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☆ New York and L.A. meet CDC criteria for masking in public. How much will masks help this winter?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Philadelphia school district announced Wednesday that students and staff will be required to wear masks indoors for two weeks in January in an effort to slow transmission after the holidays. The New York City Department of Education issued a letter this week strongly encouraging students and staff to wear a well-fitting mask indoors. After three years of Covid, however, experts recognized that few people are inclined to wear masks as often as they had previously while in public spaces. But Luby said he still wears a mask in public, even when others around him do not. “I find myself in that situation a lot — I’m the only person in the room wearing a mask," he said.

☆ U.S. hospitals report rise in severe strep A infections in kids after 15 deaths in U.K.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Aria Bendix | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In the U.K., at least 15 children have died from invasive group A strep since mid-September. Anyone can get invasive strep A, including healthy adults, but people over 65 and those with chronic illnesses are more susceptible. Between 1,500 and 2,300 people die of the invasive infections every year. But children's hospitals in several other states — California, New York, Illinois and Minnesota — said they have not detected any increase in invasive group A strep. It is important for kids with strep to get care right away so they can start taking antibiotics like penicillin.

Children's hospitals in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Washington told NBC News they are seeing a higher-than-average number of cases this season compared to past years. In the U.K., at least 15 children have died from invasive group A strep since mid-September. Anyone can get invasive strep A, including healthy adults, but people over 65 and those with chronic illnesses are more susceptible. Between 1,500 and 2,300 people die of these invasive infections each year. It's important for kids with strep to get care right away so they can start taking antibiotics like penicillin.

☆ Celine Dion has stiff-person syndrome, a one-in-a-million diagnosis. These are its symptoms.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Celine Dion's diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome has brought public attention to the rare neurological disorder, which affects roughly one or two out of every million people. People with stiff-person syndrome often experience rigidity in their torso and limbs, as well as severe muscle spasms that can cause them to fall down. Stiff-person syndrome overall disrupts the normal pathways of communication between the brain and the muscles. A small minority of cancer patients may also produce antibodies that attack the nervous system and trigger stiff-person syndrome, Helfgott added. Because many symptoms of stiff-person syndrome overlap with those of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia or anxiety, it often takes time to diagnose.

☆ Just a couple minutes of vigorous activity several times a day might lower one's risk of death
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

"For years, everybody assumed that the health benefits of physical activity required at least 10 minutes," she said. Previous research from the University of Sydney has also found that vigorous physical activity is associated with lower rates of heart disease. A 2019 study also determined that stair climbing was associated with a lower risk of death among older men. Current U.S. guidelines say adults need 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, such as brisk walking, riding a bike or playing tennis. "There are just so many ways you can incorporate physical activity into a normal lifestyle," DiPietro said.

Following the news that actor Kirstie Alley died of colon cancer at age 71, several doctors and cancer specialists urged people to get the recommended screenings for the disease. Alley's manager confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday that the actor died of colon cancer. Colorectal cancer is the fourth-most common form of cancer in the U.S. and the second-most deadly behind lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that around 151,000 cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year. Colon cancer can be difficult to diagnose, however, since symptoms can resemble those of other conditions like hemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome.

The spread of RSV appears to be slowing, though Covid cases have risen since Thanksgiving and flu hospitalizations remain at a decade high, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. "This year’s flu season is off to a rough start," Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, board chair of the American Medical Association, said at a CDC press briefing. Nationally, the number of positive weekly RSV tests fell from more than 19,000 in the week ending Nov. 12 to around 7,500 in the week ending Nov. 26. Average daily Covid cases, however, have risen 16% over the last two weeks, according to NBC News' tally. The CDC recorded a nearly 18% increase in average daily hospital admissions due to Covid from the week ending Nov. 22 to the week ending Nov. 29.

But doctors often recommended the monoclonal antibody for people taking certain immunosuppressive medications, such as cancer patients or transplant recipients, since Paxlovid can interact negatively with several of those drugs. Casadevall said convalescent plasma is an effective alternative to monoclonal antibodies, but it's more complicated to administer and oversee. Pharma companies haven't given up on the promise of new monoclonal antibody drugs, however. A spokesperson for Eli Lilly said the company is searching for and evaluating monoclonal antibody candidates. Casadevall said new monoclonal antibody drugs are still worth pursuing, since they have proven safe and effective against Covid.

