Bird Flu Outbreak in Oregon Leads to Mass Euthanization of Poultry
In November 2023, Oregon’s commercial poultry farm businesses experienced the first avian (bird) influenza outbreak in the state. In response to the outbreak, the state’s Department of Agriculture reported that approximately 800,000 chickens were euthanized.1 The two commercial poultry operations affected by bird flu were located in Linn and Marion counties in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. […]
FDA Adds Boxed Warning to Merck’s Asthma Drug Singulair About Suicide, Neuropsychiatric Side Effects
In 2008, the FDA issued a warning advising that it would investigate a possible risk of suicide associated with Merck & Co.’s asthma and allergy drug Singulair after there were many reports of increases in agitation, aggression, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Hallucinations also were documented for children and adolescents taking Singulair. When the drug’s […]
One in Four New Jersey Teens With Autism May Be Undiagnosed
A 2023 study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders found that despite advances in screening and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one in 55 teenagers met the criteria for ASD; however, one in four 16-year-olds on the autism spectrum had not received a formal diagnosis.1 Walter Zahorodny, PhD, an associate professor […]
Study: Correlation Between Human and Pet Vaccine Hesitancy
Findings from a 2023 survey study conducted by researchers at Texas A&M University School of Public Health and published in the journal Vaccine has provided evidence there is a correlation between the attitudes of people toward human vaccines and pet vaccines. They found that people concerned about the safety, effectiveness and necessity of human vaccines […]
Massachusetts Unprepared to Care for Thousands of Autistic Young Adults
Thousands of autistic children in Massachusetts are reportedly now transitioning into adulthood, and those, who have been diagnosed with severe forms of neurological dysfunction, will experience even more challenges as they get older. Parents, health professionals and child health advocacy groups have warned for years that there will eventually be a growing demand for lifetime […]
Recalls of U.S. Pharmaceutical Products Highest in Decade
Pharmaceutical product recalls in the United States are projected to reach the highest they have been in more than a decade, according to Sedgwick’s Quarterly Recall Index Report.1 Although the number of pharmaceutical product recalls in the U.S. decreased by 20.7 percent from the second quarter to the third quarter in 2023, the pharmaceutical industry […]