Free tick kits amid rising tick-borne illnesses in Northeast Wisconsin
The Manitowoc County Health Department is distributing complementary tick kits, which include:
Illustrated guide 'How to Remove a Tick'
Alcohol swab and adhesive bandage
Disposable tweezers
30% DEET repellent wipe
Sealable bag for storing ticks
Residents can pick one up during regular hours at the Health Department in Manitowoc.
Just over in Door County, public health officials report a recent uptick in anaplasmosis, a bacterial illness from tick bites with flu‑like symptoms. Last week alone, eight new cases emerged, including five hospitalization.
City of Green Bay seeks community ideas for St. John's Park revamp
Health officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommend simple prevention steps:
Wear long, light‑colored clothing and tuck pants into socks.
Apply EPA‑approved repellents like DEET or picaridin to both skin and clothing.
Stick to groomed trails and avoid tall grass.
After being outdoors, shower and thoroughly check for ticks, especially behind ears, in hairlines, under arms and knees, and around the waist.
Remove attached ticks carefully using tweezers (no burning or smushing), then cleanse the area.
Save the tick for identification if illness develops, and watch for symptoms like fever, rash, or fatigue within 30 days.
Pick up a free tick kit in Manitowoc, prepare well before heading outdoors, and promptly remove any ticks found. If symptoms appear after a bite, consult your doctor, but don't panic. Early detection and antibiotic treatment usually lead to quick recovery.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Postbiotics Market worth $224.8 million by 2030- Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™
DELRAY BEACH, Fla., July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to MarketsandMarkets™, The postbiotics market is estimated at USD 146.7 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 224.8 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 8.9%, from 2025 to 2030. The demand for postbiotics is projected to rise significantly, driven by growing consumer interest in microbiome health and the inherent limitations of probiotics and prebiotics in terms of viability and stability. Postbiotics, composed of non-living microbial cells and metabolites, offer proven health benefits without the need for live microorganisms. Their high stability under extreme processing conditions makes them ideal for a wide range of product formulations, including shelf-stable dietary supplements, functional foods, and beverages. Heat-treated bacterial strains, most notably Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, are widely recognized for their safety and scientifically supported benefits in gut, immune, and skin health. As consumer demand for microbiome-friendly solutions continues to grow, postbiotics are well-positioned to capture a larger share of the biotics market. Browse in-depth TOC on "postbiotics Market" 250– Tables30– Figures200– Pages Download PDF Brochure: Postbiotics in dry form to account for the fastest growth during the forecast period Postbiotic powders are versatile forms and attractive to consumers; they are expected to be the most rapidly growing during the forecast period because postbiotic powders offer a highly concentrated dose of bioactive compounds that can be easily incorporated into multiple food and drink formats such as smoothies, cereals, and snack bars-a boon for modern lifestyles with taste and convenience intact. From a manufacturing perspective, their dry, heat-stable nature makes it easy to process them without major modifications to existing equipment or product systems. In addition, the increasing disillusionment of consumers with conventional pills has made powders, gummies, and bars alternative delivery formats all the more popular. Although live probiotics may fail in such formats, postbiotics overcome this hurdle, much more so in dry form, making them the best solution for the manufacturers as well as health-conscious consumers. This combination of formulation ease, shelf stability, and growing end-user preference underlines why dry form postbiotics are expected to witness the steepest growth in future years. Cosmetics and personal care products segment to hold greater market share during the forecast period The trend of skinimalism increasingly embraces everything simple and multifunctional in skincare, thereby rapidly increasing the demand for postbiotics. Postbiotics address numerous benefits within a singular formulation. They have been introduced into cosmetics such as moisturizing creams intended to restore the hydrolipid barrier, anti-aging serums, and hair care containing agents that strengthen the scalp and improve hair condition. Coupling their multifunctionality with safety and stability makes postbiotics suitable for sensitive, acne-prone, or otherwise problematic skin. They do not pose the risk of microbial overgrowth as live probiotics do, making them ideal for products aimed at restoring the skin's natural microbiome balance. With increasing eco-awareness and health-consciousness among consumers, and as interest rises in Clean Beauty and microbiome-friendly skincare, especially into 2025, postbiotics are expected to establish themselves as the active ingredient of choice within modern beauty. The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and barrier-supporting qualities of postbiotics thus enhance their efficacy and