But just 31% of that group has gotten updated booster shots. Hospital physicians, state public health officials and advocacy groups for older adults pointed to a variety of factors fueling the low booster uptake. They include feelings of fatigue at the pace of Covid shots and a lack of awareness that the new booster could make the difference between a mild case and a hospital visit. Morell said she experienced dizziness, blurry eyesight and heart palpitations after her first Covid booster in November 2021. Wachter said the majority of people who have gotten the new booster get mild Covid, even if they’re older or have risk factors.

Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are together driving a national wave of respiratory illnesses. Covid, flu and RSV can be difficult to distinguish, since they share many common symptoms. But a loss of taste and smell is more commonly associated with Covid than with flu or RSV. Flu symptoms tend to develop more suddenly than those of Covid or RSV. To reduce the length of flu symptoms, though, doctors usually prescribe Tamiflu or one of three other approved treatments.

Fungal infections are more widespread than doctors or patients realize, research suggests. People generally get fungal infections after breathing in spores. Thompson’s paper came just weeks after another study revealed high rates of fungal disease diagnoses far outside their traditionally understood geographies. A World Health Organization report in October also found that severe fungal infections became more prevalent among people with pre-existing health issues during the Covid pandemic. In some cases, fungal infections can take months of treatment to clear and may become chronic.

☆ Covid vaccine trials didn't monitor menstrual changes. Researchers say it's part of a bigger problem.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Although they made up around half the participants in Covid vaccine trials, women were not asked about any menstrual changes as part of that process. Since then, several studies have revealed that Covid vaccines can indeed induce short-term changes in menstrual cycles. A 2021 study found that just eight out of 45 clinical trials that tested Covid vaccines and therapies separated results based on sex. In the past, menstrual changes have also been reported among those who received vaccines for typhoid, hepatitis B and influenza. Researchers don't know why post-vaccine menstrual changes occur.

Two new omicron subvariants have overtaken BA.5 as the prevailing versions of the coronavirus in the U.S.BA.5 became dominant in July, then consistently accounted for the majority of new Covid infections until last week. The two together make up around 44% of new Covid infections, whereas BA.5 makes up just 30%. BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 cases are also rising in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe. Both of the subvariants are considered part of the BA.5 family — they're sublineages that evolved from BA.5. "There’s nothing in the signature of the clinical cases that are being reported that suggests that anything is changing in terms of symptoms with these omicron subvariants," Pekosz said.

Private insurance and Medicare cover eight at-home tests a monthSince January, the Biden administration has required private insurers and Medicare to cover up to eight at-home tests per month. Free at-home tests from the government are no longer availableThe federal program that distributed up to 16 free at-home tests to households through the mail ended Sept. 2 because of a lack of congressional funding. At-home tests (also known as antigen tests), meanwhile, rarely give false positives but can give false negatives, even if someone is symptomatic. For other people, Covid tests never come back positive even though they feel sick and were exposed to the virus. In a study of college athletes with Covid, meanwhile, 27% still tested positive one week after their first positive tests.

☆ Money can buy happiness for households earning up to $123,000, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

A recent experiment suggests that money can indeed buy happiness — at least for six months, among households making up to $123,000 a year. The group that got $10,000 reported higher levels of happiness than those who did not after their three months of spending. Then, after three more months had passed, the recipients still reported levels of happiness higher than when the experiment started. Ania Jaroszewicz, a behavioral scientist at Harvard University, said there is still no scientific consensus about whether money can buy happiness. Jaroszewicz highlighted that in any study of money and happiness, outcomes can also depend on the particular circumstances of people's lives and their expectations.

☆ Rhode Island pediatric beds are 100% full amid surge in respiratory viruses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Rhode Island is among the states most severely affected by the aggressive, nationwide surge of pediatric respiratory infections. As of Monday, 76% of pediatric hospital beds were full nationwide. Like most states, Rhode Island is seeing cases of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Covid and other respiratory viruses all at the same time. Weed said Rhode Island is unique in that "many states have more than one pediatric hospital, and we only have one." Overly said his hospital might benefit from Rhode Island declaring a state of emergency related to the surge of pediatric respiratory viruses.

☆ As Covid cases tick up, here are latest CDC guidelines for testing and isolation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about masking, testing and isolation haven't changed much since the CDC last updated its recommendations in August. When to wear a maskSince February, the CDC has based masking guidelines on three metrics: new Covid cases, hospital capacity and hospital admissions. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that people with a known exposure who test negative take a second test 48 hours later. for at least five days after your positive test (details about when to leave isolation can be found below). If you continue to test positive beyond day 10, the CDC recommends you continue masking.

