Covid Is Quiet Right Now, but Doctors Are Vigilant for a Summer Rise
National wastewater data shows low Covid-19 activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The weekly reported Covid-19 deaths in April were slightly down compared with the same time a year earlier, federal data shows. Still, more than 300 Covid-19-related deaths were reported weekly as recently as mid-April.
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Nearly 368,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon recalled over possible listeria contamination
Nearly 368,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon products are being recalled over possible contamination with listeria bacteria that can cause food poisoning, federal health officials said Wednesday. No illnesses have been confirmed to date, U.S. agriculture department officials said. Kraft Heinz Food Company of Newberry, South Carolina, announced the recall of the fully cooked turkey bacon that was produced from April 24 to June 11. The problem was discovered when the company's laboratory testing indicated potential listeria contamination. The recall includes the following products, which were shipped to U.S. stores nationwide, as well as the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong: — 12-ounce packages of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original with the UPC code 071871548601 printed on the package under the bar code. They have use-by dates from July 18 to Aug. 2 and the lot code RS40. — 36-ounce packages of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original containing three 12-ounce packages of product with the UPC code 071871548748 printed on the package under the barcode. They include use-by dates from July 23 to Sept. 4 and lot codes RS19, RS40 and RS42. — 48-ounce packages of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original containing four 12-ounce packages of product with the UPC code 071871548793 printed on the package under the barcode. They include use-by dates from July 18 to Sept. 4 and lot codes RS19, RS40 and RS42. Consumers shouldn't eat the products, which may be in their refrigerators or freezers. They should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Listeria infections can cause serious illness, particularly in older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those who are pregnant or their newborns. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. About 1,600 people get sick each year from listeria infections and about 260 die, the CDC said. Federal officials in December said they were revamping protocols to prevent listeria infections after several high-profile outbreaks, including one linked to Boar's Head deli meats that led to 10 deaths and more than 60 illnesses last year. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New Research Suggests Intelligence Can Be Predicted as Early as 7 Months Old
Fact checked by Sarah ScottA new study found that some kids may show signs of intelligence as babies Experts say parents shouldn't let the study worry them—intelligence also depends on environment and parental involvement Intelligence is more than just IQ, and there are ways for parents to cultivate intelligence throughout their child's lifeNew parents are notorious for looking for early signs of their infant's intelligence—a babbled first word, waving or blowing kisses, a spark of recognition when they see a familiar face. Most of the time it's just an attempt to prove their baby is just as special as their parents know they are—but it might actually be possible to predict a person's adult IQ in infancy? A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder suggests your baby will show signs of intelligence just as early as new parents are convinced they can. In fact, researchers found that it may be possible to predict how well a person will perform on a cognitive test in their 30s as early as 7 months old. So, how exactly can a baby's brain reveal its future potential? To find out, University of Colorado Boulder researchers recruited 500 families with twins (both fraternal and identical). They followed participants at 7 and 9 months, then at age 1, and every year until age 17, continuing every five years into their 30s. Analyzing the decades of data collected from their participants, the goal was to better understand how genes and environment interact to shape a child's development. By studying twins, researchers could determine the distinct roles that genes and shared environment play. Since identical twins share 100% of their genes while fraternal twins share only about 50% (like regular siblings), comparing their IQ similarities allowed researchers to infer how much of cognitive ability is due to genetics versus shared environmental factors. Daniel Gustavson, PhD, an assistant research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and lead author on the study, says a shared environment includes 'all the aspects of their home, neighborhood, school environments.' The study found that early on, the environment (before age three) can have a measurable and lasting impact on a person's cognitive ability later in life, accounting for around 10% of individual differences in IQ, Dr. Gustavson notes. To test infant cognition, researchers used seven measures, including the 'novelty preference' task that assessed how long infants spend looking at a new toy versus a familiar one, vocalizations (babbling sounds made by the infant), visual expectation (tracking an object), tester ratings (attentiveness, activity, mood), and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. While these specific infant tests (at seven to nine months) predicted only a small percentage of an adult's IQ, the study found that by age three, the yearly follow-ups could predict 20% of what Dr. Gustavson calls 'across-person differences' in IQ. This prediction rapidly increased between ages seven and 16, a period when he says genetics 'really start to take hold.' Although the genes we inherit significantly contribute to our IQ, Dr. Gustavson wants parents to know that heritability doesn't mean 'we can't change who we're going to become.' There are always ways to intervene and learn new skills. The study emphasizes that early environment matters, but it doesn't specify how parents can best nurture cognitive growth. To bridge that gap, we spoke with Sara Douglas, PsyD, Ed.M, a psychologist specializing in neuropsychological evaluations, and pediatrician