Wellbeing
No Increased Stroke Risk Linked to Pfizer’s Covid Boosters, Federal Officials Say
Fears that the Covid booster shots made by Pfizer-BioNTech may increase the risk of strokes in people aged 65 and older were not borne out by an intensive scientific investigation, federal officials said on Friday. “It is very unlikely” that the risk is real, the officials said. They urged Americans 6 months and older to […]
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R.J. Reynolds Pivots to New Cigarette Pitches as Flavor Ban Takes Effect
R.J. Reynolds has wasted no time since California’s ban on flavored tobacco went into effect in late December. “California, We’ve Got You Covered,” the company declared in bold letters on a flier mailed to its cigarette customers. The law prohibits flavors, odors or “tastes” in tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. But antismoking experts argue that […]
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Why Monkeypox Vaccine Shortage May Threaten the Immunocompromised
The shortfall of monkeypox vaccine doses in the United States, expected to last for months, is raising urgent questions about how well and for how long a single shot may protect against the virus. The vaccine, called Jynneos, is approved as a two-dose regimen, but most people at risk of infection have been receiving one […]
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As Monkeypox Spreads, U.S. Declares a Health Emergency
Gay rights activists, who have been sharply critical of the administration, have been demanding an emergency declaration for weeks. “This is all too late,” said James Krellenstein, a founder of PrEP4All, an advocacy group that works to expand treatment for people with H.I.V. “I don’t really understand why they didn’t do this weeks ago.” The […]
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Three Pressing Questions About Monkeypox: Spread, Vaccination, Treatment
Monkeypox, once a relatively obscure virus endemic to Africa, has bloomed into a global threat, infecting more than 20,000 people in 75 countries and forcing the World Health Organization to declare a worldwide health emergency. On Thursday, New York State and San Francisco declared emergencies of their own. But even as the national tally nears […]
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The M.M.A. Doctor’s Dilemma: To Stop or Not to Stop the Fight
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Late one Saturday evening in June, two men in their 20s stood across from each other, shirtless and swaying, in a mixed martial arts cage in Exhibit Hall B of the Chattanooga Convention Center. The mat was sticky, a dark canvas of blood and foot sweat. Something in the combatants’ eyes made […]
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Vitamin D Supplements Don’t Help Another Condition, Study Finds
The idea made so much sense it was almost unquestioningly accepted: Vitamin D pills can protect bones from fractures. After all, the body needs the vitamin for the gut to absorb calcium, which bones need to grow and stay healthy. But now, in the first large randomized controlled study in the United States, funded by […]
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H.I.V. Infections Remain Persistently High, U.N. Reports
While the world’s attention was riveted on the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the fight against an older foe lost crucial ground: More than 1.5 million people became infected with H.I.V. last year, roughly three times the global target, the United Nations reported on Wednesday. Roughly 650,000 people died of AIDS in 2021, […]
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Biden Administration Is Elevating an H.H.S. Division to Oversee Pandemic Responses
The Biden administration is creating a new division within the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate the nation’s response to pandemic threats and other health emergencies, a recognition that the department is structurally ill equipped to handle disasters like the coronavirus pandemic. The change, announced internally on Wednesday, will elevate an existing office […]
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