Air purifiers in Home Depots around Central #LosAngeles are sold out. #LAFires #AirQuality #PublicHealth https://buff.ly/4hcSUDr

Anti-#cycling stories are bad for the UK’s #health, says Chris Boardman
Racing champion turned #activeTravel advocate criticises parts of the #media for safety scaremongering

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/dec/30/anti-cycling-stories-bad-health-chris-boardman-active-travel #science #PublicHealth #RoadSafety

#EPA Report Finds That Formaldehyde Presents an “Unreasonable Risk” to Public Health
—

The report was published weeks after a ProPublica investigation found that the chemical causes more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant and can trigger asthma, miscarriages and fertility problems.

#News #PublicHealth #Health #Pollution #Cancer #Environment

https://propub.li/4fIZP60

This article about BC teen who ended up in the ICU with bird flu is terrifying. Intubated, ECMO, plasma exchange. She will have a long road ahead.

I want to remind people that a well fitted respirator offers excellent protection

Don’t handle sick birds or other wild animals

Our hospital system would NOT be able to provide this level of care if H5N1 becomes a pandemic. And if this young teen had been in the US I imagine her family might be bankrupt.

I’m glad she’s doing better - but shame on the news article for trying to “calm monger” by talking about her BMI as if it’s to blame. Even the headline is downplaying the severity

A 13 year old has spent over a month in hospital due to H5N1. She’s still not out. Lead with THAT

https://globalnews.ca/news/10938653/b-c-teen-avian-flu-patient-recovers-oxygen/

#birdflu #pandemic #H5N1 #wearamask #publichealth

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/12/31/zgyj-d31.html is *really* good for cautious & curious types. Lots of links like https://www.nature.com/articles/s41556-023-01096-x and explanation of how covid-induced DNA breaks lead to chromosonal instability and rapid cancer evolution

#COVID #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #SARSCoV2 #cancer #journalism #publicHealth

"What we have done is take something that should never have established itself in human communities in the first place and have built a public health consensus around the concept of repeated mass infection.

So, yes, this is what failure looks like."

from https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/12/31/zgyj-d31.html

thinking about https://zeroes.ca/@datum/113734065186945325

#COVID #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #SARSCoV2 #journalism #publicHealth

Thank you NYC for setting such a great example of public health messaging!

Respirators protect you from all kinds of airborne viruses - including Covid.

If you can’t afford one - check for a mask bloc in your area.

Make 2025 the year you up your mask game!

#maskup #CovidIsNotOver #covidisairborne #longcovid #publichealth

"Every year, the U.S. intelligence community publishes a threat assessment on who was trying to kill us and how it was stopped. I’m always surprised the public health community doesn’t do the same with what, given the impact that biosecurity, health, and the environment have on Americans’ quality of life, survival, and economy.

So, consider this your end-of-the-year public health report for 2024!"

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/22-public-health-accomplishments?publication_id=281219&post_id=153538895&isFreemail=true&triedRedirect=true

#PublicHealth #opioids #GunViolence #vaccines #air #GlobalHealth

Welp. Not that we were holding our breath anyway, but I think we can kiss reasonable egg prices good-bye for the foreseeable future.

I photographed this sign affixed to the egg cooler at the Bellingham, WA Winco grocery store this morning.

You know what? I only eat 1 or two eggs during a normal week, so I think I'll just skip eggs altogether for a while.

By the way, one dozen large, free range eggs cost $4.65 today, about a dollar more than we usually pay. We just returned from California where the cost was between $5 and $7 per dozen.

#BirdFlu #H5N1 #Pandemic #USPol #USPolitics #Eggs #Groceries #Healthcare #PublicHealth

💬 Webinar: Building Community Resiliency Through Storytelling and Media Narratives

Join CDC for a discussion on how communities can enhance resilience through storytelling and media narratives.

📆 Wednesday, January 15,2025
2:00 – 3:30 PM ET

🌐 Register:
https://cdc.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsc-GqqTkiGhKXqU-o9Fs4OHl7kwF5lX0#/registration

#resilience #community #media #storytelling #publichealth #CDC @publichealth

Government of modern times in the UK persist in assuming that just because they have legislated, something will happen'.

