Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – News Stories About Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Page 18

Apr 30, 2008 7:07 PM CDT

77% of US Moms Breast-Feed

Percentage highest in survey's history; rise greatest among African-Americans

(Newser) - About 77% of new mothers breast-feed, the highest percentage since the CDC began taking surveys 20 years ago. The agency cites public-awareness campaigns about its health benefits for the rise, noting that only 60% of mothers breast-fed in 1994, the AP reports. Changing cultural attitudes that accommodate the practice also...

Fewer Kids Get Needed Shots

Apr 29, 2008 1:40 PM CDT

Fewer Kids Get Needed Shots

One in four children miss vaccinations, CDC finds, spreading risk through US

(Newser) - Fewer kids in the US are getting needed vaccinations, a study by the Centers for Disease Control finds. More than one in four have skipped or received mistimed doses of important immunizations, ABC News reports. "It's really important that parents understand how important it is to get their kids...

Scientists Warn Doctors
of Syphilis Comeback

Mar 18, 2008 4:14 AM CDT

Scientists Warn Doctors of Syphilis Comeback

Cases are on the rise, doctors not spotting the symptoms

(Newser) - Health researchers have warned that syphilis is making a comeback, and doctors may not be recognizing the symptoms. Developed countries came closing to wiping out the disease in the '90s, Reuters reports, but infection rates in the US went up last year for the seventh year in a row. A...

One-Quarter
of Teen Girls Have STDs

Mar 11, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

One-Quarter of Teen Girls Have STDs

Most common infection is HPV, which can cause cervical cancer

(Newser) - At least one in four teen girls in the US—that's over three million people—has a sexually transmitted disease, a new CDC study shows. By far the most common infection is the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer, the AP reports. An STD expert calls the new figures...

Reuse of Syringes at Nev. Clinic Triggers Health Alarm

Mar 6, 2008 4:05 AM CST

Reuse of Syringes at Nev. Clinic Triggers Health Alarm

Practice may have spread hepatitis, HIV

(Newser) - Six people with serious cases of hepatitis are just the beginning of what's expected to be a major health problem after a Las Vegas clinic gambled with the lives of tens of thousands of patients by reusing syringes, reports AP. The practice may have exposed patients to HIV and could...

Utah Home Searched
in Ricin Case

Mar 3, 2008 7:03 AM CST

Utah Home Searched in Ricin Case

Suburban neighbors evacuated

(Newser) - FBI agents yesterday searched the former Utah home of a man clinging to life after apparent ricin poisoning in his Las Vegas hotel room. Neighbors within a two-block area were evacuated but were later allowed to return to their homes. Local residents described the man as a mild-mannered, down-on-his-luck...

Firearms, Anarchist Book Found With Ricin

Mar 1, 2008 11:17 AM CST

Firearms, Anarchist Book Found With Ricin

Man in critical condition; others test negative for deadly poison

(Newser) - The authorities who discovered ricin in a Las Vegas hotel room also recovered firearms and an “anarchist-type textbook” with an earmarked entry about the lethal toxin, CNN reports. The 57-year-old man whose room contained the poison remains hospitalized in critical condition and unable to speak with investigators, but seven...

Flu Shot: Better Luck Next Year

Feb 22, 2008 4:04 AM CST

Flu Shot: Better Luck Next Year

FDA includes new strains in formula

(Newser) - Next year's influenza vaccine will be reformulated to include three new flu strains in the hope of developing a more potent vaccine than this year's effort, according to US News & World Report. An FDA panel approved the move, following the lead of the World Health Organization. This year's vaccine...

Suicides
Spike Among Middle-Aged

Feb 19, 2008 10:10 AM CST

Suicides Spike Among Middle-Aged

Sudden rise in demographic baffles experts

(Newser) - Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have spiked dramatically in recent years, in contrast to flat or declining rates in younger and older demographics, mystifying experts, reports the New York Times. For people 45 to 54, the rate jumped 20% between 1999 and 2004; for women, the increase was 31%....

This Year's Flu Vaccine Missing the Mark

Feb 16, 2008 6:45 AM CST

This Year's Flu Vaccine Missing the Mark

Only 40% effective as unexpected virus strains hit the public

(Newser) - Flu season peaks in early February and experts say this could be a very bad year. Health officials say that is partly because this year's flu vaccines aren't effective enough, the AP reports. "Every area of the country is experiencing lots of flu right now," said a doctor...

