Judge orders #CDC, #FDA to restore websites taken down after #Trump #gender order

A federal judge Tues ordered the nation’s premier health agencies to restore online access to several websites that monitor #HIV, #health risks for youths & assisted #reproductive technologies, which were abruptly taken offline to ensure they complied w/Trump’s recent #ExecutiveOrder on gender.

#law #whitewashing #bigotry #LGBTQIA #ReproductiveRights #PublicHealth
washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/20…

Stricter #abortion laws may cause increased #infant #deaths − 2 maternal and #child #health researchers explain the data

Source: theconversation.com/stricter-a…

Those findings followed another #study that reported a 12.7% rise in infant mortality in #Texas after the implementation of Senate Bill 8, which bans #abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Except for medical emergencies, the law effectively makes abortions illegal in the state after about five to six weeks’ gestation.

#humanrights #law #usa #ethics #Religion #justice #Problem #kids #news

Stricter abortion laws may cause increased infant deaths − 2 maternal and child health researchers explain the data

The new study reinforces warnings from doctors about abortion laws with limited or no exceptions.

^{The Conversation}

#Measles #outbreak erupts in one of #Texas’ least vaccinated counties

Source: arstechnica.com/health/2025/02…

#health #usa #news #vaccination

Measles outbreak erupts in one of Texas’ least vaccinated counties

9 cases are confirmed and 3 are probable. Officials says more are likely to come.

^{Beth Mole (Ars Technica)}

You might be wondering: how is our small newsroom of four science journalists responding to the chaos of the past week?

From downloading EPA data before it disappears to taking a Tanzanian-Zambian train and attending an OSINT conference, here's a behind-the-scenes look in our latest newsletter:

buttondown.com/thexylom/archiv…

#science #environment #health #climate #journalism #news #newsletter

It Feels Like Groundhog Day!

Dear Reader, I’m sure the past few weeks must be bewildering for some, rage-inducing for others, but entirely unsurprising for most of us. As always, we are...

^{The Xylom}

We just discovered @msfreepress is in the fediverse! Here’s a great piece from Jermany Gray about the game-changing effect of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, a pill that if taken daily, can decrease the chances of getting HIV from sex by up to 99%. “I started my journey with PrEP in 2021, and I have now been on it for more than three years. This decision has undoubtedly shielded me from the risks faced as a Black gay man from the South,” he writes. “On this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Feb. 7, 2025, I urge more people to educate themselves about PrEP and to take control of their sexual health.”

mississippifreepress.org/opini…

#Health #Science #LGBTQ #AmericanSouth #HIV #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

Opinion | PrEP Is the Gamechanger in the Fight Against HIV 

In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Jermany Gray writes on his experience using PrEP, a medicine that reduces risk of HIV. 

^{Jermany Gray (Mississippi Free Press)}

“We Feel Terrorized”: What EPA Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go Under Trump
—

More than 300 career employees at the Environmental Protection Agency have left. Those who remain face a painful decision: resign or work for an administration that plans to radically reshape the EPA while reversing environmental protections.

propublica.org/article/epa-wor…

#News #Trump #EPA #Environment #Pollution #Health #Government #DEI

Inside Trump’s EPA: What Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go

^ProPublica

A spine-zapping implant helped three people with a muscle-wasting disease walk better.

From @AssociatedPress: flip.it/7CrCwa

#Health #Disease #Science

A spine-zapping implant helped 3 people with a muscle-wasting disease walk better

Three people with a muscle-destroying disease destined to worsen got a little stronger when an implanted device zapped their spinal cord.

^{LAURAN NEERGAARD (AP News)}

Alarming levels of #microplastics found in human #brains

Source: nationalgeographic.com/science…

Life in plastic - not fantastic... 😱

#pollution #waste #plastic #microplastic #Problem #health #humanity #future #earth #science #news

Alarming levels of microplastics found in human brains

A new study finds that microplastics and nanoplastics accumulate at higher levels in the brain than in the liver and kidney.

