Three people have died this summer from a rare infection with a waterborne amoeba that attacks the brain.
Public Health
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.
New Report Ranks U.S. Health by County. Where Do You Live?
A comprehensive survey of overall health county-by-county in the U.S. confirms a few things we already know to be true: being poor is bad for your health. So is having low education, not having a job and having less access to …
Japan’s Next Nightmare: Health Problems from Radiation Exposure
As workers continue to attempt to contain damage of the four reactors in Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, residents of the country are becoming increasingly worried about the health risks associated with radiation …
5 Ways to Survive Plane Travel Unscathed
Between bed bugs, flu viruses and the risk of pulmonary embolism, taking a flight can feel like navigating a minefield. The good news is, there are lots of ways to keep yourself healthy.
5 Reasons Climate Change Is Bad for Your Health
Climate change is what the people at the Pentagon like to call a “threat multiplier.” Warming takes existing dangers like political instability in developing nations, and amplifies them in ways that can be hard to predict — but which are rarely positive. That goes for human health too.