Tag

Epidemiology

All articles tagged with #epidemiology

health5 days ago•51 min saved

CDC Epidemic Map Signals Nationwide Rise in COVID Infections

The CDC's Current Epidemic Trends map shows COVID infections are growing or likely growing in 50 states and Washington, D.C. as of August 12, with Iowa lacking sufficient data; this marks a shift from three weeks earlier when 37 states were increasing and 11 were stable. The map now indicates a broad, nationwide wave of infection, with large states also showing growth. Experts say this supports a seasonal pattern rather than a surge driven by new variants, and they urge boosters and continued vaccination to protect vulnerable populations. The map assesses trends (up, down, or stable) rather than current case counts.

via Yahoo|

#cdc #covid-19 #epidemiology

health6 days ago•205 min saved

Covid makes a summer comeback as respiratory season lags

Even though autumn respiratory illness season hasn’t begun and flu/RSV remain relatively low, a summer wave of Covid-19 is emerging in the US with test positivity above 3% for the week ending Aug. 8. Hospitalizations and deaths remain small, but tracking Covid now relies more on wastewater signals, ER visits, and lab data rather than daily case counts. Experts advise staying informed via local trend tools (like PopHIVE), considering an updated vaccine this fall, practicing good hygiene, and having antivirals (e.g., Paxlovid or the new Xocova) on hand if exposed or ill.

via CNN|

#antivirals #covid-19 #epidemiology

health6 days ago•30 min saved

HDI strata reveal global gaps in traumatic brain injury outcomes

A multi-country prospective study (GNS-I) across 29 nations (2,165 TBI patients) found substantial HDI-linked differences in who gets injured, how injuries occur, and how patients access prehospital care. While mortality odds were highest in the high-HDI tier relative to very-high-HDI, there was no clear dose–response with HDI. The study concludes that HDI-targeted prevention and prehospital improvements may reduce the global TBI burden more effectively than hospital-based strategies alone, highlighting inequities in mechanism, demographics, and access that shape outcomes. Data and code are publicly available via the study team’s GitHub.

via nature.com|

#epidemiology #global-health #hdi

health8 days ago•2 min saved

Daily Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Linked to Higher Gastric Cancer Risk, U.S. Study Finds

A study of more than 100,000 Americans finds that consuming at least one sugar-sweetened beverage per day is associated with more than a twofold increase in gastric cancer risk versus rarely consuming them. Sugar-sweetened beverages include regular soda, energy drinks and sugared juice; artificially sweetened beverages were not linked. The research, which notes limitations such as a predominantly White sample aged 30–75, underscores the need for further work to understand the biology behind the association. About 63% of U.S. adults report daily SSB intake.

via USA Today|

#cancer-risk #diet-and-cancer #epidemiology

health12 days ago•7 min saved

Colorectal Cancer Uptick in Under-50s Leaves Scientists Puzzled

Colorectal cancer diagnoses are rising among people under 50 in some countries, even as overall rates remain low and mortality from cancer continues to fall. The reasons remain unclear, with hypotheses ranging from increased testing and better cancer registries to speculative environmental factors; country-by-country differences complicate the pattern. Obesity may contribute but doesn’t fully explain the uptick, and researchers emphasize that the exact cause is still mysterious.

via ScienceAlert|

#botchallenge #cancer-incidence #colorectal-cancer

health14 days ago•7 min saved

Coffee shifts from stigma to health ally, researchers say

New research and major health groups suggest moderate coffee intake is broadly beneficial or not harmful for many outcomes, with long-term cohort studies linking coffee to lower dementia risk, better liver and gut health, and improved cardiovascular/metabolic profiles; however, scientists stress that correlation is not causation, preparation (sugar/milk) matters, and more work is needed to pinpoint the active compounds behind coffee’s effects.

via Scientific American|

#caffeine #coffee #dementia

health21 days ago•379 min saved

Pesticide exposure tied to higher ALS risk, new study finds

New research finds that workers exposed to pesticides have about a 60% higher risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), adding to growing evidence that pesticide exposure is linked to several neurodegenerative and health conditions as ALS cases have risen in the U.S. over the past decade.

via NBC News|

#als #epidemiology #exposure

health22 days ago•7 min saved

Massive US study finds no autism risk from MMR before age 2

A national retrospective study of more than 2.5 million children found no association between receiving the MMR vaccine before age 2 and an autism diagnosis, with the first dose (11.5–24 months) not linked to higher autism risk. The roundup also reports the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the second-deadliest on record (3,695 cases, 1,623 deaths; CFR 44%), and Moderna’s phase 3 norovirus vaccine failing to meet early efficacy criteria but continuing in trials.

