The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is warning people against the improper use of neti pots, following the deaths of two people who were infected with Naegleria fowleri — the so-called “brain-eating amoeba” — …
Public Health
Healthiest U.S. States Ranked. Where Do You Live?
The rankings are out: The United Health Foundation recently released its annual list of the healthiest U.S. states. Where does your state rank?
Study: Another Reason to Keep the Drinking Age at 21
Young women who came of age in the late 1960s and ’70s, when many states had lowered their legal drinking ages to under 21, remained at higher risk of suicide and homicide into adulthood, a new study finds.
CDC Tracks Thoughts of Suicide in Adults, State by State
More than 8 million Americans thought seriously about suicide in the previous year, according to a new government survey. More adults who considered suicide lived in the Midwest and West than in other parts of the country.
‘Brain Eating’ Amoeba Kills Three People
Three people have died this summer from a rare infection with a waterborne amoeba that attacks the brain.
Did Airport Scanners Give Boston TSA Agents Cancer?
(Updated) Could radiation from full-body scanners be responsible for a “cancer cluster” among airport security workers? That’s what Transportation Security Administration union representatives in Boston have claimed.
Why Getting Paid Increases Your Risk of Death
Everyone looks forward to payday. Whether it’s a paycheck from your employer or benefits from the government, the influx of cash to your bank account is always a good thing, right? Not according to the latest research.
Single Moms Have Worse Health, and Getting Married Doesn’t Help
Single mothers may face poorer health in midlife than married mothers, according to a recent national study published in the American Sociological Review. The finding is particularly notable, the authors said, considering that …
Source of E. Coli Outbreak in Germany — It Was the Sprouts After All
German officials announced on Friday that they believe bean sprouts are indeed the source of the deadly E. coli infections in that country, the worst such outbreak in recorded history.
With Two False Starts, Why Officials Can’t Finger the Source of the E. Coli Outbreak
German officials were forced for the second time to retract a statement about the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak that has killed 22 and sickened hundreds.
FDA Approves New Drug to Treat Hepatitis C
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved the second drug in two weeks for the treatment of hepatitis C. The new drug, called Incivek, is designed to be used in conjunction with standard therapy with interferon …
CDC to America: How to Prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse
“There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That’s right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e,” wrote Dr. Ali S. Khan, a specialist in infectious disease, in the …
The 9/11 Casualties Still to Come
Last January — more than nine years after the Sept. 11 attacks — Osama bin Laden killed Roy Chelsen. Bin Laden never met Chelsen; that’s not the way it is when you do your killing en masse. And he certainly didn’t kill him quickly.
