PublicHealth
Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the agency
Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the agency The Trump administration laid off thousands more employees at the CDC on April 1, 2025, as part of its workforce reduction. Anadolu/Getty Images The job of director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention carries immense responsibility for […]
News
Fewer deaths, new substances and evolving treatments in Philly’s opioid epidemic − 4 essential reads
Fewer deaths, new substances and evolving treatments in Philly’s opioid epidemic − 4 essential reads Opioid overdose deaths in Philly dropped in 2023. Data for 2024 has not yet been released. Jeff Fusco/The Conversation U.S., CC BY-NC-SA In Philadelphia, fatal overdoses are the No. 3 cause of death after heart disease and cancer. That’s been […]
Health
5 years on, true counts of COVID-19 deaths remain elusive − and research is hobbled by lack of data
5 years on, true counts of COVID-19 deaths remain elusive − and research is hobbled by lack of data National COVID-19 memorial wall for the five-year anniversary on March 11, 2025, in London, England. Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures via Getty Images In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers struggled to grasp the rate of […]
News
There’s a link between infant mortality and lead in the air
There’s a link between infant mortality and lead in the air Infant mortality is tied to the concentration of lead in the air, according to a new study. Concentrations of lead in the air remain substantial in developed and developing countries, largely the result of industrial emissions. Even with the decline in lead in gasoline, […]
Health
Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study
Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study Many older adults are not up to date on their vaccines. Morsa Images via Getty Images Knowing which vaccines older adults should get and hearing a clear recommendation from their health care provider about why a particular vaccine is important strongly motivated […]
Health
Plastic exposure may be making bacteria resistant to drugs
Plastic exposure may be making bacteria resistant to drugs Microplastics could be fueling antibiotic resistance, according to new research. Microplastics—tiny shards of plastic debris—are all over the planet. They have made their way up food chains, accumulated in oceans, clustered in clouds and on mountains, and been found inside our bodies at alarming rates. Scientists […]
Health
How do researchers determine how toxic a chemical is? A toxicologist explains alternatives to animal testing
How do researchers determine how toxic a chemical is? A toxicologist explains alternatives to animal testing A vast number of chemicals are registered for production and use around the world. But only a portion have been thoroughly evaluated for their toxicity due to time, cost, ethical concerns and regulatory limitations. To safeguard public health, researchers […]
Science
From TB to HIV/AIDS to cancer, disease tracking has always had a political dimension, but it’s the foundation of public health
From TB to HIV/AIDS to cancer, disease tracking has always had a political dimension, but it’s the foundation of public health Tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in New York City and the U.S. overall in the late 19th century. Lewis Wickes Hine/Picryl, CC BY Federal datasets began disappearing from public view on Jan. […]
Health
5 years of COVID-19 underscore value of coordinated efforts to manage disease – while CDC, NIH and WHO face threats to their ability to respond to a crisis
5 years of COVID-19 underscore value of coordinated efforts to manage disease – while CDC, NIH and WHO face threats to their ability to respond to a crisis As the pandemic accelerated in 2020, U.S. hospitals — including this one in New York City — set up tents to diagnose patients with COVID-19. Misha Friedman […]
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