safety and have driven the postbiotic to ever-rising prominence in next-generation cosmetics and personal care products. Request Sample Pages: European region to hold a significant market share in the global postbiotics market Most of the European consumers now claim to use dietary supplements, which reveals the growing trend toward preventive health and wellness. Growing consumer engagement creates a conducive environment for the postbiotic markets as people turn to scientifically validated, gut-friendly sources for postbiotics that can be easily incorporated into daily routines through supplements and functional foods. Active participation of the major regional players with respect to Associated British Foods plc (UK), can also be the reason of European postbiotic growth. In November 2023, AB Biotek Human Nutrition & Health (UK), subsidiary of ABF (UK) sealed a partnership deal with Tetra Pak (Switzerland) to come up with innovative postbiotic solutions for food & beverage, making it easy to incorporate postbiotics into mainstream products such as dairy, plant-based drinks, and snacks without any special equipment for their manufacturing. Such partnerships widen the simplicity of the formulation of products and visibility and accessibility of postbiotic-enriched offerings. With this innovation, seen by one of the dominant European players, ABF (UK), bringing postbiotics closer to consumers through the most consumed formats, public awareness is anticipated to grow quickly, and the market is expected to expand across the region. The report profiles key players such as Cargill, Incorporated (US), ADM (US), Kerry Group PLC (Ireland), dsm-firmenich (Netherlands), Associated British Foods plc (UK), BASF (Germany), Novozymes A/S, part of Novonesis Group (Denmark), International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (US), MCLS Europe B.V. (Netherlands), Phileo by Lesaffre (France), Lallemand Inc. (Canada), Sami-Sabinsa Group. (India), CJ CheilJedang Corp. (South Korea), Biotenova Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), and Bioprox Healthcare (France). Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: Browse Adjacent Reports @ Food and Beverage Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Functional Food Ingredients Market by Type (Probiotics, Protein & Amino Acids, Phytochemicals & Plant Extracts, Prebiotics, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Carotenoids, Vitamins), Application, Source, Form, Health Benefits and Region - Global Forecast to 2029 Probiotics Market Size, Share, Analysis, & Growth Trends Report by Product Type (Functional Food & Beverages (FnB), Dietary Supplements, and Feed), Ingredient (Bacteria and Yeast), End User (Human and Animal), Distribution Channel and Region - Global Forecast to 2029 About MarketsandMarkets™ MarketsandMarkets™ has been recognized as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. MarketsandMarkets™ is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. With the widest lens on emerging technologies, we are proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients across the globe. Today, 80% of Fortune 2000 companies rely on MarketsandMarkets, and 90 of the top 100 companies in each sector trust us to accelerate their revenue growth. With a global clientele of over 13,000 organizations, we help businesses thrive in a disruptive ecosystem. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion in new revenue streams that are replacing existing ones within this decade. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines – TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we collaborate with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies to keep them future-ready. Our insights and strategies are powered by industry experts, cutting-edge AI, and our Market Intelligence Cloud, KnowledgeStore™, which integrates research and provides ecosystem-wide visibility into revenue shifts. To find out more, visit or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact:Mr. Rohan SalgarkarMarketsandMarkets Inc.1615 South Congress 103, Delray Beach, FL 33445USA: +1-888-600-6441Email: sales@ Insight: Our Website: Source: Logo: View original content: SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
Medscape
5 hours ago
- Medscape
Alcohol and Pancreatic Cancer: New Evidence About Risk
Does drinking alcohol increase the risk for pancreatic cancer? Researchers have long suspected it does, but the evidence has remained inconsistent. Now, a global study of more than two million people is firming up the case that a link exists. The study, which pooled data from 30 prospective cohorts, found that daily alcohol intake was associated with a 'modest' increased risk for pancreatic cancer in both women and men, regardless of smoking status. However, the extent of the risk depended somewhat on how the researchers modeled alcohol intake. One model, which mapped continuous increases in alcohol consumption, suggested there is no safe dose of alcohol — any amount can increase the risk for pancreatic cancer, though only by 3% for every additional 10 g of alcohol per day or about two thirds of a standard drink. The other model, which compared risk by alcohol volume categories, found that the risk does not become significant until a certain alcohol threshold — about two to three drinks per day for men and one to two for women. Still, overall, 'our findings provide new evidence that pancreatic cancer may be another cancer type associated with alcohol consumption, a connection that has been underestimated until now,' the study's senior author Pietro Ferrari, PhD, head of the Nutrition and Metabolism Branch at International Agency for Research on Cancer, said in a statement. The co-author Jeanine Genkinger, PhD, MHS, had a stronger take on the findings. 