England’s government agency responsible for responding to public health emergencies said mistakes at a testing laboratory resulted in tens of thousands of positive COVID-19 cases reported as negative may have led to the deaths of 20 people. Britain has one of the highest coronavirus death tolls in the world, with …
Read More »Onewheel skateboards linked to 4 deaths, feds say
Commuters and thrill-seekers should stay off Onewheel electric skateboards because the products can eject riders, causing serious injury and death, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. At least four people have died from traumatic head injuries after falling from the self-balancing boards made by Santa Cruz, California-based Future …
Read More »A new use for dating apps: Chasing STDs
(Eric Harkleroad/KHN illustration) Heather Meador and Anna Herber-Downey use dating apps on the job — and their boss knows it. Both are public health nurses employed by Linn County Public Health in eastern Iowa. They’ve learned that dating apps are the most efficient way to inform users that people they …
Read More »Toddler sippy bottles and cups sold nationwide pose lead-poisoning risk
Green Sprouts is recalling thousands of stainless steel bottles and sippy cups sold nationwide because the base of the products can break off, posing a lead-poisoning risk to children. The Asheville, North Carolina, company has received seven reports of the bottles’ base breaking off, exposing a solder dot containing lead, …
Read More »Top government researcher Nora Volkow calls for easier access to drug that treats opioid use disorder: “No reason why not”
The top addiction researcher in the U.S. government is calling for the broad deregulation of methadone — a medication that can reduce dependency on opioids — in a major departure from how it is currently made available. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), made the …
Read More »Amid shortages and another recall, Abbott plans $500 million infant formula plant
Abbott plans to build a $500 million infant formula facility and is boosting production at other plants as the health care company looks to increase supply in the U.S. amid ongoing shortages. “We’re currently in the final stages of determining the site location and will work with regulators and other …
Read More »Aerosol products at higher risk for benzene, says scientist who spurred recalls
Unilever is recalling dry shampoo aerosol products sold nationwide because they may contain elevated levels of benzene, a human carcinogen. The recall is the latest of half a dozen so far this year, with the cancer-causing chemical showing up in products including deodorant, hand sanitizer and sunscreen. People should take …
Read More »In his final White House COVID briefing, Fauci voices hope for less deadly COVID wave this winter
In his final briefing as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested Tuesday that immunity from vaccination and prior infection could provide enough protection to Americans to result in a less deadly wave of COVID-19 this winter, despite a growing array of new variants. This was likely …
Read More »USC not liable in former football player’s death, jury finds in landmark case
A Los Angeles jury on Tuesday rejected a claim by the widow of a former USC football player who said the NCAA failed to protect him from repeated head trauma that led to his death. Matthew Gee, a linebacker on the 1990 Rose Bowl-winning squad, endured an estimated 6,000 hits …
Read More »FDA approves most expensive drug ever, a $3.5 million-per-dose gene therapy for hemophilia B
Washington — U.S. health regulators on Tuesday approved the first gene therapy for hemophilia, a $3.5 million one-time treatment for the blood-clotting disorder. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Hemgenix, an IV treatment for adults with hemophilia B, the less common form of the genetic disorder which primarily affects men. Currently, …
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