Category: Public Health

advertising Anti Vaccination Anti Vaxxer Public Health Youtube

YouTube pulls advertising from anti-vaccination videos

sudshr47 February 23, 2019

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YouTube said Friday that it would pull advertising from videos that espouse anti-vaccination conspiracy theories, according to BuzzFeed. The action contributes to a growing trend of social media companies taking action to combat the spread of vaccine misinformation online.

Social media companies, including Facebook and YouTube, have recently been facing pressure to get better at this, following inquiries from media and calls from lawmakers. The World Health Organization recently categorized “vaccine hesitancy” as one of 2019’s top threats to global health. 

The US is experiencing a measles outbreak — a previously near-eradicated disease — that’s affecting unvaccinated children. Social media has played a significant role in proliferating the false conspiracy that vaccines can cause autism. Read more…

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Kencko wants to help you eat more fruit and vegetables

sudshr47 August 26, 2018

People don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables today, that’s despite an embarrassment of options today that include fast grocery delivery and takeout services with a focus on health. A study from the U.S-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released last November found that just one in ten adults in America “meet the federal […]

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RideAlong is helping police officers de-escalate 911 calls with data designed for the field

sudshr47 August 14, 2018

RideAlong keeps people in mind, and that’s a good thing. The company, founded by Meredith Hitchcock (COO) and Katherine Nammacher (CEO), aims to make streets safer, not with expansive surveillance systems or high-tech weaponry but with simple software focused on the people being policed. That distinction sounds small, but it’s surprisingly revelatory. Tech so oftens […]

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Vans Warped Tour bands back FEND, an app educating young adults about opioid dangers

sudshr47 August 6, 2018

Can a mobile app help to address the opioid crisis in the U.S.? That’s the goal behind FEND, an app that’s taking advantage of technology solutions like machine learning and gamification to increase young people’s understanding of opioids and to change their behaviors. It’s the first large-scale attempt at running a public health campaign in […]

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Death Hurricanes Public Health Puerto Rico Science

The death count for Hurricane Maria, currently at 64, may be off by thousands

sudshr47 May 29, 2018

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The Puerto Rican government has a list of 64 dead from Hurricane Maria, the tropical cyclone that hit the island in September 2017.  

This number, however, is “highly uncertain” notes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A new study published Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine puts that number at an estimated 4,645 — 70 times higher than the official estimate. 

“Our results indicate that the official death count of 64 is a substantial underestimate of the true burden of mortality after Hurricane Maria,” write the authors, led by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Read more…

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Environment Public Health Science Scott Pruitt Scott Pruitt Scandals

Scientists fear Scott Pruitt’s new EPA rule will hurt health-related regulations

sudshr47 April 24, 2018

In regulating air and water pollution in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leans on scientific studies to guide the writing of regulations. The agency is still relying on landmark studies, such as one conducted by Harvard University…

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Aids Health Hiv Public Health Science

This new Grindr feature could persuade users to regularly get tested for HIV

sudshr47 March 28, 2018

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Grindr, the most widely-used dating app for gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people at 3.6 million daily users, may have figured out a way to increase the number of millennials who are regularly tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. On Monday, the company announced a new feature on its app that reminds users of all ages to get tested every three or six months.

This new feature is especially important in light of recent findings that show HIV diagnoses in U.S. millennial populations aren’t declining. Overall, HIV diagnoses have flattened out, which isn’t necessarily bad news — but, according to doctors, it’s not good news either. Among young people in the U.S., there are still over 15,000 new reported cases each year.  Read more…

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Antibiotic Resistance Antibiotics Health Public Health Science

Antibiotic use skyrockets globally, stoking fears of tough ‘superbugs’

sudshr47 March 26, 2018

Antibiotics made their big debut during World War II, when the U.Spumped out increasingly potent doses of penicillin to successfully combat bacterial infections in troops.
These antibacterial drugs have been hugely effective in the seven decades sinc…

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Europe Public Health Radiation Russia Science

A mysterious plume of radioactive particles wafted across Europe, and no one has fessed up to causing it

sudshr47 November 21, 2017

In early October, radiation monitors around Europe began detecting a puzzling plume of radioactive particles over the continent. Nearly two months later, no one has claimed responsibility for the leak, but experts suspect it came from Russia.
Specifi…

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