The Trump administration is making viruses great again
Let's start with measles cases, which are at their highest rate in 33 years in the US. The blame for this doesn't rest entirely with the Trump administration, of course, but officials certainly don't seem too bothered by it all. RFK Jr has downplayed the number of deaths that have occurred from measles and complained about all the headlines they're generating.
Like the rest of his peers in the Trump administration, RFK Jr seems to have absolutely no idea what he is doing, and appears to be just making things up as he goes along. Indeed, the health secretary memorably told Congress in mid-May that he doesn't really think people should be taking medical advice from him. He seems to have forgotten that statement the moment the words left his mouth, however. Not even a couple of weeks later Kennedy announced that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would stop recommending Covid-19 booster shots for healthy children and pregnant women. This was a highly unusual move, as the health secretary doesn't normally make unilateral changes to vaccine recommendations like this.
While Kennedy seems to govern by vibes, actual medical experts, who rely on things like evidence and data, are deeply alarmed by the removal of the shots from officials' recommended immunization schedule.
'[D]espite the change in recommendations from [health and human services], the science has not changed,' the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in a statement. 'It is very clear that Covid-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families.'
Kennedy's decision is now facing legal opposition. In the same week that the US reached its dark measles milestone, a number of leading medical associations sued the Trump administration. 'This administration is an existential threat to vaccination in America, and those in charge are only just getting started,' said the lead counsel for the plaintiffs in a statement.
Restoring trust in public health agencies and vaccines, especially among pregnant women, will take far more than a lawsuit. Two new surveys, published as a research letter in Jama Network Open, have found that only 35% to 40% of US pregnant women and parents of young children say they intend to fully vaccinate their child. To reiterate: we are now at a place where a majority of pregnant women and parents don't plan to accept all recommended kids' vaccines.
'Given the high decisional uncertainty during pregnancy about vaccinating children after birth, there may be value in intervening during pregnancy to proactively support families with childhood vaccination decisions,' the researchers wrote. Unfortunately, under this administration, that's a lot easier said than done.
The president is throwing a fit over backlash to his administration's sudden U-turn on the 'Epstein Files'. On Wednesday he accused his voters of being gullible 'weaklings' who had fallen for the 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax' which, according to him, is a 'SCAM' cooked up by the 'Lunatic Left' to discredit him. (If it's all a hoax, why is Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, eh?) Then, on Thursday, Status News reported that Trump had called the editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal to try to block its story on Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier. No matter how many insults he flings around or threats he makes, Trump can't bury the bigger Epstein story. Instead people are more invested in finding out who Epstein's associates were than ever before and polls show most Americans believe the government is concealing information. Trump may want to look up the Barbra Streisand effect.
The 25-year-old's father allegedly felt threatened because she helped support him financially.
The poet and performance artist died of ovarian cancer. 'Whenever I leave this world, whether it's sixty years from now, I wouldn't want anyone to say I lost some battle,' Gibson once wrote. 'I'll be a winner that day.' Gibson was a winner this week, but the world has lost a force for good.
Back in 2014, the Oscar-winning actor had surgery to remove 30 uterine fibroids– non-cancerous tumors that can cause severe pain and heavy menstrual bleeding. Black women are three times more likely to develop fibroids than white women. July is Fibroid Awareness Month and, on Tuesday, the actor helped introduce a US uterine health legislative package aimed at introducing better prevention and screening protocols and less invasive treatments. 'I hope to seek answers for the far too many women dealing with uterine fibroids,' Nyong'o said. 'We must reject the normalization of female pain.'
'We are deeply concerned about women's access to health care, especially maternal health care, in ICE detention,' the caucus wrote in a letter. They reference the case of a woman who delivered a stillborn baby after being detained in immigration custody and allegedly having medical care delayed.
Sign up to The Week in Patriarchy
Get Arwa Mahdawi's weekly recap of the most important stories on feminism and sexism and those fighting for equality
after newsletter promotion
The Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk writes about her 45 days in a south Louisiana processing facility.
Someone needs to give that man contraceptive advice, but OK.
In her new memoir, Southern says Tate strangled her in a hotel bed in 2018 and assaulted her. 'No one wants to be a victim, especially not when you come from my political background,' Southern wrote. 'I know exactly what's coming. I'll be crucified online. I'm not looking for sympathy, and I don't expect a victim trophy from any side. I'm publishing this simply because it's the truth and far too few people are telling the truth these days.' Tate, who has been accused of rape and bodily harm by multiple women, responded by accusing Southern of drumming up publicity for her memoir.
Husam Masrouf, a poet from Gaza, has a surreal and haunting piece in Flaming Hydra about the lengths some starving Palestinian women are going to try to obtain nutritional supplements.
You think the US is turning into a police state? I'm afraid things are not any better in the UK, where armed police may threaten to arrest you simply for peacefully holding a Palestinian flag. We live in an upside down world where accused war criminals like Benjamin Netanyahu are wined and dined by politicians, while protesting against the murder of more than 17,000 children is treated as some sort of crime.
