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☆ The Link Between Highly Processed Foods and Brain Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sally Wadyka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

They’re increasingly edging out healthier foods in people’s diets and are widely consumed across socioeconomic groups. “The problem is that in order to make the products taste better and better, manufacturers make them less and less like real food.”What effect do ultraprocessed foods have on mental health? Recent research has demonstrated a link between highly processed foods and low mood. A 2022 study that followed nearly 11,000 Brazilian adults over a decade found a correlation between eating ultraprocessed foods and worse cognitive function (the ability to learn, remember, reason and solve problems). It’s possible that eating a healthy diet may offset the detrimental effects of eating ultraprocessed foods.

☆ Florida surgeon general appointed by DeSantis cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Associated Press | Sarah Gray | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study, per multiple reports. Ron DeSantis in 2021 to head the Florida Department of Health. The nonbinding recommendation made by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo last fall ran counter to the advice provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ladapo said that the risk of men ages 18 to 39 having cardiac complications outweighed the benefits of getting the mRNA vaccine. "(The vaccine) has done a lot to advance the health of people of Florida and he's encouraging people to mistrust it."

☆ Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +55 min

Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’ In his most extensive interview yet, Anthony Fauci wrestles with the hard lessons of the pandemic — and the decisions that will define his legacy. But when people say, “Fauci shut down the economy” — it wasn’t Fauci. But somehow or other, the general public didn’t get that feeling that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly. We also had a public-health system that we thought was really, really good. But it was really, really antiquated.

☆ Bird Flu is Killing Off the World’s Birds - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( David Quammen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Any such bird flu, so deadly, is called highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H.P.A.I. Until this century, these kinds of viruses were virtually unknown among wild birds. For decades after that tern die-off, though, no other influenza so virulent was detected in wild birds. New influenzas did come from wild birds, yes, but in milder form, usually sickening domestic birds little or not at all. The ducks share the rice paddy with wild birds passing through, and some of the chickens are sent live to a local market.

☆ Why You Really Should Clean Your Trash Can
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jancee Dunn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I, like many others, clean around this time each year. But when I told Dr. Kathleen May, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, that one of my favorite pastimes is thoroughly washing all of my bedding, she said something that will haunt me forever. “If your blanket has been sitting on a bed all winter, it may be loaded with dust mites,” Dr. May said. “If you shake it, the dust mites are going to be airborne for one to two hours.”She added that airborne dust mites, while gross, are a problem only for people who are allergic to them. Dr. May’s tidbit made me think beyond the usual spring-cleaning tasks.

☆ 'Era has passed' as Beijing subway drops mandatory COVID mask rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It's as if an era has passed," a user said on China's popular social e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, as social media was abuzz with news of the rules being eased. Staff at a Beijing subway station tore down signs reminding people to wear masks, Beijing Daily reported. Some people on social media voiced concerns over the relaxation of mask rules, saying the virus remains a threat. "Let's hope there will not be a second wave of infections," a user on China's Twitter-like social media Weibo site said. Chinese cities have been scrapping mask mandates for several weeks, including Hong Kong, which ended mask requirements on March 1.

☆ The U.S. Built a European-Style Welfare State. It’s Largely Over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Claire Cain Miller | Alicia Parlapiano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

