Expert outlines plan to combat antivaccine movement's next phase In a recent essay, pediatrician-scientist Peter Hotez proposes a focus on local data, improved benefit-risk communications, actively countering health disinformation, and state-level action to address ... Public Library of Science Medical Xpress

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Uncertainty about losing a home or a neighborhood is one factor, studies have showed, that can contribute to an increase in mental health problems among people who experience wildfires.

Mishra’s research on the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California showed that people who were personally affected by wildfires were significantly more likely to have anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress than members of communities that had not been exposed to a fire....

Wildfire smoke: What are the health risks? Multiple massive wildfires are raging in Los Angeles, blanketing the surrounding regions under a pungent haze caused by smoke carrying noxious gases and particulate matter that pose serious health risks. Nancy Lapid Reuters

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California wildfire season should be over. So why is L.A. burning?

Unusually dry conditions and hurricane-force seasonal winds are fueling multiple fast-moving and destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County. Gusts that reached over 145 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) quickly drove the blazes into urban areas, forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate from their homes and killing at least 5 people as of JAn. 8.  ...

One of the big reasons the Los Angeles–area fires are growing so out of control is that Santa Ana winds are blowing across the region. These winds typically occur in the fall and winter, and they involve dry wind blowing from inland, high desert areas toward the California coast. Along the way, the wind blows over mountain ranges. As the wind descends the mountains, it becomes compressed due to the increased atmospheric pressure and warms. That in turn lowers the relative humidity of the already dry desert air, making it better at desiccating vegetation that can fuel fires. 

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Florida grand jury investigating COVID-19 vaccines finds no evidence of criminal activity A statewide grand jury convened at the request of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has found no evidence of criminal activity concerning COVID-19 vaccines. AP News

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Winter illnesses return with a vengeance The annual winter respiratory virus season is in full force. The number of people catching the flu is skyrocketing, while COVID-19, RSV and other respiratory viral illnesses are also rising. NPR

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Forgotten but not gone: COVID keeps killing, five years on Five years since COVID-19 started upending the world, the virus is still infecting and killing people across the globe—though at far lower levels than at the height of the pandemic. Medical Xpress

...Around 777 million COVID cases and more than seven million deaths have been officially recorded since the first infections emerged in December 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, the true toll is believed to be far higher.

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COVID tests: Do at-home tests work on newer variants? - Harvard Health Do at-home COVID tests detect newer variants? Can you use the tests after they've expired? Stay informed on the latest guidelines and recommendations.... Hallie Levine Harvard Health

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Study: COVID-19 hospital cases, deaths in nursing homes fell sharply after widespread vaccination Eighty-seven percent of hospitalizations and 89% of resident deaths took place before widespread vaccination. CIDRAP

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"Despite peak or near-peak outbreak duration and size in the winter surge that followed vaccination, the decline in severe outcomes observed upon vaccine introduction endured," the authors wrote.

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