Mississippi has the highest rate of preventable deaths in the US, health official says

Mississippi has the highest rate of preventable deaths in the US, health official says

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi has improved some of its poor health outcomes, but its people are more likely to die unnecessarily than residents of any other state, the state’s top health official said Thursday. State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney urged legislators who just began this year’s session to work with health officials to improve … Read more

Israeli company gets green light to make world’s first cultivated beef steaks

Israeli company gets green light to make world’s first cultivated beef steaks

An Israeli company has received a preliminary green light from health officials to sell the world’s first steaks made from cultivated beef cells, not the entire animal, officials said. The move follows approval of lab-grown chicken in the U.S. last year. Aleph Farms, of Rehovot, Israel, was granted the initial go-ahead by the Israeli Health … Read more

Defense Department to again target ‘forever chemicals’ contamination near Michigan military base

Defense Department to again target ‘forever chemicals’ contamination near Michigan military base

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to install two more groundwater treatment systems at a former Michigan military base to control contamination from so-called forever chemicals, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s office announced Friday. Environmentalists say the systems will help prevent PFAS from spreading into the Clarks Marsh area and the Au Sable River near the … Read more

How to stay warm in layered clothing and avoid frostbite this winter

How to stay warm in layered clothing and avoid frostbite this winter

MINNEAPOLIS — As a bout of bitter and deadly cold sweeps the U.S., millions of Americans are being told to dress in layers if they must go outside. In places that rarely experience bone-chilling temperatures, that advice can be confounding. What does it mean to layer up? Is it different from just putting on a … Read more

Online rumors partially to blame for drop in water pressure in Mississippi capital, manager says

Online rumors partially to blame for drop in water pressure in Mississippi capital, manager says

JACKSON, Miss. — Law enforcement agencies are investigating whether social media rumors about a potential water outage prompted people to quickly fill bathtubs with tap water in Mississippi’s capital during a cold snap and cause a drop in pressure that temporarily made faucets run dry for thousands of customers of the city’s long-troubled system. Taps … Read more

US government rejects complaint that woman was improperly denied an emergency abortion in Oklahoma

US government rejects complaint that woman was improperly denied an emergency abortion in Oklahoma

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says an Oklahoma hospital did not violate federal law when doctors told a woman with a nonviable pregnancy to wait in the parking lot until her condition worsened enough to qualify for an abortion under the state’s strict ban. Jaci Statton, 26, was among several women last … Read more

How to stay healthy during cold, flu and COVID-19 season

How to stay healthy during cold, flu and COVID-19 season

Winter is here, inflicting its usual array of symptoms — coughs, nasal congestion, fatigue and fever — and, this year, a new COVID-19 variant is dominating the scoreboard. COVID-19 is leading hospital admissions among the respiratory viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, 25 U.S. states had high or … Read more

In Canada’s capital, an opioid epidemic and housing crisis collide – National

In Canada’s capital, an opioid epidemic and housing crisis collide – National

On a cool Thursday afternoon in Ottawa, veteran police officer Sgt. Avery Flanagan approaches a man hunched over in a downtown parking lot. He has crushed opioids in one hand and a needle in the other. Flanagan tells the man, who appears to be in his 20s, he can’t use drugs on private property. “Have … Read more

Ohio is poised to become the 2nd state to restrict gender-affirming care for adults

Ohio is poised to become the 2nd state to restrict gender-affirming care for adults

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced proposals this month that transgender advocates say could block access to gender-affirming care provided by independent clinics and general practitioners, leaving thousands of adults scrambling for treatment and facing health risks. Ashton Colby, 31, fears the clinic where he gets the testosterone he has taken since age 19 would no … Read more

California officials warn people to not eat raw oysters from Mexico which may be linked to norovirus

California officials warn people to not eat raw oysters from Mexico which may be linked to norovirus

LOS ANGELES — Health officials in Southern California are warning people to avoid eating raw oysters from parts of Mexico after more than 200 people recently fell ill with suspected cases of norovirus. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has reported more than 150 suspected cases of gastrointestinal illness linked to raw oysters, … Read more