CDC Deploys New Rapid Response Teams To Fight Zika
ATLANTA — It was a call that public health officials were dreading, but for which they had prepared. An elderly man in Salt Lake City died after contracting the Zika virus, the first fatality from the disease in the continental United States. His son, who had been a caregiver, also had become sick, but health officials did […]
Geographic, Racial Disparities In Stroke Treatment Tracked In New Study
In the United States, one out of every 20 deaths is caused by stroke. And yet, based on new research, race and geography prevent some of the most vulnerable from obtaining effective treatments. The findings come from a report published Wednesday in the journal Neurology. Researchers found stroke patients living in the Northeast states had […]
As Aerial Spraying Continues In Miami’s Zika Fight, Effectiveness Up In Air
This story has been updated and was first published on Aug. 29. The aerial-spraying campaign against Zika-carrying mosquitoes continues in two Florida counties this week, and if the blitz succeeds as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes, it could be one for the record books. Scant published research exists to prove aerial spraying works […]
The Ads Say ‘Get Your Flu Shot Today,’ But It May Be Wiser To Wait
The pharmacy chain pitches started in August: Come in and get your flu shot. Convenience is touted. So are incentives: CVS offers a 20-percent-off shopping pass for everyone who gets a shot, while Walgreens donates toward international vaccination efforts. The start of flu season is still weeks — if not months — away. Yet marketing of the […]
Studies Link Cancer Patient’s Survival Time To Insurance Status
Privately insured people with two types of cancer were diagnosed earlier and lived longer than those who were uninsured or were covered by Medicaid, according to two new studies. In one study, researchers examined data from more than 13,600 adult patients who had glioblastoma multiforme, the most common type of malignant brain tumor, between 2007 […]
Newly Covered By Medi-Cal, Undocumented Children Also Seek Dental Care
Eight-year-old Erika Andalon recently started treatment for six cavities at an AltaMed dental clinic in eastern Los Angeles near her home. She hadn’t been to a dentist for more than a year. Yet her younger sister, Elaine, has visited the dentist regularly since she was six months old. The difference? Access to coverage. Erika was […]
In Battle Against Zika, Researchers Seek Foolproof Test For Infection
NEW ORLEANS — The Zika virus has struck fear throughout the Americas, but determining whether people have been infected can be difficult. Here’s why: Most infected people don’t display symptoms or they choose to tough out what may seem like nothing more than influenza instead of seeking medical help. Moreover, infected people don’t have much […]
Seattle Dentists, Clinics And A Hospital Partner To Provide Specialty Care For Teeth
For Medicaid or uninsured patients who require complex dental surgeries, seeking care can be a daunting journey of clinic hopping when many health centers are ill-equipped to offer that level of service — and the clinics that can are financially out of reach. Eventually, the pain often lands these patients in hospital emergency rooms, which also […]
Kratom Defenders Fight Plan To Ban Herb Used By People In Recovery
Since 2014, Karisa Rowland has gotten up every morning, removed a bag of kratom powder from her fridge, stirred about a teaspoonful into a mug of water and drunk it. In the past, Rowland, who lives a half hour south of Fort Worth, Texas, struggled with a serious prescription opioid dependence. After several back surgeries, […]
Reporter’s Notebook: Pregnant And Caught In Zika Test Limbo
I’m the health reporter covering the Zika story here at WLRN in Miami, and I’m a pregnant woman. When Florida Gov. Rick Scott made free Zika testing available to all pregnant Floridians through the Florida Department of Health, I was one of the more than 2,200 women who took him up on the offer. My […]