Latest Health News

THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The number of U.S. infants born with syphilis is climbing at an alarming pace, reaching a high not seen since the 1990s, according to new government figures.Newborn syphilis, a potentially fatal condition, was at one time nearly eliminated in the United States. But the disease has seen a resurgence in recent years — and 2020 was no exception, say researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.So far, there have been more than 2,000 known cases of newborn syphilis among U.S. infants born in 2020. That's up from 2019, and it continues a steep upward trend that began several years ago."It's the highest number we've seen in 25 years," said Virginia Bowen, lead author of a CDC report published Sept. 16 in the New England...

THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- As severe cases of COVID-19 rise and demand surges for monoclonal antibody treatments, the U.S. government is ordering more from two key suppliers.Monoclonal antibodies, which are lab-engineered immune system proteins, can help trigger a healthy immune response against COVID-19 infection.The Biden administration has also taken over distributing the therapeutics, to help avoid shortages and to ensure equitable distribution, CNN reported. "HHS will determine the amount of product each state and territory receives on a weekly basis. State and territorial health departments will subsequently identify sites that will receive product and how much," said a spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "This system will help...

THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients undergoing a treatment that depletes a type of immune cell that fuels MS attacks still have a strong response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, a new study finds."The message from this study is clear — it is worthwhile for patients with MS receiving [anti-CD20] treatment to get a COVID-19 vaccine, which will prevent severe illness," said researcher E. John Wherry, director of the Penn Institute for Immunology, in Philadelphia.Anti-CD20 treatment depletes the B-cells that contribute to the MS attacks. B-cells and T-cells are types of white blood cells that make immune system antibodies.For the study, Wherry's team measured antibody and T-cell responses in 20 patients with MS who were getting anti-CD20 treatment....

THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- If you're making your own face mask to protect against COVID-19, three layers of cotton towel fabric are best, researchers from India report. That recommendation comes after testing how best to block cough droplets moving at different rates, from mild to severe."Our results show cotton, towel-based fabrics were most effective among the considered fabrics and must be stitched together as multiple layers for making homemade face masks," said researcher Saptarshi Basu, from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. "A three- or more-layered homemade mask is recommended since it can suppress aerosolization significantly," Basu said in a news release from the American Institute of Physics. The report was published online Sept. 14 in the...