☆ Highly processed foods are linked to early death, a new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

That amounts to more than 10% of annual premature deaths in Brazil among that age group. The authors say their study is the first to estimate the impact of ultra-processed food on the risk of early death. The authors applied that model to Brazil's population and level of ultra-processed food consumption. Ultra-processed foods can often be identified by their long list of ingredients, many of which you wouldn’t normally find in your own kitchen. Willett also said that there may be little benefit to replacing ultra-processed foods with certain items, such as more red meat or foods cooked in a lot of butter.

☆ The Powerball jackpot just hit a record $1.9 billion. Here's why people believe they'll win — even when the odds are 1 in 292 million.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Aria Bendix | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The $1.9 billion Powerball jackpot is the largest in history, with the next drawing Monday night. Players are more likely to get killed by fireworks than win the prize, but they still purchase tickets. The Powerball jackpot soared to an all-time high after no winners were declared in three recent drawings. Those who enter have about a 1 in 292.2 million chance of taking home the prize, according to Powerball. While it may seem silly to think that we could actually win the lottery, Americans are quite fond of throwing their hat in the ring.

☆ Here's why people believe they'll win the record $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot — even when the odds are 1 in 292 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Aria Bendix | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot is the second largest prize in history, with the next drawing Saturday. Players are more likely to get killed by fireworks than win the prize, but they still purchase tickets. The Powerball jackpot is soaring toward a record high after no winners were declared in two recent drawings. Those who enter have about a 1 in 292.2 million chance of taking home the prize, according to Powerball. While it may seem silly to think that we could actually win the lottery, Americans are quite fond of throwing their hat in the ring.

☆ Monkeypox may spread before symptoms appear, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

From the start of the global monkeypox outbreak, researchers have hoped that people could only spread the virus once they developed symptoms. In addition to painful lesions, monkeypox symptoms can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, back pain and fatigue. The study is the first to demonstrate that poxviruses, which include both monkeypox and smallpox, can spread in this manner. Past research suggested that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission of monkeypox was possible, but only symptomatic transmission had been documented. With this new observation about pre-symptomatic spread, Freeman said, it may be impossible to reach a point of zero cases.

☆ Effects of Supreme Court abortion ruling: Longer travel time, more requests for pills
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Infants born as a result of an unintended pregnancy, meanwhile, face a higher risk of low birth weight or preterm birth. Ashana's article asserts that every hour of delayed care increases a patient’s risk of adverse outcomes or death. But in some cases, abortion restrictions require waiting until a person is hemorrhaging or develops sepsis before performing a lifesaving abortion. Hassan said medication abortion presents "a lot of opportunity to be able to expand into places that are geographically difficult for people to access abortion." "There are a lot of things within the health care system environment that could change, including the way we think about where abortion care can be accessed," Hassan said.

☆ Clocks turn back this weekend, but the future of daylight saving time is far from settled
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

ET on Sunday, clocks in the U.S. will turn back one hour as daylight saving time ends, marking the beginning of winter's dark evenings. Sleep experts don't support year-round daylight saving timeIdeally, the sun should reach its highest point at noon, according to sleep experts. Then at night, daylight saving can lead people to go to bed later, which can delay the body’s production of melatonin. These cumulative health risks likely influenced Mexico’s Senate vote last week to eliminate daylight saving time there. The original argument for delaying daylight doesn't hold upThe U.S. first adopted daylight saving time in 1918 to save oil and electricity during World War I.

☆ Conservative policies linked to higher mortality, except regarding marijuana
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Conservative state policies regarding the environment, gun safety, labor, taxes and tobacco have been associated with higher mortality rates among working-age people relative to liberal policies, new research found. Conservative policies did the opposite. The link between liberal marijuana policies — such as legalization and access to medical cannabis — and higher mortality was also unexpected, Montez said. By contrast, if all had adopted the most conservative policies, nearly 218,000 more working-age people might have died. Warraich's own research has shown that death rates in counties that voted for Democrats in presidential elections fell 22% between 2001 and 2019, while death rates in Republican-voting counties declined by just 11%.

☆ Surge of viruses leaves children’s hospitals scrambling to free up beds and find room for patients
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Every inpatient bed at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago has been full for more than six weeks. Many of the patients at Comer Children’s have RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which can cause lung infections. Some hospitals are sending ICU patients directly home once their cases are no longer acute, rather than to another floor. Dr. Kevin Messacar, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said his hospital is accepting patients from five nearby states. But suctioning can be tricky for parents, according to Dr. Elizabeth Schlaudecker, an infectious disease specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

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