Latest Health News

TUESDAY, July 21, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- As early as middle school, Noun Abdelaziz began helping other people in her San Diego community. At 13, she signed up to volunteer at Nile Sisters Development Initiative, a nonprofit organization with the mission of empowering refugee women. Among her duties was serving as an English-Arabic translator. It was a job Abdelaziz already had been doing at home. A refugee from Sudan, she and her family lived in Cairo for several years before arriving in San Diego through a United Nations human rights program. As a quick study in English, the then-10-year-old became the official family translator. "I filled out every application and document that entered our house for years," said Abdelaziz, now 20. "I had to read, translate and...

TUESDAY, July 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Far more Americans have been infected with COVID-19 than reported case counts reflect, a new government report suggests. COVID-19 infections were anywhere from six to 24 times higher than the number of reported cases in 10 different sites across the United States tested at different times during the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found. In seven U.S. locales, there were more than 10 times the number of COVID-19 infections than there were reported cases, antibody testing led by Dr. Fiona Havers, of the CDC's COVID-19 Response Team, revealed. "The findings may reflect the number of persons who had mild or no illness or who did not seek medical care or undergo testing but who still may have contributed to...

TUESDAY, July 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists who have identified the early smallpox strains used to create vaccines against the disease say this type of genetic research could help efforts to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus. Smallpox was among the most dangerous viral diseases in human history, killing about three of every 10 people who were infected. Many of those who survived were disabled, blind or disfigured. The early vaccines eventually led to smallpox being declared eradicated 40 years ago in the most successful vaccination program ever attempted. The success of the campaign and the new genetic findings about the early strains used to create vaccines highlight the value of vaccination, according to the authors of the study published online July 20 in the...

TUESDAY, July 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- With U.S. coronavirus cases surging past 3.8 million on Tuesday, Congress is negotiating yet another pandemic relief package for cash-strapped Americans. The package is likely to include a payroll tax cut, along with funding that would be tied to whether schools fully reopen, the Washington Post reported. Although local and state officials have said they desperately need more money to combat the ongoing public health crisis, it looks unlikely that they will receive much aid, the newspaper said. President Donald Trump also shifted his stance on face masks dramatically on Monday: He tweeted a photo of himself wearing a face mask and said that wearing them was now "patriotic." He also announced plans to bring back the daily coronavirus task...