^{Olivia Ferrari (Science)}

Reps of #billionaire #ElonMusk’s DOGE have arrived at federal #healthcare agencies, alarming govt workers w/requests for access to sensitive records….

#DOGE ofcls visited the offices of the #CDC in ATL & the Centers for #Medicare & #Medicaid Services….DOGE ofcls have also sought access to #HHS payment & contracting systems, which control hundreds of billions of dollars in payments to #health #providers, & appear to have gained access to at least some….

#law #TrumpCoup
washingtonpost.com/health/2025…

Update. "Represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group, Doctors for America filed a #lawsuit today [Feb 4] against the Office of Personnel Management (#OPM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (#CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (#FDA), and the Department of Health & Human Services (#HHS) for the removal of a broad range of #health-related data and other information used by health professionals and researchers from publicly accessible government websites."
citizen.org/news/doctors-for-a…

#Medicine #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Doctors for America Sues Over Removal of Health Information From HHS, CDC, FDA Websites - Public Citizen

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group, Doctors for America filed a lawsuit today against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the…

^{Public Citizen}

#Families, #LGBTQ+ advocates sue to block #Trump order on care for #transgender youth

The action follows a Trump admin order seeking to halt federal support of #gender transition care for those under 19.

#law #USpol #CultureWars #hate #discrimination #bigotry #health #medicine
washingtonpost.com/health/2025…

#USpol #Health #LifeExpectancy
(2/2)

...improved.

Last, but not least: #healthcare access in the #US is pretty much a "pay yourself" issue. By forgiving millions in student loans and boosting child-tax credit I assume that many people were able to invest in their own health, maybe for the 1st time.
This would have to be cross-checked statistically, OFC.
In particular, IDK how life expectancy at birth is measured, derived, and forecast.
//

#USpol #Health #LifeExpectancy
(1/2)

While I don't analyze health statistics on a regular basis, as you do, Dominik (👍,) I have been following #US politics continuously.

Actually, the uptick in 2023 is not surprising to me: former President #JoeBiden made #health a top priority of its administration, also due to personal experiences. Out of the top of my head, he did make many major life-saving drugs available for lower-income residents. Also, general healthcare access...

#Health #Population #US

Very interesting, but no surprise: #Americans began to lose out in comparison to their European peers, despite Chernobyl, during the #Reagan years. 1)

As the #TelegramAndGazette puts it:

"Reagan, #Bush robbed #SocialSecurity fund..." 2)

swiss.social/@dominiksteiger/1…

1)
nytimes.com/1981/05/13/us/firs…

2)
eu.telegram.com/story/news/loc…

Dominik Steiger

2025-02-04 09:30:42

American Carnage

> Lung cancer in people who have never smoked cigarettes or tobacco is now estimated to be the fifth highest cause of cancer deaths worldwide

#pollution #health

🍜 Lung cancer diagnoses on the rise among never-smokers worldwide / The Guardian theguardian.com/society/2025/f…

Lung cancer diagnoses on the rise among never-smokers worldwide

Research shows need for further studies into air pollution and other causal factors, expert says

^{Andrew Gregory (The Guardian)}

UPDATE on the #NSF funding situation: The portal for directly funded researchers is back, but the agency is issuing contradictory messages:

via @STAT's Eric Boodman
statnews.com/2025/02/02/nsf-na…

#health #medicine #research #science #healthpolicy #funding

NSF restores payments after pause due to Trump order | STAT

The NSF said on Sunday that its payment system was back on line, after it froze out researchers and sparked financial worries.

^{Eric Boodman (STAT)}

“Everyone I know in public health and science more broadly is freaking out right now.”

Datasets are disappearing off of the CDC website (and we're hearing rumors that there will likely be more by the end of the day)

by @STAT's Theresa Gaffney
statnews.com/2025/01/31/cdc-re…

#cdc #data #research #health #science #lgbtq #medicine #publichealth

CDC removes data on sexual orientation, gender identity from website

Researchers say the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System, one of the largest nationally representative such surveys, provided vital insights.

