Health & Safety

Health & Safety

CDC Says THC Additive Is The Culprit In Most Vaping Deaths

7:53am December 21, 2019

by Richard Harris

Federal health officials say emergency rooms saw a spike in vaping-related lung injuries in June. That timing provides an important clue about the cause of this deadly outbreak.

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In a year of gloom and doom, disasters and disease, these are the sweet online moments from around the world that brightened up our days this year. Left to right: an aspiring singer in the Philippines; scrunchie cat; Venezuelan cooking lessons.

Scrunchie Cat And Friends: Global Social Media Moments We Loved In 2019

7:00am December 21, 2019

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

They're sweet. And funny! And weird! Here's a sampling of viral videos, tweets and TikToks from around the world.

Water applied to cutting equipment, like this computer-operated saw, is one method to control silica dust exposure when cutting quartz slabs.

A New Safety Program Takes On Silica Dust Amid A Possible Crisis

5:00am December 21, 2019

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

It will now be easier for the government to inspect shops where workers might get exposed to lung-damaging silica dust. But it's unclear how much it will affect countertop workers.

Candles are placed next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence earlier this year in Tijuana, Mexico, in memory of migrants who have died during their journey toward the U.S.

DHS Internal Watchdog Report Finds No Wrongdoing In Migrant Children's Deaths

11:34pm December 20, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

In terse statements, the Homeland Safety Inspector General said two migrant children died in U.S. custody due to bacterial infections.

It's still pretty early in the flu season, but some states, including Texas and North Carolina, are already reporting the first influenza deaths, including at least 10 children. Most kids each year who die from the flu had not been vaccinated.

Health & Safety

Do You Really Need A Flu Shot? Here's How To Decide

5:46pm December 20, 2019

by Tara Haelle

The internet abounds with myths about the relative risks of flu and flu shots, maybe partly because it's an annual shot and nobody likes needles. Here's the latest on what you might need — and why.

New Report Shows That An Alarming Number Of Children Are Being Poisoned By Opioids

4:48pm December 20, 2019

by Rhitu Chatterjee

A new study finds that children are being poisoned by opioids, and a growing number of them in recent years are ending up in pediatric ICUs for lifesaving procedures.

The CDC is still trying to understand the mechanism by which Vitamin E acetate, an additive in some vapes, injures lung tissue. It may interfere with a natural fluid in the lung called surfactant, which helps make lung tissue stretchy. Or a byproduct may

CDC Confirms A THC Additive, Vitamin E Acetate, The Culprit In Most Vaping Deaths

4:02pm December 20, 2019

by Richard Harris

The spate of more than 2,500 acute vaping-related lung injuries tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on the decline, epidemiologists say, and the number of deaths has slowed.

Texas will soon enact a law to prevent patients from getting hit with surprise medical bills.

Health & Safety

Texas Set To Implement Tough Surprise Billing Law After Loophole Gets Shot Down

1:19pm December 20, 2019

by Ashley Lopez

Texas will enact a law on Jan. 1 to prevent consumers from getting hit with surprise medical bills. The law survived last-minute efforts to write rules that would have gutted it.

Photo highlights from our top stories: Inuit parenting teaches kids how to control anger; a fisherman holds up a fish caught in Lake Malawi, where transactional sex is part of the fish trade; the Dandora Landfill in Nairobi, Kenya.

7 Of Our Most Popular Global Health And Development Stories In 2019

10:13am December 20, 2019

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

Secrets of Inuit parenting, a Mongolian heavy metal band and a controversial medical center in Uganda were among the topics that drew the most readers.

Ebola Flares Up Amid Attacks On Health Workers In Congo

5:09am December 20, 2019

by Nurith Aizenman

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is flaring up again. After several attacks on health workers, responders are still struggling to get back into areas where the disease is spreading.

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