And as increasing amounts of evidence about the (human) harm of wood smoke, even in relatively rural areas emerges we see the numbers

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/19/just-four-fines-issued-for-wood-burning-complaints-in-a-year-in-england

#Environment #PublicHealth #UKPolitics

And amid the doom and gloom - an interesting reminder

Mistletoe: a Christmas symbol with a hidden gift

https://bylines.scot/health/mistletoe-a-christmas-symbol-with-a-hidden-gift/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistletoe

#Mistletoe #PublicHealth #Innovation #Culture #Medicine

COVID No worse than the flu?
Harmless to kids?

Turns out neither is true

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-19-linked-more-heart-complications-flu-rsv

#COVID19 #covid #publichealth #children #pandemic #influenza

"SARS-CoV-2 infection of salivary glands compromises the production of a secreted antifungal peptide with potential implications for development of oral candidiasis.

... Collectively, our findings provide mechanistic insights underscoring the oral cavities’ diverse susceptibilities to SARS-CoV-2 infection, prompting a reassessment of oral opportunistic infection risks and their potential long-term impacts on oral health."

https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1012375

#SARSCoV2 #FungalInfection #PublicHealth #CovidIsNotOver

Moore (who directed ‘Sicko’) confirms much of what we already know

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/16/yes-i-condemn-michael-moore-responds-to-luigi-mangiones-manifesto

#USPol #PublicHealth #Insurance #Extortion #Blackmail

Sex work vs. the soul, instant upstate NY health crisis and other commentary https://www.byteseu.com/563919/ #Editorial #Health #JoeBiden #journalism #Opinion #PublicHealth #SexWorkers

So, that's Polio✅ Meningitis ✅, Mumps ✅ and Rubella ✅, sorted what else can we fuck up?

RFK 'hold my beer'

Bird flu will really set the mog amongst the pigeons...

Ignorance and populism, the gifts that just keep on giving

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/dec/14/raw-milk-us-battle-unpasteurised-safety

#Vaccinations #Immunity #PublicHealth #Deathwish #USPol #Ignorance

What would a world without modern medicine look like? We don’t have to wonder because it happened. @TheConversationUS looks at how Victorian novels showcase the reality and devastating grief of large-scale child mortality.

https://theconversation.com/infectious-diseases-killed-victorian-children-at-alarming-rates-their-novels-highlight-the-fragility-of-public-health-today-242273

#Books @bookstodon #Lifestyle #Health #PublicHealth #DiseasePrevention #Vaccination #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

Costly U.S. health care system could take lessons from #Portugal | STAT https://www.statnews.com/2024/12/10/us-health-care-system-reform-how-portugal-spend-less-increased-life-expectancy/ “Central to its success is a network of #PrimaryHealth care clinics embedded in neighborhoods, working alongside regional #publichealth units. Data flow freely between them to track illnesses and unmet health needs, said Gustavo Tato Borges, president of Portugal’s National Association of Public Health Doctors. (1/10)

"The shipments went to 18 different countries. Top importers included the US, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. A significant amount also went to the EU – where these pesticides are banned – to be re-exported elsewhere.

Five companies were involved in this trade, but Syngenta was responsible for 8,282 tonnes of the exports – or 98%.

The UK’s top three banned pesticide exports were all Syngenta products"

#Pesticides #Pollution #PublicHealth #UKPolitics #Brazil #Canada #Mexico

Oregon confirms first human case of bird flu out of Clackamas County #UNMC #publichealth #health #disease https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2024/12/03/oregon-confirms-first-human-case-of-bird-flu-out-of-clackamas-county/

Culture Overlord

▪️ A free game about media literacy.
▪️ Appropriate for all ages & classrooms.
▪️ No ads, no tracking.

🌐 Website: CultureOverlord.com
🎮 Play Online: jag.itch.io/culture-overlord

@stopTDV @gamingagainstv #Media #MediaLiteracy
#indiegame #videogames #games #PublicHealth #Education #edu #teaching #digitalhumanities #digitalliteracy

▪️ In the U.S., fewer than 1/3 of states include media literacy in the standards for their schools.

