“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”
— William Wilberforce
Health experts now say that PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus associated with the illness COVID-19, is too sensitive and needs to be adjusted to rule out people who have insignificant amounts of the virus in their system.1 The test’s threshold is so high that it detects people with the live virus as well as […]
Opinion | According to the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, life will not be returning to your old normal anytime soon. What’s more, things will only get worse unless the public follow health advice such as wearing masks and social distancing. The somber announcement came during a July 13, 2020, press conference. This, […]
Opinion | If healthcare workers wear surgical masks, there is good evidence that it limits the spread of respiratory viral infections in hospitals. But there is no clear evidence that surgical masks protect members of the public from getting or passing on these sorts of infections—most likely because of incorrect use. For cloth masks worn by the […]
At a press briefing on Mar. 3, 2020, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, said, “Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 cases have died.” On Mar. 13, The New York Times reported that modeling experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were estimating that if […]
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Mar. 2, 2020 that dirty banknotes may be spreading the COVID-19 coronavirus because the virus can survive on surfaces for several days, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph.1 “Yes, it’s possible,” said a WHO spokesperson. “We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all […]
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been urging everyone to thoroughly and frequently wash their hands since reports of the coronavirus outbreak in China, highlighting the long recognized practice of hand washing as a tried and true infection control measure.1 A little known fact is that among all health care providers, […]
Opinion | While the news is full of stories of malnutrition elsewhere in the world, many people don’t realize that malnutrition is a problem in the United States, as well. Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body is deprived of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function.1 […]
Many of you reading this probably remember having chickenpox as a child. You were likely tired, feverish and had an itchy rash, which subsequently cleared up, leaving you with lifelong natural immunity. Getting chickenpox was so common it was a rite of passage of sorts, which virtually all school-age children experienced. Today chickenpox has become […]
Story Highlights A 2017 survey revealed that over half of the American population takes prescription drugs, with four drugs being the average. Polypharmacy (taking multiple drugs) poses numerous risks to patients, one of which includes adverse effects from drug-to-drug interactions. Receiving multiple vaccines simultaneously also presents potential risks to patients from unknown vaccine-to-vaccine interactions. If […]
Story Highlights For many years, doctors have recommended a daily low-dose aspirin to reduce the risk for heart attacks, strokes, cancer and other health problems. A new study alleges that common practice has no benefit for healthy older adults, instead reporting an increased risk of mortality from all causes for those taking aspirin compared to a […]