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Rise In Walking Pneumonia Cases Prompts CDC Warning Rise In Walking Pneumonia Cases Prompts CDC Warning
Rise In Walking Pneumonia Cases Prompts CDC Warning Cases of walking pneumonia have spiked significantly, especially among children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning in a brand-new advisory. The agency said increases in M. pneumoniae-associated pneumonia infections began late this past spring, peaked in August, and have remained high.  The CDC said it's using various surveillance tools "to better understand any differences in demographics, severity of illness, and outcomes as compared to M. pneumoniae infections prior to the COVID-19 pandemic." The agency said it's also contacting heal…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Here's What To Know About New XEC Strain That's Arrived In US From Europe COVID-19: Here's What To Know About New XEC Strain That's Arrived In US From Europe
Covid-19: Here's What To Know About New XEC Strain That's Arrived In US From Europe A new highly transmissible COVID-19 strain that first appeared in Europe is now beginning to spread in the United States. Called XEC, the offshoot of the Omicron strain was initially identified in Germany early this past summer before quickly spreading throughout Europe. It is not causing more serious symptoms than other COVID strains, but it is causing concern. “The rate of infections from XEC they're seeing in some countries rose pretty quickly compared to previous variants in those same places," Dr. Scott Roberts, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist said in YaleMedicine.…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Season's First Positive Human West Nile Virus Cases Confirmed In Westchester Season's First Positive Human West Nile Virus Cases Confirmed In Westchester
Season's First Positive Human West Nile Virus Cases Confirmed In Westchester West Nile Virus has made its way to humans in Westchester, officials announced.  A New Rochelle resident and Mount Vernon resident both tested positive for the virus, making them the first confirmed human cases in the county this year, Westchester health officials announced on Thursday, Aug. 15.  According to Westchester Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, the confirmation came a little sooner than expected.  "These first cases of West Nile Virus are earlier than usual and should serve as a reminder to all of us to remove all standing water around your home every time a…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
COVID-19: Omicron Surge Affecting Staffing Levels For Essential Workers COVID-19: Omicron Surge Affecting Staffing Levels For Essential Workers
Covid-19: Omicron Surge Affecting Staffing Levels For Essential Workers The spread of the more-transmissible Omicron COVID-19 variant is leading to staffing shortages for some essential employers who have been hit hardest by the winter surge of the virus. Essential employees have been forced to call out of work en masse in recent weeks due to positive Omicron infections that have led to staffing shortages for first responders, healthcare workers, supermarket workers, flight crews, and other key professions. The shortages have led to hundreds of canceled flights, closed restaurants, and short-staffed retail stores, leaving workers frustrated and fatigued af…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: New Study Finds Significant Virus Spread Among Deer Population COVID-19: New Study Finds Significant Virus Spread Among Deer Population
Covid-19: New Study Finds Significant Virus Spread Among Deer Population A new study has found widespread COVID-19 infections among deer populations in Iowa. Researchers from the Penn State University found that more than 80 percent of white-tailed deer sampled in parts of Iowa between December of 2020 and January of 2021 tested positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement from the university on Wednesday, Nov. 3. “We found that 80 percent of the sampled deer in December were positive for SARS-CoV-2, which proportionally represents about a 50-fold greater burden of positivity than what was reported at the peak of infection in humans at the time,” said Sur…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: Drugmaker To Seek Emergency Approval For Pill To Treat Virus COVID-19: Drugmaker To Seek Emergency Approval For Pill To Treat Virus
Covid-19: Drugmaker To Seek Emergency Approval For Pill To Treat Virus A new pharmaceutical company is throwing its hat in the ring as the country continues its fight against COVID-19. Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced on Friday, Oct. 1 that it is planning to apply for federal emergency approval of a pill that can reportedly help prevent hospitalizations and deaths in COVID-19 patients. According to the company, trials have found that the pill - dubbed molnupiravir - could potentially reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 by approximately 50 percent. The results of the late-stage trial have bee…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Here's When Teens Could Start Getting Vaccinated, Dr. Fauci Says COVID-19: Here's When Teens Could Start Getting Vaccinated, Dr. Fauci Says
Covid-19: Here's When Teens Could Start Getting Vaccinated, Dr. Fauci Says It may not be long until high school students and other teenagers can begin getting vaccinated for COVID-19, according to infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is President Biden's chief medical advisor. Fauci said on CBS News Sunday, March 7 that teens should be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccines by the fall, with younger students likely to become eligible for vaccinations early next year. High school students should expect to receive the vaccine at or near the beginning of the next academic school year, Fauci said. Tests are currently ongoing to ensure that the shots are s…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
What Parents Need To Know About MIS-C What Parents Need To Know About MIS-C
What Parents Need To Know About Mis-c Dear Doctor, As the parent of three young kids, I’m kind of freaked out by the recent news that there’s a new life-threatening complication of COVID-19 in children. What do we know about this problem, and how worried should I be? Sincerely, “Panicked Parent” Dear Panicked: It’s totally understandable that you’re concerned about this new complication called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Since MIS-C is so new (it was first identified in April), there’s still a lot that we don’t know about it. But we are fairly confident that it’s related to the coronavirus as all o…

