public health

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&#39;My Husband&#39;s Circumcision Saved My Life&#39;
'My Husband's Circumcision 
 Saved My Life'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 29, 2011 1:26 PM CDT

'My Husband's Circumcision Saved My Life'

It prevented me from getting his HIV: Diane Cole

(Newser) - Circumcision haters are out in force these days, with a vote coming later this year in San Francisco on whether to ban the practice entirely . But opponents overlook the health benefits that circumcision brings, specifically how it cuts down on the transmission of HIV, writes Diane Cole in the Wall ...

Big Tobacco Beats Hospital Lawsuit
Big Tobacco Beats
Hospital Lawsuit
Apr 30, 2011 7:30 AM CDT

Big Tobacco Beats Hospital Lawsuit

Landmark Missouri suit fails

(Newser) - It was a "case of David versus Goliath," as hospitals took on tobacco companies in Missouri, a hospital lawyer says—and Goliath won. A jury decided yesterday that tobacco companies aren't liable for money spent on patients with tobacco-related illnesses who can't pay their bills, reports...

To Avoid Leprosy, Stop Playing With Armadillos

Wild ones can transmit disease to humans

(Newser) - Weird health advice of the day: Too much direct contact with armadillos—as in handling or eating them—can cause leprosy. Scientists for the first time have concluded that the animals can spread the disease to humans, reports the Los Angeles Times . The finding helps explain how some of the...

How to Dodge BPA in Daily Life

Fresh food diet best way to avoiding risky chemical

(Newser) - The estrogen-mimicking compound BPA, linked to health problems including breast cancer and infertility , is found in plastics, canned food, and even store receipts. It's nearly impossible to avoid it completely, but researchers say eating more fresh food helps and Fast Company has some tips for further cutting down exposure. Try...

More People Surviving Cancer
  More People Surviving Cancer 
Mar 11, 2011 11:05 AM CST

More People Surviving Cancer

Number of survivors rises 20% in six years

(Newser) - More people than ever can call themselves cancer survivors, according to new federal stats. Highlights from the New York Times :
  • One in 20 adults has survived some form of the disease, including one in five people over age 65.
  • The total number of survivors rose to 11.7 million in
...

US Faces Suit for Infecting Guatemalans With Syphilis

Lawyers representing some of 700 victims seeking settlement

(Newser) - A class action suit representing some of the 700 men deliberately infected with syphilis by the US government will be filed tomorrow unless the feds come up with an acceptable settlement, plaintiffs' lawyers warned. The US intentionally affected victims from 1946-48 to study the effects of the disease. The Obama...

On Food Safety, We Need That Old 'Poison Squad' Spirit

Crusaders of old were willing to risk their lives

(Newser) - Ho-hum: Alfalfa sprouts sickened nearly 150 people earlier this month. Sadly, we've come to expect these kinds of outbreaks, writes Deborah Blum in Slate . What we need is a modern-day Harvey Washington Wiley, she suggests. He's the USDA scientist who created high-profile "poison squads" in the early 1900s, in...

LA Investigates Mysterious Playboy Mansion Illness

It's not what you're thinking

(Newser) - Must've been something in the air, but dozens of people at a Playboy Mansion fundraiser earlier this month contracted a really ... nasty ... respiratory infection, and LA County public health officials are now investigating, reports the LA Times. Officials are surveying all 700 attendees of a conference called Domainfest global after...

Watchdog: Disney Bags Have Too Much Lead

Shopping bags exceed federal limit for kids, says group

(Newser) - An environmental watchdog group says two versions of plastic Disney shopping bags go way over the federal limit for lead in kids' products. The Center for Environmental Health tested the reusable Toys Story and Cars bags sold by Safeway—the chain says the bags are no longer for sale—and...

