health
ReutersJ&J to end global sales of talc-based baby powder
"As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio," it said, adding that cornstarch-based baby powder is already sold in countries around the world. In 2020, J&J announced that it would stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada because demand had fallen in the wake of what it called "misinformation" about the product's safety amid a barrage of legal challenges. The company faces about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen.
Associated PressLandfill odor: Health problems, but no elevated cancer risk
Missouri’s health department on Thursday announced findings of a lengthy examination of the troubled Bridgeton Landfill in suburban St. Louis, determining that the foul odor emitting from the landfill created health problems but did not increase the risk of cancer. The finding of the yearslong investigation by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services was validation for people who live near the landfill in northwestern St. Louis County, said Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the activist group Just Moms STL. “We knew we were facing physical symptoms on a day-to-day basis from exposure to the odors,” Chapman said.
ReutersU.S. CDC no longer recommends students quarantine for COVID-19 exposure
The agency also said it was no longer recommending unvaccinated people quarantine after exposure as around 95% of the U.S. population has either been vaccinated, had COVID-19 already, or both. "This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives," CDC scientist v said in a statement. The CDC said it had updated its recommendations that people exposed to COVID-19 should wear a high quality mask for 10 days and test on the fifth day after exposure, regardless of vaccination status.
ReutersNovartis reports Zolgensma caused two deaths from liver failure
The company has notified health authorities in markets where the drug is sold, including the FDA, and has informed relevant healthcare professionals as an additional step. "While this is important safety information, it is not a new safety signal and we firmly believe in the overall favorable risk/benefit profile of Zolgensma," Novartis said in a statement. The two fatal cases of acute liver failure took place in Russia and Kazakhstan after 5 to 6 weeks of Zolgensma infusion and about 1-10 days following the initiation of corticosteroid taper, it reported.
NBC NewsCDC Covid guidelines for schools end quarantining if exposed
As back-to-school approaches the CDC no longer recommends quarantining if exposed to the omicron virus.
Associated PressNew Zealand welcomes back first cruise ship since COVID hit
New Zealand on Friday welcomed the first cruise ship to return since the coronavirus pandemic began, signaling a long-sought return to normalcy for the nation's tourism industry. New Zealand closed its borders in early 2020 as it sought at first to eliminate COVID-19 entirely and then later to control its spread. Many in the cruise industry question why it took so long.
ABC NewsOnly half of eligible Americans have gotten their first COVID booster
As we approach the fall, there is a renewed push to get Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable, who continue to bear the brunt of the nation's COVID-19 crisis. Although over 61 million people, over the age of 50, are eligible to receive their second COVID-19 booster shot, just a third have actually done so, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "One of the key messages coming out of this moment is: If you are 50 or over and you have not gotten a shot this year ... it is absolutely critical that you go out and get one now," White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, last month.
Business InsiderThe age of social distancing is over, according to the CDC
"Physical distance is just one component of how to protect yourself and others," the CDC said, adding that vaccines can help prevent severe illness.
ReutersLong COVID risk up for unvaccinated children; at-home antibody test shows promise
A small study is adding to evidence that children can develop long COVID-19 even if the virus did not make them seriously ill. Researchers in Texas who tracked 1,813 children infected with the virus between October 2020 and May 2022 - during the waves of the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants - found that 4.5% had symptoms for up to 12 weeks and 3.3% had symptoms for longer than 12 weeks. The risk for persistent symptoms - loss of taste and smell, cough and difficulty breathing - was highest in children sick enough from COVID-19 to be hospitalized.
USA TODAYWant to be sure you don’t have COVID? FDA now says you'll need to pass 3 home tests
The FDA now recommends taking 3 home tests over 5 days to be more confident you don't have COVID, especially if you fear you've been exposed.
Associated PressFDA: Take 3 home tests if exposed to COVID to boost accuracy
Previously, the Food and Drug Administration had advised taking two rapid antigen tests over two or three days to rule out infection. Thursday's update reflects the evolving understanding of the accuracy of antigen tests, which are less sensitive than laboratory tests but have become the standard testing approach due to their speed and convenience. Instead of detecting the coronavirus itself, they detect protein traces, known as antigens, similar to rapid flu tests.
NBC NewsLondon kids to be offered polio vaccine boosters amid fears of virus comeback
Every child in London ages 1 to 9 should be offered a booster shot of the polio vaccine, U.K. health authorities have said, as doctors warn that polio
ABC NewsCDC no longer requires unvaccinated to quarantine after being exposed to COVID
Previously, the CDC advised that people who were unvaccinated or hadn't received their booster shots should quarantine for five days after exposure. If no symptoms appear, the quarantine can end. The new guidance no longer recommends that unvaccinated people quarantine after exposure, instead suggesting they mask up for 10 days and get tested five days after they were exposed.
