schools. In comparison, Covid-19 BinaxNOW antigen tests have been shown in one real-world study to demonstrate 93.3% sensitivity and 99.9% specificity. The pilot program within California public schools also has left Edwards with hope for future opportunities in which canines can help detect disease in humans.

☆ Venture Capital Investors Are Trying to Take Over Pandemic Response
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Private capital has been eyeing public health for years. Several founders and investors told me that the failure of Kleiner's fund made Silicon Valley wary of investing in pandemic preparedness. Venture investors love that kind of thing. Public health and private industryWhen COVID hit, Charity Dean was the assistant director of the California Department of Public Health. In the end, almost every pandemic-related product created by Silicon Valley will ultimately require the government as a primary customer.

☆ A TikTok creator’s homemade pickled products have sparked online conversation surrounding food safety
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

A TikTok creator’s recent apology after people accused her of improperly packaging her homemade pickled products before selling them online has sparked discourse surrounding influencers and whether they should be allowed to promote and sell homemade food items on the app. Britanny Saunier, executive director of the nonprofit organization Partnership for Food Safety EducationSocial media creates "enthusiasm" around homemade products, said Britanny Saunier, the executive director of the nonprofit organization Partnership for Food Safety Education. The backlash toward PickleMeEverything’s products comes several months after another viral product raised eyebrows over similar food safety fears. He said he’s concerned about the growing number of TikTokers who don’t know or use food safety while promoting food products. Food Science Babe pointed out in her video that several popular creators had promoted PickleMeEverything’s products.

☆ Fact Check-Viral video promotes baseless vaccine depopulation theory
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

However, there is no evidence that mortality rates have surged or that stillbirths have increased as a result of COVID-19 vaccines. News reports about cardiac arrests and unexpected deaths are then shown on screen and are baselessly attributed to COVID-19 vaccines. There have been 55 deaths involving COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in England between March 2020 and October 2022. While stillbirth rates remain constant, global birth or fertility rates, including in the U.S., have been declining for decades (here, here, here, here). The film does not provide evidence that the global elite are depopulating the world through COVID-19 vaccines.

☆ Monkeypox emergency orders are set to expire, but eradication isn't likely
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

San Francisco will not renew its monkeypox public health emergency declaration when it expires at the end of the month. Many experts are optimistic that, eventually, the U.S. could sometimes see no new monkeypox cases within a limited time frame. That’s unfortunately the reality of public health in the U.S., and it needs to change," Roess said. Racial inequities also persist in vaccine distribution, so Black and Hispanic people consequently make up a disproportionate share of monkeypox cases. Despite the delays and failings in the U.S., Morse said, the monkeypox outbreak "could have been a lot worse."

☆ What is rainbow fentanyl? Colorful pills drive new warnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

"Colored fentanyl pills have been around for a few years. At the time, the agency said that it and its law enforcement partners seized the brightly colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills across 18 states. While he and his colleagues are aware of rainbow fentanyl warnings, he hasn't heard any patients or parents mention it. When it comes to rainbow fentanyl, "the fentanyl itself is going to be the same issue as the counterfeit pharmaceutical fentanyl. The only difference between rainbow fentanyl and the fentanyl products of the past appears to be the coloring.

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