NYC Uses Blunt, Scary Images for HIV Ad

But critics say it's too negative, ineffective

(Newser) - New York City's health department loves its blunt ads , and a new one on HIV is drawing familiar criticism for being too graphic and negative, reports the New York Times . The spots on TV and YouTube warn gay men that even though HIV is now treatable, the disease still takes...

Recession Endangers Emergency Response Plans

Report cites progress but warns of state budget cuts

(Newser) - States are more prepared than ever to respond to public emergencies, but the recession is putting all those gains at risk, an annual assessment warns. The report from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gives states their highest marks since the report's inception in the...

'McVictim Syndrome' Helps Keep Americans Fat
'McVictim Syndrome' Helps
Keep Americans Fat
OPINION
Dec 8, 2010 12:04 PM CST

'McVictim Syndrome' Helps Keep Americans Fat

Opinion: Americans want to find a scapegoat for their waistlines

(Newser) - A physician worried about the nation's obesity epidemic says Americans must first overcome what he calls "McVictim syndrome"—the urge to find a scapegoat. "McVictimization teaches Americans to think that obesity is someone else's fault—and therefore, someone else's problem to solve," writes David Gratzer in...

Florida Sees First Cholera Case From Haiti
 Haiti's Cholera Reaches US 
Nov 17, 2010 4:34 PM CST

Haiti's Cholera Reaches US

Florida sees first case, but officials say it's not a big threat

(Newser) - Cholera has made its way to US shores, but health authorities in Florida say it's no cause for alarm, CNN reports. A woman who returned from a visit to Haiti fell ill with the disease, which has now killed 1,100 people there and spread to the neighboring Dominican Republic....

Record 50.7M Americans Have No Insurance

It's the first time the figure has risen above 50M

(Newser) - The number of Americans without health insurance topped 50 million for the first time last year, according to new Census Bureau data. (The poverty aspect of the report generated the most headlines.) The number of uninsured surged 16.7% to 50.7 million in 2009 as workers lost their...

America Still Smoking Up a Storm: CDC

(Newser) - The smoking rate in the United States has stalled after 40 years of steady declines, according to a report by the CDC. The Los Angeles Times reports that 1 in 5 people are regular smokers, a figure that has remained constant for the last 5 years. The CDC says more...

Cities With Worst Bedbug Infestations

Ohio has three in the top 10

(Newser) - The bedbug problem continues to spread across the US, with 95% of pest companies reporting encounters. But which cities are the hardest hit? The Daily Beast consulted exterminator Orkin for information—and found that it's not a good time to be in Ohio. The biggest infestations are in:

HIV Drugs May Fight Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Researchers identify new virus in majority of patients

(Newser) - There may be hope for the 4 million Americans suffering from the baffling ailment known as chronic fatigue syndrome: A new study firms up the theory that it's caused by a virus, raising the prospect of the first effective treatment. Researchers say they've identified a mouse-related retrovirus in the vast...

Lack of Sunshine Linked to MS, Arthritis

Vitamin D affects 229 disease-linked genes

(Newser) - A lack of sunshine makes people more likely to contract diseases including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, and some cancers, according to scientists exploring the genetic link between disease and low levels of vitamin D. Genetic researchers found that the vitamin—which the body makes when the skin is...

Squeezed Officials Sorry About Girl's Lemonade Stand

County chair: 7-year-old is free to open shop

(Newser) - The top elected official of the Oregon county that closed a 7-year-old girl's lemonade stand says he's sorry inspectors soured her business, and she won't be asked to produce a $120 permit next time. Running a lemonade stand "is a classic, iconic American kid thing to do," and...

County Closes 7-Year-Old's Lemonade Stand

Inspectors give her lemons, say she needed $120 license

(Newser) - Ah, the plight of a small business owner, always bullied by unfair government regulation. Take it from 7-year-old Julie Murphy. Inspired by a cartoon show, Murphy decided to set up a lemonade stand at a monthly art fair in Northeast Portland. People were drinking down the 50-cent cups of Kool-Aid...

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