NBC NewsHer daughter was declared dead. Despite hospital objections, she believes she was alive.
An Indianapolis mother whose 17-year-old daughter suffered a severe allergy and asthma attack and was pronounced brain dead days later was faced with a harrowing decision.
CBS NewsCDC updates its COVID-19 guidelines in sweeping overhaul
The agency says the new revisions acknowledge "the pandemic is not over" but should not disrupt daily life as much as it used to.
ABC NewsPolio vaccine boosters offered to kids in London as virus linked to New York case detected
Children in London are being offered polio vaccine boosters after sewage samples with the virus were found in multiple areas across the city. The U.K. Health Security Agency announced Wednesday that all children between ages 1 and 9 across the British capital will be eligible to receive an inactivated polio vaccine booster. "While the majority of Londoners are protected from polio, the [National Health Service] will shortly be contacting parents of eligible children aged 1 to 9 years old to offer them a top-up dose to ensure they have maximum protection from the virus," Jane Clegg, chief nurse for the NHS in London, added.
USA TODAY'Almost useless': Patients, advocates critical of federal pace to unlock hospital prices
Consumers are left in the dark about hospital prices before getting care. Now they want Medicare to enforce a new federal price transparency law .
Business Insider'Paxlovid': That's the one-word advice Joe Biden gave fellow Delawarean Sen. Tom Carper when he got COVID-19
"I never felt bad and I give Dr. Biden some of the credit," Carper, a Delaware Democrat, told Insider.
USA TODAYNew Langya virus infects dozens in China. Why experts say you shouldn't panic.
Scientists hypothesize wild shrews may be the "natural reservoir" for the new Langya henipavirus discovered in eastern China.
CBS NewsDebt lawsuits against relatives and friends of nursing home residents
Along with our partners Kaiser Health News and NPR, CBS News has found that what starts out as a good deed can turn into a legal nightmare in some cases.
ReutersFDA chief backs alternate method for injecting Bavarian Nordic's monkeypox shot
The company had on Tuesday said there was some evidence that a shot of Jynneos between the layers of the skin could result in increased reactions compared to the approved method of injecting it underneath the skin. FDA chief Robert Califf, however, backed the method saying while the intradermal administration led to some mild-to-moderate side effects, it produced a similar immune response to injecting the vaccine below the skin. "In authorizing an unapproved use of an already approved product, the FDA is ensuring the vaccine meets high standards for safety, immune response and manufacturing quality," Califf tweeted.
ABC NewsThink you have monkeypox? It might be another skin condition
With the number of cases of monkeypox rising across the world, and descriptions of rashes from the virus varying from person-to-person, people are concerned that any new bumps might be monkeypox. There are many skin bumps which can be totally normal which can appear like monkeypox, including zits, acne, skin reactions to heavy metals, ingrown hairs or even eczema or psoriasis.
Business InsiderModerna CEO compares COVID-19 vaccines to iPhones, saying you'll probably be getting a new version each year
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel predicted that a single-shot vaccine that protects against COVID-19 and flu strains will be available in the coming years.
NBC NewsMonkeypox outbreak evokes déjà vu for pioneering AIDS activists
As cases of monkeypox surge around the globe, four pioneers of the AIDS activist movement watch in awe and with a sense of nostalgia.
ABC NewsFDA's move to stretch monkeypox vaccine supplies could pay off, experts say
The Food and Drug Administration announced an emergency use authorization to move forward with their plan to stretch out the current monkeypox vaccine supply with a new injection method that will try to stretch one dose into five. "In recent weeks, the monkeypox virus has continued to spread at a rate that has made it clear our current vaccine supply will not meet the current demand," FDA Commissioner Bob Califf said Tuesday during a press briefing. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, deputy coordinator for the White House Monkeypox Response, sought to reassure gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men -- the group most affected by the outbreak right now -- that the new strategy is evidence-based.
“The media has anointed men who have sex with men as the biggest threat to our survival from monkeypox.”
“Rich countries have ignored endemic monkeypox in West and Central Africa for far too long, despite having effective vaccines.”
“The biggest worry for Americans is not the disease: It’s that our response to it shows how little we have learned from COVID-19.”
“Monkeypox should be a relatively easier virus to control, but only if the United States takes the needed steps now.”
“Global health officials must advocate for and enact a unified, coherent approach to fighting the monkeypox pandemic.”