expansion Child care provider grants Food assistance ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Emergency food benefits Free school meals Through Sept. 2026 Remote WIC services Paused work requirement No expiration Meals outside of school No expiration Food benefit increase WIC increase Health care ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Medicaid continuity Through Dec. 2025 A.C.A. subsidies Subsidized COBRA Housing ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Foreclosure ban Eviction ban Through Sept. 2025 Rental aid Through Sept. 2030 Housing vouchers Unemployment ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Self-employed qualify Relaxed rules Extended duration Extra $600/week Extra $300-$400/week Extra for self-employed Extra $300/week Note: The selection of programs is not comprehensive, but it represents those with the highest costs or those affecting the most people. PROGRAM DURATION ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Emergency food benefits Gave all households maximum Free school meals For all children Remote WIC services Waived need to appear in person Through Sept. 2026 Paused work requirement For adults without kids Meals outside of school Summer meals made permanent No expiration Increase in max. PROGRAM DURATION ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Foreclosure moratorium For federally backed mortgages Eviction moratorium Rental assistance New emergency program Through Sept. 2025 Housing vouchers Additional funding Through Sept. 2030 Note: While funding for emergency housing vouchers is available through September 2030, vouchers cannot be issued to new households after September of this year. PROGRAM DURATION ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’20 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’21 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’22 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’23 ’24 Benefits for self-employed Including gig workers Relaxed rules Work searching not required Extra weeks of benefits Up to 53 additional Extra $600 per week Extra $300-$400 per week Depending on the state Extra for self-employed $100 more per week Extra $300 per weekAnother is support for families with young children.

Christopher Willard | Walt Disney Television | Getty ImagesOn the advantage of being an underdog: I grew my business in a man's world. There were no businesses in New York City, especially in real estate, that were owned by women. There weren't any women role models, and the men weren't very forthcoming [with advice]. When I was just starting out, I went to a community business event and none of the men would even talk to me. On why she likes to partner with women in business: Women are more willing to listen [than men], and they're not as cocky they'll be an instant success.

☆ What Worked Against Covid: Masks, Closures and Vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Tom Frieden | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

At the three-year mark of the Covid pandemic, governments are declaring victory, and most people are eager to resume their prepandemic lives. The past three years of fighting Covid feel like a fog of war. Did the world perform well or badly in this massive, varied effort? There are many available metrics, but the death rate is the most important way to assess how effectively we managed the pandemic’s health risks. “The death rate is a fact,” William Farr, a British physician and epidemiologist, wrote 150 years ago.

Hazardous "forever chemicals" called PFAS are in most Americans' blood, and they don't break down. One simple chart shows how long PFAS last in human bodies, compared to substances like caffeine or lead. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of thousands of human-made chemicals, which are likely in your food, water, clothes, and furniture. "Once they get into your body, they stick around for a really, really long time," Carmen Messerlian, an environmental epidemiologist who studies PFAS at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health, told Insider. That research tells us how long PFAS can linger in our blood, compared to toxic heavy metals or everyday substances like caffeine.

☆ Mozambique records rise in cholera cases, Malawi sees decline - WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Eliza Tangwe, 18, takes a dose of oral cholera vaccine at a health centre in response to the latest cholera outbreak in Blantyre, Malawi, November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Eldson Chagara/March 15 (Reuters) - Mozambique recorded an increase in the number of cholera cases in the last few weeks, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, even as many other African countries reported a decline. Mozambique's neighbor Malawi, which has been battling the deadliest cholera outbreak in its history, was now seeing a sustained decline in cases and deaths, WHO official and epidemiologist Dr Otim Ramadan said. Overall, cholera cases and deaths in Africa have been declining over recent weeks. So far this year, more than 40,000 cases have been reported in Africa, with Malawi accounting for more than half and Mozambique recording about 15%, WHO reported.

☆ EPA cracks down on 'forever chemicals' in tap water: What PFAS are, where they are, and why they're harmful
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The US Environmental Protection Agency just released a proposal for enforceable standards for six PFAS compounds in drinking water. The new EPA proposal would set the threshold for those two substances at 4 nanograms per liter of drinking water. It also proposes a "hazard index" to set a limit on the combined quantity of four other PFAS in drinking water: PFNA, GenX, PFBS, and PFHxS. Communities across the US have especially high PFAS contamination in their drinking water, often due to a nearby industrial or military facility. "You can't just regulate in drinking water, without addressing the other side," Sunderland said, adding that you have to "turn off the source."

