FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Cancer growth can be fueled by flecks of ancient viral DNA lodged into the genetics of modern humans, a new study says. Overall, about 8% of the human genome is made of bits of DNA left behind by viruses that infected our primateContinue Reading
MONDAY, July 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Over-the-counter nasal sprays could be a potent weapon against a major public health threat — antibiotic resistance, researchers report. Their analysis, which looked at data from nearly 14,000 adults, found that common nasal sprays could help keep upper respiratory tract infections at bay,Continue Reading
WEDNESDAY, July 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) — While exposure to raw cow’s milk infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus can make you sick, a new study suggests the virus may not spread quickly to other people. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that mice and ferrets got sickContinue Reading
TUESDAY, July 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) — An experimental “air mask” could help ward off infectious diseases while people are on the job, researchers report. The mask uses an air curtain blowing down from the brim of a hard hat to prevent airborne viruses from reaching a worker’s eyes, noseContinue Reading
TUESDAY, July 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A new urine test might help doctors more easily screen for cervical cancer, researchers report. The test looks for proteins generated by a type of cancer-causing human papillomavirus, HPV 16. HPV strains 16 and 18 are responsible for nearly all cervical cancers, accordingContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Health officials in the Florida Keys have issued a dengue fever alert after two confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported there. In the alert, issued this week by the Monroe County Department of Health, officials said they were taking precautions toContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Your children’s never-ending colds and sniffles may have protected them from the worst effects of COVID-19, new research suggests. Throughout the pandemic, it was clear that the SARS-CoV-2 virus tends to cause less severe symptoms in children than in adults, but it wasn’tContinue Reading
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — U.S. health officials announced Tuesday that the federal government will pay Moderna $176 million to speed development of a pandemic flu vaccine based on mRNA technology. Such a vaccine could be used to treat bird flu in people, as concern grows about H5N1 casesContinue Reading
MONDAY, July 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — As bird flu continues to spread among U.S. dairy cows, reassuring new government research finds the pasteurization process widely used in the industry effectively kills all bird flu virus in milk. In a health update posted Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) saidContinue Reading
FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The spread of H5N1 avian flu to dairy cows has health experts and many Americans on edge, and now a new study finds the virus stays viable on milking equipment for at least an hour. “Dairy cows have to be milked even ifContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A tough-to-treat, drug-resistant fungal infection may be as close as your local garden center, new research shows. Investigators at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens found high levels of multidrug-resistant fungi in compost, soil and flower bulbs sold at popular retailers. “GardeningContinue Reading
TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A simple and inexpensive paper strip test could help diagnose a case of the flu, and even identify the influenza strain that caused it, a new study finds. The test can distinguish between influenza A and B — the two main types ofContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A deadly bacterial infection known as streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is spreading across Japan, officials in that country report. In March, Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases issued its first warning that STSS cases were on the rise. As of June 2, Japan’sContinue Reading
THURSDAY, June 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Two human cases of “dual mutant” strains of H1N1 flu have been reported by U.S. health officials. Unfortunately, the genetic changes appear to render the leading flu antiviral, Tamiflu, less effective, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted. The newContinue Reading