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Content Partner: Phelps Hospital
Lifestyle
How Does COVID-19 Affect Diabetics? How Does COVID-19 Affect Diabetics?
How Does Covid-19 Affect Diabetics? Infectious diseases such as COVID-19 are more serious in people with diabetes, according to the CDC. Why is this? 1) The immune system of diabetics does not function as well, which makes it harder for their bodies to fight the virus; and 2) the coronavirus appears to thrive in an environment of elevated blood glucose levels which makes the healing response to any infection slower. High blood sugar levels combined with a persistent state of inflammation make it much more difficult for people with diabetes to recover from illnesses such as COVID-19. Anyone with diabetes who notices symptoms …

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Content Partner: CareMount Medical
Lifestyle
Safe Use Of Antibiotics Safe Use Of Antibiotics
Safe Use Of Antibiotics Antibiotics are medications created almost 100 years ago to fight bacterial infections. They have transformed health care and the treatment of medical conditions. Infectious diseases, such as pneumonia, used to be listed as the most common cause of death in the United States; whereas today, it is ranked number eight. Unfortunately, as antibiotic usage has surged in recent years, many bacteria now have developed “antibiotic resistance” so that antibiotics are no longer effective. Just as Superman is resistant to bullets and other weapons, except for Kryptonite, we have now created “Superbugs” …

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Content Partner: CareMount Medical
Lifestyle
Lyme 101: What You Need To Know Lyme 101: What You Need To Know
Lyme 101: What You Need To Know For many of us, summer is the time to finally get outdoors, whether you enjoy hiking, biking, or basking in the warm weather. But all that time outside increases our exposure to ticks, and the diseases that they carry. As a pediatric rheumatologist, I often get asked how to prevent and treat Lyme disease. Here’s what you need to know to protect your family this summer. Lyme disease is an infection caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which is transmitted by the bite of the Ixodes tick. It is often found in the Northeastern U.S., though there are other types of tic…

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Content Partner: Hospital for Special Surgery
Lifestyle
With So Many Possible Destinations, Make CareMount Medical Your First With So Many Possible Destinations, Make CareMount Medical Your First
With So Many Possible Destinations, Make CareMount Medical Your First WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Each year, more and more Americans travel internationally. CareMount Medical’s John Raffalli, MD FACP (Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases) and Neeta Chitkara, MD (Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases) encourage patients to be proactive and take steps to anticipate issues that may arise during a trip. Learning about your destination before traveling is essential, according to Dr. Raffalli. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) post country specific travel notices and warnings on their websites. Check out the information u…

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Content Partner: CareMount Medical