I certainly hope that a carefully conducted study like this will get a lot of play, and that some people will find this convincing. The sad part is, by focusing on the question of whether vaccines cause autism spectrum disorders, they’re missing the opportunity to look at what the real causes are. It’s not vaccines.Ellen Wright Clayton, professor at Vanderbilt University • Speaking on new research into childhood vaccination, spearheaded by the Center for Disease Control’s Frank DeStefano. The researchers assessed possible adverse health effects as a result of antigens, a component of vaccines that provokes a response from the body’s immune system. They found that despite children receiving more vaccinations now than in decades past, the total load of antigens is lower (antigens are not uncommon to childhood, either, coming in the form of viruses), thanks to refinements in medical science. Perhaps most consequentially, they found no link between vaccination and the onset of autism in young children. Anti-vaccination activism has been on the rise over the last couple decades, both on the right and left, with the claim (based largely on an infamously discredited British study from the 1980s) that they carry risk of autism spurring parents to eschew the process — weakening collective immunities of child populations to other serious diseases. source
Synthetic cannabinoids are not safe alternatives to marijuana. There are unexpected and unpredictable health problems that can occur. The availability of the synthetic cannabinoid products, coupled with how rapidly the chemicals present in the various products change, really creates a recipe for a public health disaster.Michael Schwartz, medical officer for the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health • Discussing a report he co-authored, claiming a link between the use of synthetic cannabinoids (products such as Spice, plant blends treated with a synthetic drug solvent, sold legally in smoke shops) and kidney failure, as well as some other undesirable side effects. Such products are sold ostensibly as incense, and with printed warnings against consumption, but the widespread understanding of their use is another matter. source
60 afflicted by fungal meningitis in U.S. outbreak
7 people killed by the outbreak to date
To date, the meningitis has been detected in nine states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. The CDC says the outbreak has been linked to steroid shots intended for back pain, and urges proactive steps by those who received the medication: “All patients who may have received these medications need to be tracked down immediately. It is possible that if patients with infection are identified soon and put on appropriate antifungal therapy, lives may be saved,” said the CDC’s Dr. Benjamin Park. source
» Top reading above 140. Bottom reading above 90. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that millions of people have high blood pressure but aren’t doing anything to keep it under control — something that puts them in increased danger of stroke or heart attack, according to a report released Tuesday. “Some of these patients had mediations that weren’t working,” according to CDC Director Thomas Frieden, “while some had multiple high blood pressure readings but were never diagnosed with high blood pressure based on their medical records. Clearly we can do better.” The CDC says that the unchecked blood pressure problem caused 1,000 deaths in the U.S. daily and costs the country $131 billion yearly.
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» Those endangered visitors are understandably upset over this — hantavirus is a rodent-borne illness, extremely rare in the United States. Of the 587 cases reported by the CDC from 1993 to 2011, one-third proved fatal. Yosemite’s 91 tent cabins have been cleared out, as four of six recent cases of hantavirus were traced there. The other two are still under investigation. It’s estimated that 10,000 summer visitors may have been threatened. Said Camille Chu, a visitor who stayed in one such tent cabin on August 24th: “People need to know now. You should always err on the side of caution and that’s not what they did. I’m infuriated. I’m very upset.”
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» Just be careful around pigs: 12 cases were confirmed this week, and 10 of them came from the same fair in Ohio. All of the cases from this year are much more mild than those from the 2009 pandemic, but this current strain contains a gene that might make the disease easier to spread from pigs to people. The CDC says to just wash your hands and “avoid taking food and drinks into livestock barns” if you attend a fair this year.
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Because Walgreens does a variety of testing there is no stigma basically associated with coming here. You could be getting a cholesterol test or an HIV test - it’s the same clinic room for all of our testing and immunizations. It’s very private.Washington D.C.-area Walgreens manager Bethany Kuechenmeister • Discussing the CDC’s new HIV-testing pilot program, which debuted in the Foggy Bottom location she manages last month, and the benefits that the program offers for those who worry about the social implications of getting tested. In honor of National HIV Testing Day, the company is offering free HIV tests, from 3pm-7pm until this Friday, at locations in 20 major cities across the country. source (via • follow)
Too much salted dough? A report by the Center for Disease Control claims the majority of salt in the American diet comes from bread consumption. You might find this surprising, especially considering evidently high-salt items like potato chips rank far lower on the list (tenth, in fact). The CDC attributes this to people’s willingness to overindulge in those sorts of foods, which despite a lower salt content in general can smuggle a high sodium total into the body. Salt intake for an otherwise healthy adult is advised at no more than 2,300 milligrams per day, but the average American consumes 1000 milligrams more than that. (Photo by Charles Haynes) source
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
In 2007, I was...
I started tumblr when I was at one of the lowest points of...
Headway in the fight against HIV: A drug called Truvada is effective in preventing AIDS contraction up to 73% of the time, according to two new studies carried out in Africa. The drug has been tested before with less stellar results, but researchers now suspect the earlier study may have been flawed. The catch with preventative drugs, of course, is that you have to remember to take them before the risk presents itself, but still, this is great news. source
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