Turns out your canine companion may secretly be judging you for your reality TV habit. A new study has found that dogs engage meaningfully with the TV and have certain viewing preferences. I reckon my little chihuahua is a big fan of Game of Bones and RuPaw's Drag Race.
Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
Continuous glucose monitors are in vogue. But do you really need to track your blood sugar?
A quarter-size device that tracks the rise and fall of sugar in your blood is the latest source of hope — and hype — in the growing buzz around wearable health technology. Continuous glucose monitors, small patches that provide 24-hour insight into concentrations of sugar in the blood, could be a tool for Americans to 'take control over their own health,' Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently told federal lawmakers. 'They can take responsibility,' Kennedy said. 'They can begin to make good judgments about their diet, about their physical activity, about the way they live their lives.' The devices have lifesaving benefits for people with diabetes, the disease caused when blood sugar remains high because their bodies don't make enough insulin or become resistant to it. The condition, which affects more than 38 million people in the U.S., raises the risk of serious health problems such as heart and kidney disease and vision loss. But the devices have surged in popularity among people without diabetes. Sales have been driven by high-profile marketers such as Casey Means, the nominee for U.S. surgeon general. There's scant evidence the monitors are useful for people with normal blood sugar levels, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Healthy bodies can effectively regulate glucose after meals and provide the energy they need to function. Glucose monitors may lead people to misinterpret normal swings in blood sugar that happen after eating or activity. In addition, the devices can be 'notoriously inaccurate,' providing misleading readings, she said. 'The problem with wearing these is that you can just be zooming in on and creating pathology when it's not there,' Dushay said. Here's what you need to know about the devices: Here's what a continuous glucose monitor does The device is a small patch, about the size of two stacked quarters, usually placed on the upper arm or stomach. It uses a needle to painlessly pierce the skin for a tiny sensor. The sensor measures the glucose in fluid under the skin, delivering a signal every few minutes to a phone app or a handheld display. The apps typically record blood sugar levels and help people track the foods they eat and how they impact those levels. When healthy people eat a meal that contains carbohydrates, their blood sugar rises, peaks and falls in response to the food. A healthy fasting blood glucose level for a person without diabetes is roughly 70 milligrams per deciliter to 99 milligrams per deciliter. A range from 100 to 126 milligrams per deciliter indicates prediabetes and above 126 milligrams per deciliter indicates diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. In adults without diabetes, blood sugar levels can climb to 140 milligrams per deciliter or more within an hour of a meal, before falling back to baseline levels within two or three hours, according to the association. It's a sign the body is processing sugar normally. Continuous glucose monitors have been available since the late 1990s For decades, these devices were available only for people with diabetes. The monitors revolutionized care by allowing more precise adjustment of insulin used to treat diabetes and giving people the ability to modify meals and activity more accurately. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter monitors. Since then, many companies have emerged to market them, claiming to provide intensive, individualized health monitoring. Cost is generally about $100 a month. They've really caught on with consumers curious about how food and activity affect their blood sugar levels. For instance, Noom, the weight-loss and fitness app, launched a blood glucose feature last year that has proven extremely popular, said Alexander Fabry, a company executive. 'Of the people who are using a CGM, the vast majority of them don't have a diabetes diagnosis,' he said. Who can use the monitors? The devices have been lifesaving for people with diabetes. And they can be helpful for people with risk factors for the disease, including obesity, prediabetes, a history of gestational diabetes or a family history of the condition. The devices can allow users to see how specific food and activity choices affect their blood sugar in near real-time, said Dr. Alaina Vidmar, a pediatric obesity specialist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. 'After a large meal, you may watch your blood sugar go up and sort of learn something about yourself,' Vidmar said. 'For example, I drink a sugar-sweetened soda and my blood sugar goes up really high, really fast. And maybe I don't feel as good, right?' What are the cautions? People without risk factors for diabetes may turn to the monitors just because they're curious, said Dr. David Kessler. A former FDA commissioner, Kessler doesn't have diabetes, but he wore a monitor for a couple months during research for his recent book, 'Diet, Drugs and Dopamine.' 'I think it's a very interesting tool to experiment with if you're so inclined,' Kessler said. But, he noted, the devices can't be used to diagnose or treat disease. Even experts don't agree on how to interpret or provide health advice for people without diabetes based on blood sugar data. 'No one knows what's optimal in the nondiabetic state,' he said. Before using a monitor, Dushay asks patients to consider their motives. 'What do you think you're going to get from the data?' she said. 'What is to be gained from wearing that monitor?' ___ 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.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I nearly died in a freezer... and now I receive strange messages from dead people
