Fewer than 1 in 5 eligible Americans up to date with lung cancer screenings
By Hannah Docter-Loeb
washingtonpost.com – Onlyabout 18 percent of eligible Americans were up to date with their lung cancer screenings in 2022, with compliance rates varying by state and region, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. American Cancer Society researchers analyzed data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a population-based, nationwide survey of Americans.
Screening eligibility was determined using 2021 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force criteria, which recommend annual lung cancer screening in high-risk individuals — defined as those with a pack-a-day cigarette habit for 20 years or more who are current smokers or have quit within the past 15 years, and are between ages 50 and 80.
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Amid summer COVID surge warning from CDC, should you worry? Doctors weigh in
By Melissa Rudy
foxnews.com – A summer COVID surge is underway in the U.S., warns the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — so should you be concerned?
As of June 25, 2024, the CDC estimated that COVID-19 infections are “growing or likely growing” in 44 states and territories, according to a news alert on its website.
Despite the rise in cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain low, the data shows.
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The Supreme Court Just Limited Federal Power. Health Care Is Feeling the Shockwaves.
By Stephanie Armour
kffhealthnews.org -A landmark Supreme Court decision that reins in federal agencies’ authority is expected to hold dramatic consequences for the nation’s health care system, calling into question government rules on anything from consumer protections for patients to drug safety to nursing home care.
The June 28 decision overturns a 1984 precedent that said courts should give deference to federal agencies in legal challenges over their regulatory or scientific decisions. Instead of giving priority to agencies, courts will now exercise their own independent judgment about what Congress intended when drafting a particular law.
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When little kids don’t have stable housing, it can affect their health later
By Rhitu Chatterjee
npr.org – Not having secure housing is a huge stress for anyone. But when children experience this, especially in early childhood, it can affect their health years down the line.
That’s the finding of a new study in the journal Pediatrics, which says that teens who experienced housing insecurity earlier in life were more likely to report worse health.
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FDA issues long-awaited draft guidance for enrolling more people of color in clinical trials
By John Wilkerson
statnews.com – The Food and Drug Administration has drafted guidance aimed at getting drug companies and medical device makers to enroll more people of color and women in the clinical trials that test whether products work.
The guidance is long-awaited. It’s the first step in carrying out a law that Congress passed in 2022, and it’s six months late.
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Why scientists who study noise pollution are calling for more regulation
By Joanne Silberner
npr.org – Last June, an anti-noise advocacy group, Quiet Communities, sued the Environmental Protection Agency for not doing its job to limit the loud sounds people are exposed to in everyday life. The group is now waiting to hear if it will be able to argue its case in front of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
If the judge ultimately rules in the group’s favor, the EPA will have to do what Congress told it to do more than half a century ago, when it passed the Noise Control Act: protect public health and the environment from harmful noise pollution.
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How Does Bird Flu Spread in Cows? Experiment Yields Some ‘Good News.’
By Carl Zimmer
usnews.com – Ever since scientists discovered influenza infecting American cows earlier this year, they have been puzzling over how it spreads from one animal to another. An experiment carried out in Kansas and Germany has shed some light on the mystery.
Scientists failed to find evidence that the virus can spread as a respiratory infection.
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