^{Theresa Gaffney (STAT)}

This fact sheet details an #analysis of three #firmware package versions of the Contec CMS8000, a patient #monitor used by the U.S. #Healthcare and Public #Health (HPH) sector. Analysts discovered that an embedded #backdoor function with a hard-coded IP address ...

source: cisa.gov/resources-tools/resou…

#surveillance #privacy #economy #software #security #fail #news #problem

→ Majority of US teens have lost #trust in Big Tech (by @Sarahp)
techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/repo…

“64% of surveyed U.S. #teens don’t trust #BigTech companies to care about their #mental #health and well-being and 62% don’t think the companies will protect their #safety if it hurts #profits”

“a majority of surveyed U.S. teens (74%) said #privacy safeguards and transparency are needed to manage AI, 74% said AI companies should discourage people from sharing personal information”

#AI

Donald Trump’s choice to lead HUD has a history of voting against protections for poor tenants. And Trump’s choice to lead the IRS once pushed to abolish the agency entirely.

Revisit ProPublica’s reporting on some of Trump’s key appointees:
propublica.org/article/donald-…

#News #Trump #Government #Housing #Tax #Environment #Business #Health

Donald Trump Appointments: ProPublica’s Reporting on Key Nominees

President Trump’s nominees for key positions have a history of pushing back against the work of the departments and agencies they’ve been chosen to lead. Revisit our reporting on Doug Burgum, Scott Turner, Billy Long and others.

^ProPublica

This is insane. Under questioning by Sen Angela #Alsobrooks, #RFKJr claims #Black people need fewer #vaccines than #White people. This is pure disinformation & utterly backwards thinking. This guy is interviewing for the job of running all of the #health agencies of the #UnitedStates.

#law #USpol #PublicHealth #medicine #science #ConspiracyTheories
youtube.com/watch?v=UOyjjY-E2Y…

Report: Majority of US teens have lost trust in Big Tech

source: techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/repo…

Common Sense says that 64% of surveyed U.S. teens don’t trust Big Tech companies to care about their mental #health and well-being and 62% don’t think the companies will protect their safety if it hurts profits.

#BigTech #Technology #USA #Teenager #survey #trust #profit #capitalism #economy #job #work #freedom #society #politics #news #future #ethics #humanrights

#Kansas faces one of the largest #tuberculosis outbreaks in US #history

source: abcnews.go.com/Health/kansas-f…

#health #usa #news #outbreak

Kansas faces one of the largest tuberculosis outbreaks in US history

So far, there have been 67 confirmed cases of active TB related to the outbreak.

^{Mary Kekatos (ABC News)}

Around 80% of private medical insurance is provided by UK employers, indicating the Tory engineered crisis (and fear of slow treatment impacting return to work) added costs to the private sector (among other things).

If firms complaining about employees' NI tax rises are also paying the Tories (effective) health crisis tax through the 'need' for private medical insurance, a better NHS (paid for by NI) might actually save them money!

Labour should say this!

#health
theguardian.com/society/2025/j…

Almost one in eight Britons now has private medical insurance, say healthcare analysts

Number of people covered by a private medical insurance policy hit a record high of 4.68 million at the end of 2023

^{Denis Campbell (The Guardian)}

#Trump Halts #HIV Drug Distribution in Poor Countries

#PEPFAR’s computer systems also are being taken offline, a sign that the program may not return, as #Republican critics had hoped.

The Trump admin has instructed organizations in other countries to stop disbursing HIV #medications purchased w/ US aid, even if the drugs have already been obtained & are sitting in local clinics.

#ForeignAid #AIDS #health #USpol #nationalism #ForeignPolicy #TheCrueltyIsThePoint
nytimes.com/2025/01/27/health/…

Yay, tuberculosis is back!

cjonline.com/story/news/politi…

#tuberculosis #outbreak #health

Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America's largest in recorded history

Kansas public health officials say the state's ongoing tuberculosis outbreak is the largest since the CDC started reporting TB cases in the 1950s.