☆ The FDA has authorized the first combination at-home test for Covid and flu—here's what to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Determining whether you have a cold, the flu or Covid-19 might be getting a little easier soon. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first over-the-counter combination test for Covid-19 and the flu for emergency use — which means you can now test yourself for the flu in the comfort of your home. "The Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test is a single-use at-home test kit that provides results from self-collected nasal swab samples in roughly 30 minutes," the agency's statement says. People don't want to swab their noses three different times and spend $300 to test for Covid, flu and RSV. "I think getting it into people's homes, and hands, is just going to improve our ability to be our own best advocates for our health."

China’s official count 0 2.5 million 83,150 deaths Model based on Shanghai outbreak 1.6 million deaths LOW ESTIMATE HIGH ESTIMATE Estimate using travel patterns 970,000 deaths Estimate using recent testing data 1.5 million deaths Estimate based on U.S. death rates 1.1 million deaths China’s official count 0 2.5 million 83,150 deaths Model based on Shanghai outbreak 1.6 million deaths LOW EST. But China’s official Covid death toll for the entire pandemic remains strikingly low: 83,150 people as of Feb. 9. Four separate academic teams have converged on broadly similar estimates: China’s Covid wave may have killed between a million and 1.5 million people. Why official data underrepresents China’s outbreak83,150 deaths China’s official count on Feb. 9 0 2.5M 83,150 deaths China’s official count on Feb. 9 0 2.5 millionChina has a narrow definition of what counts as a Covid-19 death. But the work was unwavering in its ultimate conclusion: Ending the “zero Covid” policy was likely to overwhelm the health care system, producing an estimated 1.6 million deaths.

☆ China economic activity swings back to growth in January - official PMI
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Joe Cash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China's economic activity swung back to growth in January, official data showed on Tuesday, after a wave of COVID-19 infection passed through the country faster than expected following abandonment of pandemic controls. The official purchasing managers' index (PMI), which measures manufacturing activity, rose to 50.1 from 47.0 in December, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Tuesday. Non-manufacturing activity, which includes provision of services, the construction industry and catering, for example, surged to 54.4, up from 41.6 in December. The official composite PMI, which combines manufacturing and services, rose to 52.9 from 42.6 in December. The private sector Caixin manufacturing PMI, which centres more on small firms and coastal regions, will be published on Feb. 1.

☆ China's factory activity likely contracted more slowly in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) - China's factory activity in January is expected to have contracted more slowly than in December, a Reuters poll showed on Monday, with production hampered as workers continued to fall sick after the government dismantled its "zero-COVID" regime." While the "exit wave" of infections passed through the population and workforce faster than economists had anticipated, disruptions on production lines persisted. An index reading above 50 indicates expansion in activity on a monthly basis and a reading below indicates contraction. The official manufacturing PMI, which largely focuses on big and state-owned firms, and its survey for the services sector, will be released on Tuesday. The private sector Caixin manufacturing PMI, which centres more on small firms and coastal regions, will be published on Feb. 1.

Autism rates tripled among children in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area from 2000 to 2016, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatrics. Although there is no medical test for autism, the CDC has established a network of 17 sites across the country that estimate autism rates based on a combination of formal medical diagnoses and records from schools and health care providers. Nationally, the rise in autism rates has been similar to the trend in New York and New Jersey, according to a 2021 CDC report. But there’s probably more to the story: Genetic factors, and perhaps some environmental ones, too, might also be contributing to the trend. Beyond the improvements in diagnostics, genetic factors could be driving up autism cases on their own, experts said.

☆ China rings in Lunar New Year with most Covid rules lifted
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China. A popular temple fair at Badachu Park that was suspended for three years will be back this week, but similar events at Ditan Park and Longtan Lake Park have yet to return. Andy Wong / APIn Hong Kong, revelers flocked to the city’s largest Taoist temple, Wong Tai Sin Temple, to burn the first incense sticks of the year. Worshippers believe those who are among the first to place their incense sticks will stand the best chance of having their prayers answered. As communities across Asia welcomed the Year of the Rabbit, the Vietnamese were celebrating the Year of the Cat instead.

