Health category, Page 109
Pittsburgh group provides cleaning equipment for coronavirus protection
With the anticipated arrival of the coronavirus in Western Pennsylvania, businesses and families are looking for ways to keep employees and loved ones safe. A group called Women for a Healthy Environment wants to help. The group, based in Pittsburgh, addresses environmental concerns that impact public health. It has developed...
Doctors try 1st CRISPR editing in the body for blindness
Scientists say they have used the gene editing tool CRISPR inside someone’s body for the first time, a new frontier for efforts to operate on DNA, the chemical code of life, to treat diseases. A patient recently had it done at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science...
Feds investigate nursing home as U.S. death toll hits 11
SEATTLE — The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 11 on Wednesday with a patient succumbing in California — the first reported fatality outside Washington state — as federal authorities announced an investigation of the Seattle-area nursing home where most of the victims were stricken. Officials in California’s...
Looking for hand sanitizer? Good luck finding it
NEW YORK — The hand sanitizers on Amazon were overpriced. A Walmart this weekend was completely sold out. Only on his third try was Ken Smith able to find the clear gel — at a Walgreens, where three bottles of Purell were left. He bought two. “I didn’t want to...
Allegheny County Health Department names new director
A search committee made up of members of the Allegheny County Board of Health and the community has selected Dr. Debra Bogen as its nominee to lead the county Health Department. Bogen, the vice chair for education in the UPMC Children’s Hospital pediatric department, will replace Dr. Karen Hacker, who...
Experts recommend approaches to discussing coronavirus with kids
It’s not easy for parents to talk to children about many things, and coronavirus is quickly becoming an unavoidable topic. The challenge is finding the middle ground between giving kids good information and giving them reason to be concerned, according to several child psychologists who spoke to the Tribune-Review. So,...
Flu season may be peaking in Pennsylvania, Health Department says
The flu season may have peaked in Pennsylvania, a spokeswoman for the state Health Department said Tuesday. “While cases are increasing, the number of new cases each week is decreasing,” spokeswoman Brittany Lauffer said. The news comes as state health officials are bracing for potential coronavirus cases to surface in...
Tensions rise as U.S. death toll from coronavirus reaches 9
SEATTLE — Tensions over how to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus escalated Tuesday in the United States as the death toll climbed to nine and lawmakers expressed doubts about the government’s ability to ramp up testing fast enough to deal with the crisis. All of the deaths have occurred in Washington...
VA sued over veteran’s death from wrongful insulin injection
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A woman is suing the federal government over the 2018 death of her father from a wrongful insulin injection at a West Virginia veterans hospital. Melanie Proctor filed the lawsuit Monday against Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie. It details a “widespread system of failures” at the Louis...
Pa. Health Department begins testing for coronavirus; UPMC races for its own test
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has begun its own testing of potential coronavirus cases, opening the door for quicker results. “We are testing samples as we speak,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Tuesday. She said the state has been sending samples for testing to the Centers for Disease...
Allegheny County health officials emphasize calm with eye on likely spread of coronavirusVideo
Health officials continue to prepare locally for the likely spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 worldwide, but they cautioned that there are still no known cases in the region. “We expect to see some (cases) as we expand testing,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with...
Coronavirus prep: Supplies dwindle at Western Pa. stores as officials urge readinessVideo
Local agencies are encouraging people not to panic as the coronavirus spreads, with over 100 confirmed U.S. cases and nine fatalities so far. The virus, which has infected more than 92,000 people and killed over 3,000 in places like China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran, has started to spread...
Health Happenings: Week of March 2
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday , Hempfield Township Athletic Complex, 220 Forbes Trail Road, Hempfield — Noon-6:30 p.m. Monday , Charter Oak Church, 449 Frye Farm Road, Unity Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Excela Health offers...
Canker sores often go away on their own, are not contagious
Dear Mayo Clinic: Every few months, my teenage son gets canker sores in the back of his throat that really bother him and last for about a week. Is there something that he can do to prevent them? Will this continue throughout his life? Answer: Canker sores rarely pose a...
Out with the bad, in with the good — cholesterol, that is
Why do we hear so much about bad cholesterol and so little about good cholesterol? It’s mostly because your good cholesterol level is largely determined by genetics, says Dr. Jose Mejia, an Excela Health primary care physician. That means there’s only so much you can do about it, he says....
New guidelines urge hepatitis C check for most adults
WASHINGTON — Most American adults need to be checked for hepatitis C, say guidelines released Monday that urge millions more people to get screened for the liver-damaging virus that can fester for decades before it’s spotted. The call for expanded screening for Americans ages 18 to 79 is the first...
Pirates address spring training health concerns after 2 coronavirus cases found in Florida
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday advised fans, players and staff at spring training “to listen to and rely upon the advice and guidance of the public health experts” after two adults tested positive for coronavirus in Hillsborough and Manatee counties. The Pirates’ spring training stadium, LECOM Park, and minor-league complex...
Allegheny County health officials emphasize calm with eye on likely spread of coronavirusVideo
Health officials continue to prepare locally for the likely spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 worldwide, but they cautioned that there are still no known cases in the region. “We expect to see some (cases) as we expand testing,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with...
Surgeon General asks people to ‘stop buying masks’ amid coronavirus outbreak
The surgeon general made a plea to Americans to stop buying face masks, saying that they are not effective in preventing people from catching the coronavirus. But he implored that healthcare providers do need them. “Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS!” U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams complained Saturday on...
Perspective on coronavirus: How does it stack up with the flu, historic outbreaks?Video
As figures stand now, the new coronavirus disease — Covid-19 — is 20- to 40-times more deadly than the typical flu, depending on where you are in the world. Experts agree that it will eventually spread everywhere. The case-fatality ratio also could drop as more data becomes available. Putting it...
Matter of when, not if, coronavirus reaches Western Pennsylvania but big questions remain
Pennsylvania’s hospitals, clinics, first responders and public health officials are preparing for a potential spread of coronavirus to the region as concerns mount globally. While there have been no announced cases of the COVID-19 virus in the state, infectious disease experts say it’s only a matter of time. “What’s to...
Virus’ effect on world economy grows more alarming
TOKYO — Concerns about the coronavirus outbreak’s threat to the world economy grew Saturday as authorities in the U.S. reported its first domestic death from the virus and President Donald Trump denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a “hoax” cooked up by his enemies. China’s manufacturing plunged...
Wilkes-Barre native reportedly contracts coronavirus on cruise ship in Japan
A Wilkes-Barre native is on life support in Japan after contracting the coronavirus while on vacation, according to WNEP, an ABC affiliate in Luzerne County. Dan Fisher, who graduated from Coughlin High School in 1975, was on vacation in Japan earlier this month when he fell ill, Fisher’s childhood friend,...
U.S. reports first drug shortage tied to virus outbreak
WASHINGTON — Health officials reported the first U.S. drug shortage tied to the viral outbreak that is disrupting production in China, but they declined to identify the manufacturer or the product. The Food and Drug Administration said late Thursday that the drug’s maker recently contacted officials about the shortage, which...
Mexico confirms first 2 cases of coronavirus
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s assistant health secretary announced Friday that the country now has two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Hugo Lopez-Gatell said one of the patients is in Mexico City and the other in the northern state of Sinaloa. While a second test is still pending on that...