FEMA to Move Families,
Citing Toxins in Trailers

Feb 14, 2008 8:00 PM CST

FEMA to Move Families, Citing Toxins in Trailers

High formaldehyde levels found in lodging of hurricane survivors

(Newser) - FEMA will move thousands of survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita out of their government-supplied trailers because of possibly dangerous levels of formaldehyde, the Times-Picayune reports. Those at greatest risk, including those with current health problems, will be moved into apartments and hotels in the next two weeks, with the...

Illness Linked to Pig Brains

Feb 4, 2008 9:41 AM CST

Illness Linked to Pig Brains

Slaughterhouse workers report burning, numbness, weakness in limbs

(Newser) - A dozen workers at a Minnesota slaughterhouse are showing symptoms of a new illness linked to inhaling bits of pig brains, the Washington Post reports. Symptoms include sensations of burning, numbness, and weakness in the arms and legs. All of the afflicted worked at or near the Austin packing house’...

Obese US Facing Diabetes Crisis

Jan 24, 2008 3:35 AM CST

Obese US Facing Diabetes Crisis

A million new cases reported a year

(Newser) - America is facing a diabetes epidemic—a health disaster more economically catastrophic than a Hurricane Katrina each year, USA Today reports. The disease killed 284,000 people last year, and a staggering million new cases are diagnosed each year as more Americans become morbidly obese, according to a new study...

Bizarre Skin Disease
Probed

Jan 17, 2008 5:00 AM CST

Bizarre Skin Disease Probed

Feds investigate skin-crawling syndrome linked to fatigue and confusion

(Newser) - Federal disease experts have launched an investigation into the outbreak of a mysterious skin condition that causes a stinging or crawling sensation, confusion and fatique, USA Today reports. Cases of Morgellons disease are on the rise, especially in California and Texas. The condition is so little-known that it was only...

'06 a Mini Baby Boom for US

Jan 16, 2008 10:38 AM CST

'06 a Mini Baby Boom for US

4.3M births highest in 45 years, go against trends in industrialized world

(Newser) - The US experienced a mini baby boom in 2006, with the largest number of children born since the 1960s. The AP reports 4.3 million births that year, giving the US a higher birth rate than Europe, Australia, Canada, or Japan. Hispanics accounted for a quarter of all US births,...

Feds Seek Passengers on TB Jet

Dec 31, 2007 4:43 AM CST

Feds Seek Passengers on TB Jet

They may have been exposed to drug resistant tuberculosis

(Newser) - Federal health officials are searching for passengers and crew who may have been exposed to a rare and potentially deadly form of drug resistant tuberculosis on an American Airlines flight from India. A 30-year-old Nepalese woman, diagnosed with the disease, flew from New Delhi to San Francisco via Chicago on...

'US Ill Prepared for Disaster'

Dec 19, 2007 6:32 AM CST

'US Ill Prepared for Disaster'

Study warns of inability to meet emergencies, funding cuts

(Newser) - The US is not prepared for major disasters, including biological attacks and pandemics, and funding to meet such emergencies is falling, according to a new study. Thirteen states don't have adequate plans to distribute vaccines, 12 states don't have systems to track the spread of diseases and 7 states are...

US AIDS Numbers Adjusted Up

Dec 1, 2007 6:22 AM CST

US AIDS Numbers Adjusted Up

New testing method discovers infection spreading faster

(Newser) - AIDS is spreading faster among Americans than had been thought, the Washington Post reports. A new method of testing that distinguishes recent infections from older ones shows that the number of people becoming infected each year in the US is 50% higher than previously estimated, for an average of 60,...

Women Win One in Battle
of Bulge

Nov 29, 2007 5:30 AM CST

Women Win One in Battle of Bulge

Obesity rates have leveled off, holding at 35% since 1999

(Newser) - Obesity rates among American women have leveled off and remained steady since 1999, while rates among American men may be following suit, the CDC reported today. The study’s lead researcher called the trend “great news” for women. Officials will wait to render a final verdict for men, the...

Lethal Strain
of Cold Virus Spreads in US

Nov 15, 2007 6:59 PM CST

Lethal Strain of Cold Virus Spreads in US

Bug has killed 10, hospitalized dozens in last 18 months

(Newser) - A virulent strain of adenovirus, a prevalent cause of the common cold and other respiratory infections, has been identified in parts of the US, including New York, Oregon, Washington state, and Texas, Reuters reports. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the new strain—adenovirus 14—has killed 10 people,...