A grief counselor from California has revealed how she has been able to see dead people since a childhood accident nearly killed her. Susan Grau, who refers to herself as an intuitive medium, told that she nearly died of hypothermia and lack of oxygen after getting trapped in a home freezer when she was only four years old. While screaming for her life, Grau said she experienced a life-changing vision, where beings of light took her to another dimension, where she heard the prayers of other children. Once she was rescued from the freezer, Grau was left with a startling power, the ability to see and hear beings who had just entered the spirit world. 'I just connected. I would lie in bed and I'd hear, you know, 'Wake up. I just died,'' Grau explained. For years, she kept quiet about her experiences, before finally learning that her ability to communicate with the dead meant she was a medium - someone capable of serving as an intermediary between the physical world and the spirit world. She worked in addiction therapy and grief therapy without revealing her abilities before eventually admitting what she had been seeing in a Facebook message to her family. 'I was highly sensitive and highly attached to people and the spirit world. I feel like I'm half in and half out,' Grau said. Near-death experiences (NDEs) are complex and not fully understood, but scientific research suggests they are likely neurological phenomena arising from specific brain activity during moments of critical illness or near-death. While various theories exist, a key aspect involves the brain's continued activity, even after the heart stops, potentially leading to altered states of consciousness and vivid perceptions. Grau's journey started when some fellow children told her to climb up into her garage freezer for some popsicles, but the freezer had unknowingly been unplugged. 'Because I was so young, I didn't recognize that it wasn't plugged in anymore. My mom had unplugged it. She was supposed to turn it towards the wall, and she didn't,' Grau explained. When she heard the door close behind her, everything changed, and Grau was now in mortal danger of suffocating or freezing to death. 'I heard the garage door thud, and it was silence. And I remember just screaming in terror,' she recounted. What happened next changed Grau's life forever. The medium was screaming for help and trying to free herself from the locked freezer when three bright lights appeared, and she felt herself being pulled out of her physical body. Grau said that she saw a 'light version of herself' in a group of three beings as her spirit left the freezer. The beings told her to stop screaming, and promised to get her mother, which calmed the four-year-old down. Grau recalled seeing a beautiful building with beautiful pillars, a cracked stairway, and a mysterious well in the middle of the room. She also remembered seeing words and hearing prayers that seemed to come from other children, saying: 'I'm going to turn 16. 'Please make my mom and dad get me a car,' and 'God, and my mom is sick. Please don't let her die.' Grau added that she travelled down a beautiful yellow road, which she called the 'yellow brick road' because it was the only way to describe it. She saw people dropping to their knees and saying, 'Dear God, you know, nothing's working the way I want it to. Everything's going wrong. Why don't things go my way?' Then the people vanished. Grau believed it was a message for her to understand later, that 'what you try to control controls you. What you run after chases you.' The medium said she moved through different dimensions, and the angels who rescued her from the freezer told her she had a huge amount to take in during this journey. Grau said she attempted to ascend to the top of a mountain where a beautiful being of light was waiting but she wasn't able to. That's when the being came to her instead. 'The minute I thought, I need to get there, I saw this gorgeous, powerful beam of light come to me. It came to me, and it was love, pure, pure love,' Grau explained. At that point the angel told Grau it was time to go back and that her mother was waiting for her. The light being added that she was going to go through a lot in life, and that Grau was going to help people and she needed to remember the things she learned during her journey to accomplish that task. At the same time, Grau said her mother began hearing a voice quietly saying, 'Your baby's in the freezer.' 'She said, all of a sudden she heard it loud, like a scream, 'Your baby's in the freezer!' And she ran outside, and she said she saw the door closed [in] the garage,' the medium revealed. When Grau was found, her skinned had already turned gray, her fingers were blue, and she fell forward onto the cement as she started to breathe again. That's when her new ability to see spirits manifested. 'I could see things around me. I covered my head and said, 'Go away. Go away. Go away.' And they didn't,' she explained. Grau said she kept seeing the beings all around her, but they were beautiful and they never harmed her, so she quickly stopped being afraid of them. Now a mother, grandmother, author, and inspirational speaker, Grau has continued to work with children who have had near-death experiences, using her skills as a medium to help with her counseling.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Barnsley doctor appeals to parents as vaccine uptake falls
Parents in Barnsley have been urged to have their children vaccinated against preventable diseases amid a decline in routine uptake of than 500 cases of measles have been reported in England this year, according to government data, while earlier this month a child in Liverpool became the second to die from the disease in the past five councillor Dr Alex Burnett said using inoculations to overcome disease was a "triumph of human society" and he was "filled with sadness" at the decline in told a council meeting: "In the name of those around the world who [cannot] access these safe, life-saving vaccines, please get you and your children vaccinated." Dr Burnett said: "The thought of a child dying is one that sends chills into the heart of every parent."He condemned "those who spread lies and division" through vaccine misinformation or conspiracy theories, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service."At the turn of the 20th Century, nearly one in every four children born in Barnsley died," he said."Two of the leading causes were smallpox and measles."He asked people to get vaccinated in memory of the "thousands of Barnsley children who died of preventable infectious diseases before the advent of vaccines".Barnsley Council's public health team has been carrying out targeted work with residents to address and understand vaccine hesitancy, particularly in groups where uptake is notably low, such as among eastern European community champions have been recruited to do work including leading focus groups and distributing information in multiple Burnett welcomed the measures, but stressed that barriers to vaccination went beyond cultural said: "This is not a problem solely confined to any one ethnic group."Not being able to get time off work and not being able to afford transport costs to GPs also are barriers to vaccination that need addressing." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
