OPINION | Rachel Burr Gerrard
STAT NEWS – Is there an autism epidemic? No. The increase in the autism rate recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention represent an autism diagnosis epidemic.
Writing in the weekly journal MMWR, CDC researchers reported that autism rates in the United States increased from 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 54 in 2016, and the rate now stands at 1 in 44 children.
"As...
CORALVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) - On Friday, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported a probable case of monkeypox in the state.
Testing by the State Hygienic Lab in Coralville says the patient, who is from the north-central part of Iowa, was likely infected during international travel.
The patient is reportedly isolating and receiving outpatient care.
The CDC is reminding people that monkeypox does not spread easily between people without close contact. Likely ways of contracting...
NY POST – A Florida man was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly he was caught on camera setting his boss’s future home on fire because “spirits” told him to.
Thanh Ha, 54, was caught on multiple surveillance cameras approaching a home under construction in St. Petersburg on his bicycle just before noon on May 3.
He locked the bike to a stop sign before entering the home, trying to cover his face with his clothing, according...
CNBC – The World Health Organization on Friday warned that urgent action is needed to contain the spread of monkeypox in Europe, as cases have tripled over the past two weeks.
Europe is the center of a global outbreak of the virus with 90% of confirmed monkeypox cases reported there, according to the WHO. New infections have tripled since June 15 with 4,500 confirmed cases across 31 European nations.
Henri Kluge, the head of WHO Europe,...
FOX BUSINESS – Chick-fil-A has maintained its position as America’s favorite restaurant for eight years in a row, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
The survey found that Americans’ satisfaction with fast food restaurants decreased by 2.6% in the last year, earning the category a score of 76.
Even though fast food declined in popularity this year, Chick-fil-A maintained its score of 83, the highest score in the ACSI restaurant survey. The fast food...
Kaiser Health News – Congress should crack down on Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors that sometimes deny patients vital medical care while overcharging the government billions of dollars every year, government watchdogs told a House panel Tuesday.
Witnesses sharply criticized the fast-growing health plans at a hearing held by the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations. They cited a slew of critical audits and other reports that described plans denying access to...
ATLANTA (AP) — A man who complained there was too much mayonnaise on his sandwich opened fire at an Atlanta sandwich shop, killing one employee and injuring another, police said.
The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. Sunday at a Subway restaurant attached to a gas station in downtown Atlanta. Police said the man argued with the two female workers before shooting them.
“This was a very tragic situation that did not have to occur," Atlanta police...
Powassan virus
Powassan virus, or POWV, is a rare, tick-borne illness that infected just 134 people in the U.S. between 2016 and 2020. That may not sound like a lot, but it represents a more than 300 percent increase from the previous five-year period.
The virus causes a neuroinvasive disease that has no treatment, vaccine, or cure. Early symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, and weakness — similar to other tick-borne illnesses.
But Powassan is different from most...
“I thought I was going to throw up.” – Illinois Abortionist Hanz Dismer reacting to Supreme Court ruling
TEXAS TRIBUNE – Abortions in Texas have ceased following a Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the constitutional protection for an abortion and ensuing legal uncertainty, Whole Woman's Health and Planned Parenthood Texas said.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, allowing states to set their own laws regulating abortion procedures.
Texas has a “trigger”...
THE NEW YORK TIMES – It is a plight familiar to New York City’s nearly nine million residents, and to the millions of tourists who visit each year: nowhere to go to the restroom in a city where public facilities are few and hard to find.
But in recent years, some people — frustrated over being forced to scramble to hunt down, or pay for, a necessity they believe should be free — have tried...
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is recalling 2,700 bZ4X crossover vehicles globally for wheel bolts that could become loose, in a major setback for the Japanese automaker's ambitions to roll out electric cars.
Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday the cause is still under investigation, but the whole wheel could come off, risking a crash.
"Until the remedy is available, no one should drive these vehicles," the company said in a statement.
Among the vehicles subject to the latest...
TAMPA BAY TIMES – Publix, Florida's largest private employer, has announced that it will not be offering the newly approved vaccine for children ages 4 and under.
Publix, the state's largest private employer, has announced that it will not be offering the newly approved vaccine for children ages 4 and under.
Since COVID-19 vaccines first became available, Publix has played a major role in tackling the public health emergency in Florida by offering vaccines to adults...
(CNN) Even dim light can disrupt sleep, raising the risk of serious health issues in older adults, a new study found.
"Exposure to any amount of light during the sleep period was correlated with the higher prevalence of diabetes, obesity and hypertension in both older men and women," senior author Phyllis Zee, chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told CNN.
"People should do their best to avoid or minimize...