via CIDRAP|

#autism #ebola-outbreak #epidemiology

health22 days ago•55 min saved

Birth Order Across the Human Phenome: Broad Patterns in Disease Risk

Two designs in over 5 million two‑child families from Merative MarketScan scanned 569 diseases. The primary between‑family matched cohort (1.6 million pairs) and a within‑family sibling comparison (5.1 million families) identified 150 Bonferroni‑significant birth‑order associations among 418 diseases. First‑borns have higher risk for neurodevelopmental and immune/allergic conditions (e.g., other/unspecified PDD, autism, food allergy, allergic rhinitis) while second‑borns show higher odds for substance‑abuse disorders and certain digestive diseases (gastritis/duodenitis). Across designs, effects are broadly concordant (r ≈ 0.66; 74% concordant; 84.7% of Bonferroni hits agree in direction), robust to state fixed effects and full‑sibling restrictions. A phenome‑wide atlas reveals domain‑specific patterns: first‑born excess dominates neuropsychiatric conditions; second‑born excess appears in digestive, musculoskeletal, infectious and some neurological diseases. The study provides a comprehensive, robust map of birth‑order influences on human disease and shows spacing between siblings can modulate several associations.

via Nature|

#allergic-diseases #birth-order #epidemiology

health1 month ago•18 min saved

Could Shingles Vaccination Slow Dementia?

Observational studies have repeatedly shown that shingles vaccination is linked with a lower risk of dementia, and recent quasi-experimental designs (e.g., Wales’ vaccine rollout) strengthen the case for a possible causal effect. Yet experts caution that such studies can be biased and emphasize the need for randomized trials to confirm whether vaccination truly prevents or delays dementia. If proven, vaccines could meaningfully reduce dementia burden by curbing shingles-related brain inflammation and by broader immune-system effects, but they are not a cure and results may vary by vaccine type and population. A large trial by GSK is planned to seek a definitive answer.

via Gizmodo|

#alzheimers-disease #dementia #epidemiology

health1 month ago•2 min saved

Loud road noise linked to modest Parkinson’s risk in largest study to date

A large Danish cohort (3.1 million adults followed for 18 years) found that long-term exposure to road traffic noise is associated with a modest but consistent increase in Parkinson’s disease risk. Specifically, at the loudest home facade, an 11.5 dB rise in noise corresponded to about a 3% higher risk. A quieter part of the home may mitigate this association. While the study adjusted for air pollution, lifestyle factors could not be fully accounted for, and causation cannot be proven. The findings underscore the potential public health importance of reducing main-road noise and call for further research.

via The Guardian|

#epidemiology #health #noise-pollution

science1 month ago•104 min saved

First Fleet vials of dried smallpox scabs linked to 1789 Indigenous Australian outbreak

A Nature Human Behaviour modeling study argues the 1789 smallpox outbreak among Indigenous Australians was likely sparked by vials of dried smallpox scabs kept by British medics on the First Fleet, possibly replenished during the voyage, rather than introduced from Makassar islanders; the outbreak devastated Indigenous communities with an estimated 220,000 deaths and prompts revised views of pre-1788 Indigenous populations.

via Live Science|

#1789-outbreak #epidemiology #first-fleet

health1 month ago•1 min saved

Big Coffee, Healthier Liver: Large Study Finds Protective Effects

A large, 13-year study of about 355,000 adults found that drinking five or more cups of coffee daily—whether caffeinated or decaf—is linked to significantly lower risks of liver cancer (47%), cirrhosis (32%), and death from liver disease (42%), reinforcing coffee's potential liver-protective effects due to anti-inflammatory compounds and chlorogenic acid.

via The Washington Post|

#cancer-prevention #coffee #dietary-factors

health1 month ago•8 min saved

Danish study links some hormonal contraceptives to rare brain tumor risk

A Danish study of ~3 million women over 25 years finds that certain hormonal contraceptives, especially injectable medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera), are linked to a higher risk of meningioma, a rare and usually benign brain tumor. The risk is greatest during active use and generally fades within five years after stopping; absolute risk remains small (about 5 of 1,000 lifetime, rising to ~6 per 1,000 for Depo-Provera users aged 25–44). Weaker associations are seen with combined oral contraceptives and mini-pills. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, emphasize weighing benefits against rare risks and consulting doctors before changing methods; ongoing EMA investigations and FDA labeling reflect precautionary responses.

via ScienceAlert|

#contraception #epidemiology #health

science1 month ago•46 min saved

AI-Powered Virus Map Narrows Pandemic Threats to Key Viral Players

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh built a catalog ranking 239 human-infecting RNA viruses by transmission potential, lethality, and how closely they resemble known human pathogens. About two-thirds are zoonotic, and the highest-risk viruses cluster near highly transmissible human viruses like SARS‑CoV‑2, making a novel measles-related virus especially concerning. AI-driven tools such as SpillOver, CEPI’s VISTA, and the CDC’s influenza risk assessment framework are used to pre-develop vaccines and antivirals for top-ranked families, shifting pandemic preparedness from reactive stockpiling to proactive defense. While the catalog doesn’t predict the next outbreak, it narrows the search and can speed public health responses when a threat emerges.

via Yahoo|

#ai #epidemiology #pandemic