DEA Issues Rare Public Safety Alert on Fake Prescription Pills
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a public safety alert on Monday warning of an “alarming increase” in lethal counterfeit pills containing fentanyl or methamphetamine. The alert, the DEA’s first in 6 years, aimed to raise awareness of a significant surge in fake pills mass-produced by criminal drug networks and marketed as legitimate prescription pills. […]
What Happens If You Get Your Flu Shot And COVID Booster At The Same Time?
Last year, public health experts were deeply concerned about the prospect of a flu and a COVID-19 “twindemic.” But as it turned out, seasonal flu activity was unusually low. This was likely due to the combination of masking, stay-at-home orders, reduced travel and people paying close attention to things like indoor ventilation. No one yet […]
Large genetic analysis identifies numerous gene variants linked with differences in food intake
A team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), and other institutions have identified more than two dozen genetic regions that may affect individuals’ food intake. The investigators hope that the discovery, which is described in Nature Human Behaviour, will point to new treatment strategies to curb the […]
‘Words Can Mean Life or Death’: What We Heard This Week
“Words have consequences and during a public health emergency like COVID-19, those words can mean life or death for patients.” — Joe Knickrehm, vice president of communications for the Federation of State Medical Boards, on their statement that physicians who spread COVID misinformation could face disciplinary action. “Our plan is to protect the American people […]
Drug-resistant bacteria found in the guts of lemurs who live around humans: The more human interaction they had, the higher the proportion of resistant bugs
Antibiotic resistance, which the CDC calls one of the world’s most urgent public health crises, is now being found in the guts of lemurs, our distant primate cousins. In a new study appearing Aug. 9 in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Duke researchers have found evidence for antibiotic resistance in the microbiome of […]
Leana Wen Discusses Patients’ Different Priorities, Bad COVID Policies
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Leana Wen, MD, MSc, has been one of public health’s most vocal advocates, offering smart analysis and calling out problems with the federal response. One of the most significant contributors to U.S. pandemic failures, she said, has been the prolonged devaluing of public health. That’s part of the reason Wen set […]
Teens Need Later School Start Times
Daily cries from parents, pediatricians, the press, and the public to reopen schools in the fall are certainly well-intentioned, but they are overlooking a critical opportunity to advance adolescent physical and mental health long after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Delaying school start times for teens by an hour, or even two, could optimize a […]