'I think this shows that alcohol use is a robust risk factor for pancreatic cancer,' said Genkinger, associate professor, epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, noting that even more moderate drinking levels— no more than one drink for women and two for men — might be enough to boost pancreatic cancer risk. How Much of a Risk? The latest data, published in PLoS Medicine, come at a time of increased attention to the alcohol-cancer link. Earlier this year, then-US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, issued an advisory calling for cancer warnings to be added to alcohol labels. Major cancer organizations have determined alcohol to be an established risk factor for seven cancer types : those of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, liver, breast, and colon/rectum. Despite the strong suspicion that drinking alcohol also contributes to pancreatic cancer risk, this aggressive cancer has not yet made the official list. The major reason is that the evidence surrounding an alcohol-pancreatic cancer link has been deemed 'inconsistent,' 'suggestive,' and 'inconclusive' by expert panels. Studies have been hampered by difficulties separating alcohol use from smoking — a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer — as well as varying findings by alcohol type and geographic location. In addition, certain studies highlighting a link have indicated that any association between alcohol and pancreatic cancer is driven only by more extreme drinking habits — more than four drinks a day, and sometimes as high as nine drinks. The latest analysis, Genkinger said, helps clarify uncertainty surrounding the alcohol-pancreatic cancer link, which is especially important for 'a disease where we don't have that many modifiable risk factors.' The findings are based on cohorts spanning four continents, all part of the Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer. Just under 2.5 million cancer-free participants were recruited between 1980 and 2013 (median age, 57 years), of whom 70% were alcohol drinkers, 47% were never-smokers, and 64% were alcohol drinkers and never smokers. Most study participants were from North America (60%), followed by Europe or Australia (32%) and Asia (8%). Alcohol intake was modeled in two ways: continuously for every 10 g/d increase and by volume threshold, using 0.1 to < 5 g/d as the reference for nondrinkers. For context, in the US, the amount of alcohol in a standard drink is defined as 14 g of pure alcohol — equivalent to a 12-ounce can of regular beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot glass of distilled spirits. Over a median of 16 years, the researchers observed 10,067 incidents of pancreatic cancers. In the continuous model, the risk for pancreatic cancer rose by 3% for every additional 10 g of alcohol consumed per day (hazard ratio [HR],1.03; 95% CI, 1.02-1.04). This association remained consistent and significant among women and men (HR, 1.03 for both), current smokers (HR, 1.03), former smokers (HR, 1.02), and never-smokers (HR, 1.03), and across cohorts from Australia, Europe, and North America (HR, 1.03 for all), though not Asia (HR, 1.00). The research team also found evidence that the type of alcohol mattered: Alcohol from beer and liquor/spirits was associated with a significantly increased risk for pancreatic cancer (HR, 1.02 and 1.04, respectively) but alcohol from wine was not (HR, 1.00). This finding is in line with some previous studies suggesting that wine may have a different relationship with cancer risk compared with other alcoholic beverages. But Genkinger pointed out, this finding could 'reflect the ways in which people tend to drink different types of alcohol.' Wine, she noted, is often part of a meal, and people who favor wine may be less likely to binge drink than those who typically choose other types of alcohol. This study, however, did not survey participants about specific drinking patterns, including binge-drinking. In the threshold model, however, the increased risk only became significant once alcohol intake reached a certain level. For women, drinking one to two standard drinks per day raised their risk for pancreatic cancer by 12% compared with little to no drinking. For men, the threshold was a little higher: Consuming two to four drinks a day was associated with a 15% increase in risk, whereas drinking more than that was tied to a 36% greater risk. Overall, this research contributes to the growing body of evidence that pancreatic cancer should be added to the official alcohol-cancer risk list, according to Alison Klein, PhD, MHS, professor of oncology, pathology, and epidemiology, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, who was not involved in the research. Having the Conversation The recent Surgeon General's advisory encouraged clinicians to inform their patients that drinking is a cancer risk factor — something unknown to most Americans, according to recent survey findings. 