💬 DISCUSSIONS

❓ What are the potential impacts on students if they do - or do not - learn about media literacy in school?

❓ How might the number of states teaching media literacy either increase or decrease in the U.S. under the forthcoming administration?

@stopTDV @gamingagainstv #Media #MediaLiteracy #PublicHealth #Education #edu #digitalhumanities #digitalliteracy

"To give some idea of what banning #fluoride might look like, Calgary, Canada, banned fluoride in 2011. In the eight years afterward, the need for intravenous antibiotic therapy for children to avoid death from #infection skyrocketed 700 percent at the Alberta Children’s Hospital."

Aside: This is because bacteria in untreated, infected #cavities can sometimes spread to other body parts, including the bloodstream, and lead to #sepsis.

https://newrepublic.com/post/188095/donald-trump-robert-f-kennedy-jr-plan-health-fda
#rfkjr #trump #dental #publichealth

For those in my network who work in #health or #environment, the commentary below about the destruction of Gaza is calling for the scientific community to:
✅ Speak out within their respective institutions,
✅ Advocate for divestment from war-fueling industries, and
✅ Protect early-career researchers and students who speak out in support of social and environmental justice and a ceasefire.

http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5021472.

#Gaza #ArmsEmbargoNow #CeasefireNow #PublicHealth

In case you're not clear on the effectiveness of #vaccines, here's a simple chart. Please share.
#PublicHealth

EU disease agency considers quitting Elon Musk’s X over disinfo https://www.politico.eu/article/european-health-agency-says-its-thinking-of-quitting-musks-x-for-good-reasons/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication #Infectiousdiseases #Disinformation #Misinformation #Globalhealth #Publichealth #Rarediseases #TechnologyUK #Coronavirus #SocialMedia #HealthCare #Technology #Platforms #Media

The math is simple:

1. Tumors are constantly forming in the body
2. The immune system normally keeps them in check
3. A virus that damages the immune system's ability to fight tumors is allowed to freely circulate
4. We see an explosion in the rate of aggressive cancers

https://biosignaling.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12964-024-01818-0

#cancer #covid #covid19 #PublicHealth #CovidIsNotOver

New: the week's #Covid news and new resources in one easy, free digest. US faces "quindemic," babies under 6 have highest hospitalizations, David Tennant's Macbeth cancellations, new black masks, and more.

Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-115966923

#publichealth #LongCovid #journalism #prevention

“If you’ve been fighting for Covid mitigations for the last five years - you more than likely saw this coming. It was painfully obvious when the great unmasking occurred that many people on BOTH sides of the aisle didn’t care about the “vulnerable”. Didn’t care about community or protecting their neighbours. Didn’t care about anything other than their own ability to go to brunch, travel, socialize and get ‘back to normal.’

I’m not saying people should have shuttered inside their homes forever. None of us are. But they should have kept masking. There was no reason to stop. Respirators are highly effective at stopping the spread of Covid. The vast majority of people CAN wear them. We have mask blocs all over the world to provide masks to people who can’t afford them. It’s a simple thing you can do to protect yourself and - perhaps more importantly - protect others.”

If you missed my latest - it’s about the U.S. election, disability rights, eugenics, fascism and how we got to where we are. Perhaps more importantly - it’s about what comes next.

https://www.disabledginger.com/p/how-did-we-get-here-and-what-comes

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #fascism #election2024

Israel Bombs Polio Vaccination Center in Area Marked for Humanitarian Pause

https://truthout.org/video/israel-bombs-polio-vaccination-center-in-area-marked-for-humanitarian-pause/

#dismantleisrael #Palestine #Gaza #genocide #infanticide #zionismisnazism #palestinewillbefree #publichealth #medicalaid #unrwa #bds #warcrimes

People spend their lives running from suffering. Doing whatever they can to avoid feeling pain. The idea of “forever suffering” is terrifying to them. I think this fear is behind a lot of the disdain we see directed at disabled people.

We remind others that suffering can be permanent. That it can’t always be outrun.

We exist in the grey. Our illnesses won’t kill us - but they also won’t ever get better. There’s no cure on the horizon. No “are you better yet?”

