Topic: public-health

Man Dies Of Rabies From Transplant, Which Makes Us Wonder Just How Often Humans Catch Rabies?

Man Dies Of Rabies From Transplant, Which Makes Us Wonder Just How Often Humans Catch Rabies?

A Maryland man is dead after receiving an organ transplant from a donor infected with rabies. It’s an awful story that doesn’t seem to have a simple solution and could have a higher death toll. The donor was not suspected of having the infectious disease and his or her organs were given to three other individuals as well, who are now being treated with anti-rabies shots. More »

Mississippi Lawmakers Worry Over “Organic Agenda,” Fight For Right To Be Unhealthiest State

Mississippi Lawmakers Worry Over "Organic Agenda," Fight For Right To Be Unhealthiest State

Guys, I’m as anti-nanny state as the next red-blooded American. But this. is. just. stupid. It’s the legislative equivalent of the Heart Attack Grill. It’s a defensive, destructive plan from a state that routinely ranks as one of the fattest and unhealthiest in the nation. And it violates the very freedoms it purports to protect. More »

Mississippi Is Fattest State, Says CDC; The Rest Aren’t That Much Better

Mississippi Is Fattest State, Says CDC; The Rest Aren't That Much Better

According to a just-released CDC report, Mississippi is officially the fattest state in the U.S. with over 34% of adults considered obese. But what’s even more discouraging is the number of states following close behind. The newest report (which was created based on data collected between 2009 and 2011) says that 12 states are now considered to have very high obesity rates among adults; that’s up from 9 states in the last report. More »

Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare As A Tax; Here’s What It Means In Plain English

Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare As A Tax; Here's What It Means In Plain English

The Supreme Court upheld Obamacare in a five to four vote, ruling that the individual mandate (requiring that Americans buy insurance or pay a fine) is constitutional as a tax. The court’s opinions were divided (outlined in-depth here)—they also stipulated that states can’t be penalized for not participating in Medicaid expansion—and what its specific rulings on the Affordable Care Act will mean for Americans is still being parsed out. Here’s the Court’s own explanation, “In Plain English” (via SCOTUSblog) More »

FDA Approves Belviq Weight Loss Drug, Putting Business Over Health Yet Again In Obesity War

FDA Approves Belviq Weight Loss Drug, Putting Business Over Health Yet Again In Obesity War

The FDA just approved Belviq, the first weight loss drug to get their green light in 13 years. The agency claims that its safety standards were set high (because of weight loss drugs’ sketchy history), but it’s hard to shake the feeling that their approval was made in the best interest of public health. In the war on obesity, the FDA just helped business score big time, but it’s hard to believe that consumers will benefit nearly so much. More »

CDC To Offer Free Rapid HIV Testing At Walgreens, Minus Counseling…And That’s Probably A Good Thing

CDC To Offer Free Rapid HIV Testing At Walgreens, Minus Counseling...And That's Probably A Good Thing

Free rapid HIV testing could be available at a Walgreens pharmacy near you, if all goes well with a pilot program being launched by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month. Over the next two years, they’ll offer the tests free of charge at pharmacies in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, as well as a clinic in Georgia, and gathering data to develop a nationwide program. Those who test positive for HIV will get a physician referral and care plan, but counseling isn’t in the cards, at least for now…but if the program helps the estimated 200,000 HIV-positive Americans who are undiagnosed get help, I’d say it’s probably work the compromise in emotional support. More »

Obesity Costs U.S. $190 Billion Per Year—Let The ‘Fat Tax’ Battles Begin

Obesity Costs U.S. $190 Billion Per Year—Let The 'Fat Tax' Battles Begin

There’s no question that American obesity rates are soaring—and it definitely comes at a cost to our health and well being—but new stats from the Campaign to End Obesity peg its annual drain on the U.S. economy at $190 billion. Considering that the goal of anti-obesity campaigners is to shock policy makers into action, you could argue the exact numbers (one of the costs considered was money spent in hospitals swapping out wall-mounted toilets om for floor models to better support obese patients). But however you cut it, it’s hard not wonder if pricing out the cost of obesity will just become another excuse for fat-shaming and discrimination. More »

Sex Workers To Police: Please Stop Confiscating Our Condoms

Sex Workers To Police: Please Stop Confiscating Our Condoms

In New York, it’s a common practice for police to confiscate condoms as evidence in cases of alleged prostitution. Unfortunately, that means that sex workers, who are already at risk of sexual violence and who often don’t have health care and who really, really need on-the-job protection in the form of condoms, are faced with a dangerous choice: continue to work (because they need to make a living) and put themselves at greater risk of HIV and other STIs, or stop working, go hungry, and possibly risk abuse from their pimp. More »

World AIDS Day: HIV Rates Are Down, But We Still Have Problems Managing The Disease

World AIDS Day: HIV Rates Are Down, But We Still Have Problems Managing The Disease

As World AIDS Day approaches, there are several encouraging statistics to celebrate: The UN says that world HIV/AIDS-related deaths have fallen 21% since their peak in 2005. The cost of treatment has decreased steadily in recent years. And plenty more statistics point to overwhelmingly positive progress. But if there’s one thing that threatens the road to AIDS-free world, it’s complacency More »

10 Years After 9/11, What’s A Bigger Threat: Homeland Security Or Public Health?

10 Years After 9/11, What's A Bigger Threat: Homeland Security Or Public Health?

This weekend marks the ten year anniversary of 9/11, a day that impacted the U.S.—and the world—in countless ways. In the years since, Americans have stressed and spent a lot of money over the worry that we might be attacked again; but in the meantime, we’ve largely ignored some of the biggest looming threats to our lives and livelihood: Chronic health problems. Sure, occasionally we all get amped up over who should pay health insurance or how to avoid catching bird flu. But as Scientific American’s Katherine Harmon points out, we’re more focused on preventing deaths through security spending than protecting the public’s health. More »

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