Sep 12 Popular nasal decongestant doesn't actually relieve congestion, FDA advisers say By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press The Food and Drug Administration convened an expert panel to review the latest data on phenylephrine. That's found in over-the-counter versions of Sudafed, Dayquil and other cold medicines sold on pharmacy shelves. Continue reading
Sep 12 Watch 6:28 CDC director discusses updated COVID booster as infections rise from latest variant By Amna Nawaz, Dorothy Hastings A new round of COVID-19 boosters will be available within days as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across the country. The Food and Drug Administration approved the new shots Monday and a CDC advisory panel recommended the updated boosters… Continue watching
Sep 12 Why public health experts are concerned about BA.2.86, the latest COVID-19 variant By Suresh V. Kuchipudi, The Conversation Researchers still don’t know how well BA.2.86 will evade immunity or whether it will cause more severe disease than its predecessors. Continue reading
Sep 11 Rats are on the rise. Here's what cities are doing about it By Courtney Norris, Dorothy Hastings Much like it shook most everything else in the world, the COVID pandemic shifted where rats went to seek out their meals. As restaurants and businesses across the country closed suddenly, rats had to adapt to find food in residential… Continue reading
Sep 11 Why deaths in Louisiana prisons are on the rise By Roby Chavez There's been a growing number of people who have died while in Louisiana prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers, according to a report released this summer. Continue reading
Sep 11 WATCH: CDC recommends updated COVID vaccines By Laura Santhanam Updated COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for virtually everyone in the United States, following a 13-1 vote among public health experts Tuesday. Continue reading
Sep 10 Extreme heat exposure during pregnancy can raise risk of severe delivery complications, new study finds By Jessica Kutz, The 19th A new study found significant associations between both long- and short-term exposure to environmental heat during a pregnancy and severe maternal morbidity. Continue reading
Sep 09 Watch 7:10 What can be done to prevent gun suicides as U.S. rate hits all-time high By William Brangham, Harry Zahn Firearms are involved in more than half of suicides in the U.S. The gun suicide rate has reached an all-time high, and for the first time, the rate is higher among Black kids and teens than white ones, according to… Continue watching
Sep 08 Florida Supreme Court to decide on GOP-led 15 week abortion ban By Curt Anderson, Associated Press The Florida Supreme Court must decide whether to overrule broad abortion rights protections provided for decades under the state constitution and instead uphold a law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans the procedure in most cases after 15… Continue reading
Sep 06 How gardens enable refugees and immigrants to put down roots in new communities By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Gardening and community gardens can help immigrant and refugee communities supplement their pantries by growing their own culturally appropriate food that isn’t readily found in grocery stores while maintaining a connection with their homeland across generations. Two community garden projects… Continue reading