RFK Jr. said his agency will find the cause of autism. These researchers have actually been looking
The field's premiere scientific conference was scheduled to be held in the Emerald City five years ago, until COVID-19 dashed those plans. This time, U.S. autism researchers face a very different kind of crisis: massive cuts to federal funding, Cabinet members making false statements about the complex neurological condition they study, and a series of confusing and potentially worrisome policy announcements about autism research.
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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Got the sniffles? Here's what to know about summer colds, COVID-19 and more
Summer heat, outdoor fun … and cold and flu symptoms? The three may not go together in many people's minds: partly owing to common myths about germs and partly because many viruses really do have lower activity levels in the summer. But it is possible to get the sniffles — or worse — in the summer. Federal data released Friday, for example, shows COVID-19 is trending up in many parts of the country, with emergency department visits up among people of all ages. Here's what to know about summer viruses. How much are colds and flu circulating right now? The number of people seeking medical care for three key illnesses — COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — is currently low, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu is trending down and RSV was steady this week. But COVID-19 is trending up in many mid-Atlantic, southeast, Southern and West Coast states. The expectation is that COVID-19 will eventually settle into a winter seasonal pattern like other coronaviruses, but the past few years have brought a late summer surge, said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at University of California Davis Children's Hospital. Other viruses circulating this time of year include the one that causes 'hand, foot and mouth' disease — which has symptoms similar to a cold, plus sores and rashes — and norovirus, sometimes called the stomach flu. Do viruses spread less in the summer? Many viruses circulate seasonally, picking up as the weather cools in the fall and winter. So it's true that fewer people get stuffy noses and coughs in the summer — but cold weather itself does not cause colds. It's not just about seasonality. The other factor is our behavior, experts say. Nice weather means people are opening windows and gathering outside where it's harder for germs to spread. But respiratory viruses are still around. When the weather gets too hot and everyone heads inside for the air conditioning, doctors say they start seeing more sickness. In places where it gets really hot for a long time, summer can be cold season in its own right. 'I grew up on the East Coast and everybody gets sick in the winter,' said Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room doctor and Arizona State University researcher. 'A lot of people get sick in the summer here. Why is that? Because you spend more time indoors.' Should you get another COVID-19 booster now? For people who are otherwise healthy, timing is a key consideration to getting any vaccine. You want to get it a few weeks before that big trip or wedding, if that's the reason for getting boosted, doctors say. But, for most people, it may be worth waiting until the fall in anticipation of winter cases of COVID-19 really tick up. 'You want to be fully protected at the time that it's most important for you,' said Dr. Costi Sifri, of the University of Virginia Health System. People at higher risk of complications should always talk with their doctor about what is best for them, Sifri added. Older adults and those with weak immune systems may need more boosters than others, he said. Are more younger kids getting sick with COVID-19? Last week, the CDC noted emergency room visits among children younger than 4 were rising. That makes sense, Blumberg said, because many young kids are getting it for the first time or are unvaccinated. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in May that the shots would no longer be recommended for healthy kids, a decision that health experts have said lacks scientific basis. The American Academy of Pediatrics still endorses COVID-19 shots for children older than 6 months. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. How else can I lower my risk? The same things that help prevent colds, flu and COVID any other time of the year work in the summer, doctors say. Spend time outside when you can, wash your hands, wear a mask. And if you're sick, stay home. ___ 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.
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
Saturday's letters: Is UCP against Albertans with disabilities?
Article content As a parent of an adult with Down syndrome, we are very familiar with AISH. My daughter works part-time, volunteers and participates actively in art and sports programs. She is also an AISH recipient. AISH is essential for her financial needs, dental needs and diabetic needs. What AISH doesn't cover, family does. Article content The $200 Canada Disability Benefit is a very nice supplement to the existing AISH income. It will help with expenses which AISH doesn't cover. This federal government gesture is meant to supplement, not take away from any existing provincial programs for persons with disabilities. Article content Article content Article content Article content Kudos to Keith Gerein and his description of crowdfunding, especially his note '… it's nice to see an innovative attempt to have the public directly contribute to the revitalization without relying on corporate or government millions. And if it works, perhaps that can be a model to re-energize other meaningful properties in the city.' Article content Article content I heartily agree, especially now that the province has reopened the possibility of salvaging the old provincial museum and is accepting proposals into September. If a crowdfunding opportunity arose to help save the old RAM, I, for one, would gladly contribute. I am sure many others would too. Perhaps it's not too late to save that beautiful, old building. Article content Pat Holt, Edmonton Article content Our previous premier, Jason Kenney, valued Albertans' health and lives sufficiently that, in the fall of 2021, his UCP government actually provided vaccine-hesitant Albertans with a $100 debit card to undertake one or even two COVID-19 vaccinations, typically (and conveniently) at their neighborhood pharmacy. Article content In striking contrast and just four years later, it appears that our current premier, Danielle Smith, places much less value on Albertans' health and lives. Her UCP government plans, in the fall of 2025, both to charge us a significant price (likely more than $100 each) for our COVID-19 vaccinations and to require that those of us who find this affordable to book our COVID-19 vaccination appointments, in advance, at a small number of often-inconveniently-located public health clinics.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Toronto Star
EU chief's texts to a pharma boss during pandemic were likely erased, the NYT reports
BRUSSELS (AP) — Text messages exchanged between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic were seen by her top adviser and have likely been destroyed, the New York Times reported Friday. Von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla exchanged the messages as COVID-19 ravaged European communities from Portugal to Finland and the EU scrambled to buy millions of hard to find vaccines. She was under intense scrutiny to deliver.
