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FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Students face a number of challenges as they head back to school this fall -- from potential exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses to injuries on the playing field."This return to school season is like no other," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Schools must be prepared to protect children from COVID-19, while also addressing a wide array of other pandemic-related challenges returning students are facing." The CDC has specific COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schoolchildren as well as people ages 18 to 24.Besides keeping students safe from COVID, adults "will need to provide safe and supportive school environments to promote student well-being and recovery," Walensky said in a CDC news...

FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- If you're at the beach or pool, applying sunscreen before and after you've been in the water is a must, a cancer specialist says.The intensity of exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays "is higher under water than it is above water," said Dr. Arun Mavanur. He is a surgical oncologist at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at LifeBridge Health, in Baltimore."UV rays also are reflected off the surface of the water, so overall you tend to get more exposure while you're in the water," he added. That's why it's essential to apply sunscreen to exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes before heading outdoors. Reapply every two hours while outdoors and after swimming, Mavanur advised.He noted that some people mistakenly believe they need to apply...

FRIDAY, Aug. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Despite all of the criticism of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests there was a silver lining: more shut-eye for middle and high school students."Without the required transportation time or time required to get ready for school in the morning, online students were able to wake later, and thus get more sleep," said lead author Lisa Meltzer. She is a pediatric psychologist at National Jewish Health, in Denver.For the study, researchers used social media to gather sleep data from more than 5,200 sixth- through 12th-graders across the United States between Oct. 14 and Nov. 26, 2020.On days when they were in the classroom, 20% of middle school and 37% of high school students reported getting sufficient sleep —...

THURSDAY, Aug. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Overdose deaths linked to illicit "designer" benzodiazepines have surged in the United States, as underground labs crank out new synthetic variations on prescription tranquilizers like Valium, Xanax and Ativan.Overdose deaths involving illicit benzos increased more than sixfold (520%) between 2019 and 2020, rising from 51 to 316, according to data from 32 states and the District of Columbia.By comparison, fatal overdoses from prescription benzodiazepines rose 22%, from 921 to 1,122, according to a new report from Stephen Liu and colleagues at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.These new designer drugs "are structurally similar to approved benzodiazepines, in the same drug class, but unfortunately these designer benzos have...