'I think this study is a good reminder to all of us to talk to our patients about their alcohol use,' said Edward Thomas Lewis III, MD, an addiction psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. Providers can take opportunities for those discussions during routine care, such as when prescribing a medication that can interact with alcohol or when a patient's health condition, such as high blood pressure or heart disease, can be exacerbated by drinking. 'I think these are opportunities to really remind people about moderation,' Lewis said, 'and to talk about some of the individual risk factors that may cause someone to make changes related to their drinking.' It's also possible that drinking might interact with certain genetic variants to modify pancreatic cancer risk — an avenue Klein and colleagues are exploring. What's challenging, Lewis said, is advising patients on what level of drinking is 'Okay,' given that even lower levels of alcohol consumption — around one to two drinks per day — may carry some risk. 'There is no zero-risk alcohol use,' Lewis said. But, he added, people do not necessarily have to abstain to see benefits, either. 'So it may be that a patient, at the end of the day, is able to reduce their alcohol consumption by two or three standard drinks over a given week. That still has a positive net effect,' he said. Another challenge is patients often don't know what a 'standard drink' looks like and can underestimate how much they drink. Showing patients visual examples — such as these— can be an eye-opener, Lewis said. Given the associations between drinking alcohol and many health outcomes, Genkinger said, it's important for clinicians to discuss alcohol use, just as they would discuss physical activity and healthy body weight. 'These are all lifestyle factors that have an impact on numerous disease outcomes, not only pancreatic cancer,' she said.
CNN
6 hours ago
- CNN
FIRST ON CNN: Dramatic lifestyle changes can fight early-stage Alzheimer's, study says. Here's how
Chronic diseases Dementia Getting older Food & healthFacebookTweetLink Follow As her memory faded from Alzheimer's disease in her late 50s, Tammy Maida began to lose track of her life. Car keys, eyeglasses and her purse disappeared multiple times a day. Key characters in novels she was reading were forgotten. Groceries were left in the garage. Keeping the books for the family's businesses became impossible. 'I honestly thought I was losing my mind, and the fear of losing my mind was frightening,' Maida told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the 2024 CNN documentary 'The Last Alzheimer's Patient.' After 20 weeks in a randomized clinical trial designed to drastically change her diet, exercise, stress levels and social interactions, Maida's cognition improved. She was able to read and recall novels and correctly balance spreadsheets again. A blood test even found levels of amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, were retreating in her brain, according to the study published in June 2024. 'I'm coming back. It was really good — like I was prior to the disease being diagnosed,' Maida, now 68, told a researcher on the study. 'An older but better version of me.' Maida's cognition showed additional improvement, however, after she completed a total of 40 weeks of intensive lifestyle changes, said principal investigator Dr. Dean Ornish, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and creator of the Ornish diet and lifestyle medicine program. Ornish gave a study update on Tuesday at the 2025 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto. While not everyone in the 26-person interventional group benefited, 46% showed improvement in three of four standardized tests, he said, including one that measures changes in memory, judgment and problem-solving as well as the ability to function at home, practice hobbies and practice personal hygiene. 'An additional 37.5% of people showed no decline in cognition during those 40 weeks,' Ornish said. 'Thus, over 83% of patients improved or maintained their cognition during the five-month program.' The new findings mirrored those of other studies on lifestyle interventions, he said, including the recent US POINTER study, the largest clinical trial in the United States to test moderate lifestyle interventions over two years in people who are at risk but do not yet have Alzheimer's disease. 'Our study complements these findings by showing, for the first time, that more intensive lifestyle changes may often stop or even begin to reverse the decline in cognition in many of those who already have Alzheimer's disease, and these improvements often continue over a longer period of time,' Ornish told CNN. And unlike available medications for Alzheimer's, he added, lifestyle changes have no side effects, such as bleeding and swelling in the brain that may occur with the newest class of drugs. EmblemHealth, a New York-based insurance company, announced Tuesday that it will be the first health insurer to cover the Ornish lifestyle medicine program for patients who have early-stage Alzheimer's disease. The lifestyle intervention Ornish created — which he calls 'eat well, move more, stress less and love more' — has been tested before. In 1990, Ornish showed for the first time in a randomized clinical trial that coronary artery disease could often be reversed with nothing more than diet, exercise, stress reduction and social support. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, declared in 2010 that Ornish's program for reversing heart disease was an 'intensive cardiac rehabilitation' and that it would be eligible for reimbursement under Medicare. Additional research has shown the same four-part program can lower blood sugars and heart disease risk in patients with diabetes, reduce prostate cancer cell growth, improve depression and even lengthen telomeres, the protective caps of chromosomes that are worn away by aging. During the Ornish intervention, one group of people consumed a strict vegan diet, did daily aerobic exercise, practiced stress reduction and engaged in online support groups. The rest of the participants were in a control group and were asked to not make any changes in their daily habits. Therapists led hour-long group sessions three times a week in which participants were encouraged to share their feelings and ask for support. Meditation, deep breathing, yoga and other ways to reduce stress took up another hour every day. The program also encouraged participants to prioritize good-quality sleep. Supplements were provided to everyone in the intervention group, including a daily multivitamin, omega-3 fatty acids with curcumin, coenzyme Q10, vitamin C and B12, magnesium, a probiotic, and Lion's mane mushroom. In addition to online strength training led by a physical trainer, people in the intervention attended hour-long video classes on vegan nutrition hosted by a dietitian. Then, to ensure a vegan diet was followed, all meals and snacks for both participants and their partners were delivered to their homes. Complex carbs found in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, tofu, nuts and seeds made up most of the diet. Sugar, alcohol and refined carbs found in processed and ultraprocessed foods were taboo. While calories were unrestricted, protein and total fat made up only some 18% of the daily caloric intake — far less than the typical protein intake by the average American, Ornish said. Working harder pays off People in the intervention group who put the most effort into changing their lifestyle have the most improvement in their cognition, said Ornish, founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and coauthor of 'Undo It! How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases.' 'There was a statistically significant dose-response relationship between the degree of adherence to our lifestyle changes and the degree of improvement we saw on measures of cognition,' Ornish said. The 25 people in the study's original 20-week control group — who did not receive the intervention — had shown further cognitive decline during the program. They were later allowed to join the intervention for 40 weeks and significantly improved their cognitive scores during that time, Ornish said. It all makes sense, said co-senior study author Rudy Tanzi, an Alzheimer's researcher and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. 'If you picture a brain full of damage as a sink full of water, when you just turn off the tap, it takes a long time for that sink to slowly drain, right?' Tanzi told CNN in 2024. 'If you want the amyloid to go down in 20 weeks, as we found on one blood test, you're going to need a Roto-Rooter.' In the 2024 study, a blood test called plasma Aβ42/40 showed a significant improvement in the original intervention group. Aβ42/40 measures the level of amyloid in the blood, a key symptom of Alzheimer's. Tests that measure amyloid in different ways, however, did not show improvement, Dr. Suzanne Schindler, an associate professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who specializes in blood biomarkers told CNN at the time. There was no significant change in a test for amyloid called p-tau 181, considered to be a superior measure of Alzheimer's risk, said Schindler, who was not involved in the study. Nor was there any change in glial fibrillary acidic protein, or GFAP, another blood biomarker that seems to correlate reasonably well with Alzheimer's disease. 'If one of these markers improves, you typically see all of them improve, so the fact they did not makes me wonder whether this effect is real,' Schindler said. 'If they were to repeat the study with a much larger population for a longer period of time, perhaps more change could be seen.' Over the complete 40-week program, however, a number of people in the intervention group did continue to improve their Aβ42/40 scores, according to the study update. 'Changes in amyloid — as measured as the plasma Aβ42/40 ratio — occur before changes in tau markers such as p-tau 218, so this is not surprising after only 40 weeks,' Ornish said. For Ornish, who has watched members of his family die from Alzheimer's disease, the study's results are important for one key reason — hope. 'So often when people get a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's, they are told by their doctors that there is no future, 'It's only going to get worse, get your affairs in order.' That's horrible news and is almost self-fulfilling,' Ornish said. 'Our new findings empower patients who have early-stage Alzheimer's disease with the knowledge that if they make and maintain these intensive lifestyle changes, there is a reasonably good chance that they may slow the progression of the disease and often even improve it,' he said. 'Our study needs to be replicated with larger, more diverse groups of patients to make it more generalizable,' Ornish said. 'But the findings we reported today are giving many people new hope and new choices — and the only side effects are good ones.' Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