^{, The Topeka Capital-Journal (The Topeka Capital-Journal)}

It’s cold in Sweden this time of year, so we get it if you don’t really want to visit right now. But before dismissing the idea completely, how many times have you said “I would do anything for a good night’s sleep” recently? “Often associated with bustling, connected cities like Stockholm and Gothenberg, come winter Sweden embraces its sleepy side and is inviting visitors to do the same,” Lizzie Enfield writes for @BBCNews. Read about the country's more natural approach to sleep tourism.

flip.it/qp3WoD

#Culture #Travel #Sweden #Sleep #Health #SleepTourism

Swede dreams: How Sweden is embracing its sleepy side

Sweden's long, cold nights might put you off going there in winter, unless, that is, you are in search of that elusive 21st-Century luxury: a good night's sleep.

^{Lizzie Enfield (BBC)}

Some posts related to obtaining #abortion pills were recently #hidden on #Instagram and #Facebook and some accounts were suspended, before being later restored.

Source: nytimes.com/2025/01/23/technol…

#Meta #politics #usa #health #censorship #fail #problem #socialmedia #shadowban #freedom #trump #government #society #news

#Trump moved quickly on Monday to withdraw the #UnitedStates from the #WorldHealthOrganization, a move that #PublicHealth experts say will undermine the nation’s standing as a global #health leader & make it harder to fight the next #pandemic.

Trump has been railing against the #WHO since 2020, when he attacked the agency over its approach to the #coronavirus pandemic & threatened to withhold funding from it. But after he lost the 2020 election the threat didn’t materialize [too busy criming].

#Healthcare: Regulators published their most detailed findings yet on how some of the nation’s largest companies profited from "excess" prescription price hikes of 1,000% or more.

Source: nbcnews.com/health/health-news…

#FTC #health #pharmacy #finance #profit #capitalism #humanrights #politics #society #fail #usa #news #Market #economy #humanity

Top three insurers reaped $7.3 billion through their drug middlemen's markups, FTC says

Regulators published their most detailed findings yet on how some of the nation’s largest companies profited from ‘excess’ prescription price hikes of 1,000% or more.

^{Steve Kopack (NBC News)}

"[The top-ranked Google result for 'do humans digest corn?'] appears to suggest that human-consumed corn piles up in the human body outside of our intestines, and may even sprout a vine that could, per the allegedly scientific graphic, wrap around our internal organs."

"'Uncoked kermelss of corn thatlt stay stay undigetated,' reads the garbled text. 'Uncoked kardes of corn, corn, abenen of part in ite broken bown into grose and absosed.' Okay!"

futurism.com/google-image-corn…
#Google #AI #slop #health

Lawmakers in at least seven states are filing more than a dozen bills to expand abortion access.

Some were introduced in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting on the fatal consequences of abortion bans.

propublica.org/article/state-l…

#News #Abortion #Law #Women #Health #Texas #Florida

Lawmakers in at Least Seven States Seek Expanded Abortion Access

Some of the bills were filed in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting on the fatal consequences of abortion bans.

^ProPublica

I'M BACK! How have you been?

My 7 days total social media blackout + detox is now complete and I'm here again, stronger than ever!

Where to know your break from social media is enough? The session cache has been expired and you've been logged out.

Good to be back. Now let's read all those hundreds of notifications.

#SocialMedia #SocialMediaDetox #Detox #DigitalDetox #Health #SelfCare

😯☕️ Don't cry over spilled.. #coffee?! 🙈

Ok, crying optional (& often good for #wellbeing, lets go of toxins/stress) but no need to fret 🥲

I drink coffee as #medicine + #plants are wise = the #espresso knew I needed an extra dose today 😉🌱🌳🌸🍒🌰🙏🏽👌🏽🙌🏽

#CoffeeIsMedicine #health #MentalHealth #ChronicIllness #disability #photo #photography #Glasgow #Scotland #AltText @photography @photo @chronicillness @mecfs @disability @coffee @espresso