CDC: No new measles cases in US last week
Ferre' Dollar/CNN(CNN) - For the first time since early January, no new measles cases were reported in the United States last week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of measles cases in the United remained at 1,241 for the year as of last Thursday. The majority of cases were among people who were not vaccinated against measles, and more than 75% of cases were linked to outbreaks in New York and New York City. Measles cases have been confirmed in 31 states. It includes the number of cases reported by state health departments as of the end of the day the previous Thursday.
USPS worker cooks steak inside mail truck
Bolick sent a letter to the president of the American Postal Workers Union, Mark Dimonstein, urging him investigate reports of hazardous working conditions for mail carriers because of the Arizona heat. "Working conditions must be improved immediately to ensure the safety of mail carriers subjected to these dangerous temperatures." According to Bolick, a worker in her district has sent her daily updates of temperature readings inside a mail carrier vehicle that average 128 degrees. Bolick said several Phoenix area postal service employees have been sent to the hospital recently for treatment after becoming disoriented on the job. She ended the letter by asking for a cause of action from the postal service "to remedy the current situation."
Scientists have found anorexia linked to metabolism
Ferre' Dollar/CNNLONDON - The way we treat anorexia may be changing, thanks to a new study linking the illness to metabolism. "It means that when we think about anorexia nervosa we need to be thinking that it is not only a psychiatric disorder, but also a metabolic disorder," lead researcher Cynthia Bulik told CNN. Anorexia is commonly treated as a purely psychiatric disorder -- it's why treatments are primarily focused on behavioral therapy. Though researchers have now identified the role metabolism plays in anorexia, they still need to delve further into the biology to understand what that role is and how it influences the risk of anorexia. Right now, Bulik said there aren't any medications that effectively treat anorexia, and she's not convinced medication alone will suffice.
Use of HIV prevention pill, PrEP, rises 500%, CDC report says
Ferre' Dollar/CNNUse of a daily pill to prevent HIV infection rose almost 500% from 2014 to 2017, according to new research published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than a third of people at risk of HIV infection are now protected with the medication, which is more than 90% effective, according to the CDC. Those groups are at particular risk for HIV infection, according to the CDC, and accounted for about 40% of all HIV infections in 2017, the last year for which data is available. Among men who have sex with men, 42% of white men reported using the drug, while just 26% of black men reported the same. And in June, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that people at significant risk for HIV infection take PrEP.
11 cases of polio-like illness AFM confirmed in 8 states, CDC says
Last year saw the highest number of cases of acute flaccid myelitis so far -- 233 confirmed cases in 41 states. So far this year, there have been 11 confirmed cases in eight states out of 57 patients under investigation. The CDC estimates it affects fewer than 1 or 2 in a million children each year in the United States. "AFM is a devastating illness for patients and their families," Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC's principal deputy director, told reporters Tuesday. The CDC escalated its response to the illness, more than doubling the number of staffers working on AFM late last year.
This bacteria may help people with obesity live healthier lives
Ferre' Dollar via CNN(CNN) - The bacteria got its name -- Akkermansia muciniphila -- just 15 years ago. But the species, which breaks down gel-like proteins in the intestines, may soon offer hope to those with obesity-related disorders. The small sample size may explain why researchers couldn't definitively report that the bacteria, and not other factors, led to the weight loss. The pancreas then produces more insulin to compensate for the resistance, which can lead to prediabetes, or higher than normal blood sugar levels. In the new study, the bacteria "prevented the deterioration of the health status of the subjects by targeting several cardiovascular risk factors," said Cani.