Heather Gosnell, MD, to offer helpful suggestions. IQ is often viewed as a singular number, but Dr. Douglas says it's essential to look at IQ as one's capacity 'within multiple traits and features.' Here are some simple strategies for holistically nurturing cognitive development in young kids. Viewed this way, a stimulating environment can provide exposure that enhances these traits. Dr. Douglas suggests allowing an infant 'to spend time feeling different textures, seeing different patterns, hearing different notes, [and] interacting with different people.' She adds it's a good idea to 'provide different opportunities for novel experiences. If possible, provide different experiences in the different weeks of development, so young kids have the opportunity both to learn the first [skill], and expand their interest to the next.' Parent-child interaction is also key, says Dr. Gosnell, because 'simple routines like reading, talking, and playing have a powerful impact on brain development and set the foundation for learning.' She recommends reading twenty minutes a day to your infant and continuing this routine through childhood as it supports at-home brain development. You can also narrate your day to help build language skills. And if possible, avoid screen time before 18 months. Once introduced, she says to choose quality programming, watch together, and limit screen time to one hour a day. Remember that this study does not indicate that intelligence is a binary—it's not the case that either they show signs of intelligence early on and will grow upto intelligent, or they don't, and they won't. Intelligence can develop over time, starting with parents who use some of the strategies outlined above. And it doesn't help to stress out over these milestones that will vary from child to child anyway. 'Don't worry if your baby isn't 'advanced' in every area or if they miss one milestone, as uneven development is completely typical,' says Dr. Gosnell. Late talking and short attention spans are also not a cause for concern. 'Most late talkers catch up by age 4 to 7, especially when they understand well, are developing normally in other areas, and receive speech therapy if needed,' Gosnell states. 'Toddlers naturally have very brief focus periods, which is normal and, on their own, don't predict future attention problems.'That said, if you're worried about developmental delays, early intervention will give your child the best chance to reach their full potential. Dr. Gosnell advises talking with your pediatrician if your child isn't 'picking up new skills or seems to be losing abilities they once had.'And remember—IQ and intelligence isn't everything, and definitely does not indicate that your child will be a good person or a productive member of society. 'There are personality traits (like kindness, empathy, genuineness, being a good listener),' says Dr. Douglas, 'that are not factored into intelligence testing that are, in many regards, more important than cognitive traits that are measured.' Read the original article on Parents
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New State Reports Measles Outbreak as RFK Jr. Guts Vaccine Access
Measles is on the rise in Kentucky. Health officials in the state confirmed that the disease has spread to Fayette County, marking the seventh case of the highly contagious illness in Kentucky since the beginning of the year. Previous cases had been reported in Woodfood County. There are five active measles cases in the Bluegrass State, four of which are connected to the current outbreak, while another unrelated measles case was reported in Todd County last week, according to state health officials. The life-threatening disease has so far infected 1,267 people and spread to 37 states in what public health experts are describing as the worst measles spread of the century. The majority of those cases are in Texas, where local officials have reported at least 753 confirmed cases since January. Ninety-nine of those cases were hospitalized, and at least two cases—who were unvaccinated, school-aged children—have died. An unvaccinated adult in New Mexico has also died of the disease. Measles hasn't been a national concern since 2000, when the long-term use of a corresponding vaccine proved so effective at minimizing risk and exposure to the disease that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared measles eradicated from the United States. But the virus's dormant status has been challenged by anti-vaxxers, who have opted against medicating their children in fear that vaccinations could cause autism. One such conspiracist, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has refused to combat the ensuing measles outbreak with vetted science—instead, he has issued guidance that the illness can be treated by simple vitamins. In April, Kennedy fell short of offering a full-throated endorsement of the MMR vaccine that has historically been used to treat measles, telling CBS News that his agency was focused on finding treatments for unvaccinated individuals while falsely claiming that the jab had not been 'safety tested' and was not effective for long-term prevention. As of 2025, there are no known effective treatments or cures for measles. The return of historically eradicated diseases is thanks to a growing movement of anti-vaxx parents who refuse to provide their children with the same public health advantages that they received in their youth, mostly in fear of thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories. The researcher who sparked that myth with a fraudulent paper lost his medical license and eventually rescinded his opinion. Since then, dozens of studies have proven there's no correlation between autism and vaccines, including one study that surveyed more than 660,000 children over the course of 11 years. But America's is not the first measles response that Kennedy has bungled. Under Kennedy's stewardship, the anti-vaxx nonprofit Children's Health Defense had its own questionable history with the disease. Preceding a deadly measles outbreak on Samoa in 2019, the organization spread rampant misinformation about the efficacy of vaccines throughout the nation, sending the island's vaccination rate plummeting from the 60-70 percent range to just 31 percent, according to Mother Jones. That year, the country reported 5,707 cases of measles as well as 83 measles-related deaths, the majority of which were children under the age of five.