This reality scares the crap out of people.

As such - they pull away from us. They abandon us or treat us with such disdain that we walk away from them. The ones that stay often expect us to hide how sick we are. To plaster a smile on our face and say we’re “fine” so that they don’t have to feel uncomfortable.

When they ask how we’re feeling or if we’re “any better”… they don’t want to hear the truth. In fact - if you tell them the truth you could find yourself facing a lecture on “positive thinking” or how you just need to “try harder” and you will suddenly overcome your illnesses.

People are unable or unwilling to face the realities of chronic illness - so they make it harder for us to face it as well. They treat it like it’s our fault. Like we did something to become ill or like we could get better if we “really wanted to”.

They will push our boundaries, gaslight us and yes - put us at risk for covid. So this is your reminder that it is ok to set and hold boundaries. It’s ok to protect yourself. If someone won’t be there at your worst - they don’t deserve you.

https://www.disabledginger.com/p/we-dont-do-sick-if-you-cant-hide


#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans

Scared of E. Coli? Donald Trump Should Terrify You.

#FoodSafety #FoodIndustry #EColi #PublicHealth #HealthRisks

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/tom-colicchio-food-safety-election/#respond

People are angry that hospitals are bringing back mask mandates due to COVID outbreaks.

Patients like me are angry that we have to risk infection to get medical care. Some of us have died due to hospital acquired COVID.

Masks make sense in hospitals - why oppose them?

I’ve yet to hear a decent argument against mask mandates in hospitals.

The people who oppose them are almost always the ones screaming about how strong and healthy their immune systems are - so theoretically they never spend any time IN a hospital. Why do they care?

Inevitably people just trot out the tired “if your mask works then no one else needs one”… which just highlights that they’ve never spent any significant time in the hospital.

If you’re sick enough to need the hospital there’s decent odds something might prevent you from masking.

Even if you CAN mask - if you’re admitted what do you do when you need to eat, drink or brush your teeth? What if you require oxygen, having vomiting or airway complications?

The responsibility to stay covid safe shouldn’t be left to the patient.

It’s cruel and unusual punishment.

Mandatory masks mean that patients are protected by those around them - which is how it should be.

No one should have to risk covid to get care - and the normalization of hospital acquired covid needs to stop.

If you’re someone who opposes masks in healthcare - or who doesn’t understand WHY they’re necessary - please read my plea to healthcare workers.

Vulnerable patients feel unsafe. Expendable. Terrified.

Needing the hospital is scary enough - we shouldn’t have to worry about forced infection too:

https://www.disabledginger.com/p/a-plea-to-maskless-healthcare-workers

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhe

I completely agree with Mike Freelander—it's truly appalling that the government would prioritise briefing lobbyists over its own caucus on such an important issue. The influence of the gambling industry on policy is a major concern, and it seems Labor is indeed being "softened up." The public deserves strong and decisive action against gambling ads, particularly on TV and social media, where they can have a harmful impact, especially on vulnerable communities. It’s high time the government put people’s well-being ahead of industry interests.#GamblingAds #PolicyReform #PublicHealth #StopTheSpin #PeopleOverProfits #AusPol

If you don’t fight, you lose: Senator Janet Rice reflects on marriage equality, First Nations justice, climate action in farewell speech https://www.croakey.org/if-you-dont-fight-you-lose-senator-janet-rice-reflects-on-marriage-equality-first-nations-justice-climate-action-in-farewell-speech #publichealth

Four years later, a call for better public health communications on COVID amid the ongoing "global threat" https://www.croakey.org/four-years-later-a-call-for-better-public-health-communications-on-covid-amid-the-ongoing-global-threat #publichealth

As we mark World Health Day, some essential reading on critical hope, solidarity, equity and future-proofing the public health workforce https://www.croakey.org/as-we-mark-world-health-day-some-essential-reading-on-critical-hope-solidarity-equity-and-future-proofing-the-public-health-workforce #publichealth

What can Australia learn from the United States when establishing the new Centre for Disease Control? https://www.croakey.org/what-can-australia-learn-from-the-united-states-when-establishing-the-new-centre-for-disease-control-2 #publichealth