☆ Chinese pray for health in Lunar New Year as COVID death toll rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Alessandro Diviggiano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

One Beijing resident said she wished the year of the rabbit will bring "health to everyone". "I think this wave of the pandemic is gone," said the 57-year-old, who only gave her last name, Fang. Chinese health experts say the wave of infections across the country has already peaked. The death count reported by Chinese authorities excludes those who died at home, and some doctors have said they are discouraged from putting COVID on death certificates. The possibility of a big COVID rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80% of people have been infected, Wu said.

☆ China says Covid outbreak has infected 80% of population
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The possibility of a big Covid-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80% of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said on Saturday. Hundreds of millions of Chinese are traveling across the country for holiday reunions that had been suspended under recently eased Covid curbs, raising fears of fresh outbreaks in rural areas less equipped to manage large outbreaks. China has passed the peak of Covid patients in fever clinics, emergency rooms and with critical conditions, a National Health Commission official said on Thursday. Nearly 60,000 people with Covid had died in hospital as of Jan. 12, roughly a month after China abruptly dismantled its zero-Covid policy, according to government data. But some experts said that figure probably vastly undercounts the full impact, as it excludes those who die at home, and because many doctors have said they are discouraged from citing Covid as a cause of death.

☆ China says COVID outbreak has infected 80% of population
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The possibility of a big COVID-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80% of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said on Saturday. Hundreds of millions of Chinese are travelling across the country for holiday reunions that had been suspended under recently eased COVID curbs, raising fears of fresh outbreaks in rural areas less equipped to manage large outbreaks. China has passed the peak of COVID patients in fever clinics, emergency rooms and with critical conditions, a National Health Commission official said on Thursday. Nearly 60,000 people with COVID had died in hospital as of Jan. 12, roughly a month after China abruptly dismantled its zero-COVID policy, according to government data. Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Emergency room visits related to three of the most disruptive viruses — the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and Covid — are falling nationwide. "We were really curious to see what this year would look like" following several years of almost no flu, Thomas said. Flu hospitalizations for very young children in Tennessee have already reached peak levels seen in other bad flu seasons, at 12.6 per 100,000, the new study found. While most flu cases so far have been A strains of the virus, B strains tend to pop up by spring. "I do suspect that we will have more bumps in the road this respiratory viral season," Passaretti said.

China said last Saturday that nearly 60,000 people with COVID died in hospitals between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12 - a roughly ten-fold increase from previous disclosures. However, that number excludes those who die at home, and some doctors in China have said they are discouraged from putting COVID on death certificates. China's chaotic exit from a regime of mass lockdowns, travel restrictions and frequent COVID testing, has also prompted a run on drugs as people fend for themselves against the disease. To meet soaring demand, drugmakers in China are ramping up operations to triple their capacity to make key fever and cough medicines, the state-run China Daily reported on Thursday. Medical facilities are relatively weak in rural areas, thus prevention is difficult and the task is arduous," Xi said, adding that the elderly were a top priority.

The only HIV vaccine in a late-stage trial has failed, researchers announced Wednesday, dealing a significant blow to the effort to control the global HIV epidemic and adding to a decadeslong roster of failed attempts. “I don’t think that people should give up on the field of the HIV vaccine,” Fauci said. Fauci said that a critical limitation of the Mosaico vaccine was that it elicited what are known as non-neutralizing — as opposed to neutralizing — antibodies against HIV. As with the Thai trial, the hope is to channel research findings into future HIV vaccine development. To prove a vaccine works, researchers must recruit participants who remain at substantial risk of HIV over time.

According to official statistics, there were about five medical personnel and fewer than five hospital beds per 1,000 people in China’s rural areas in 2020, compared with more than 11 medical personnel and almost nine hospital beds in urban areas. Jiao Yahui, an official at the National Health Commission, said the government’s Covid strategy for rural areas had two main focuses. The lack of facilities means those with Covid are more likely to travel elsewhere for treatment or simply recover at home to avoid further exposure in hospitals. A local resident with the last name Li said he had attended five funerals since last December, all for people who died after contracting Covid. He said he had heard that at least 300 older people died this winter in the county, not including its administered villages or towns.

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