Latest news with #DinaBair
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mosquito batch in McHenry County tests positive for West Nile Virus
MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — Health officials in McHenry County say they have identified a mosquito batch that tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) this week. According to officials from the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH), a mosquito pool that was collected from Lake in the Hills, on Monday, June 2, tested positive for WNV. It is the first WNV-positive mosquito batch located in the county so far this year. Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US Last week, mosquitoes from a batch found in Glenview tested positive for WNV. Following the discovery of WNV-positive mosquito batches in Dupage County last year, health officials warned the public to follow the '4 Ds of Defense' to avoid potential exposure: Drain: Drain items that collect standing water around homes, yards, or businesses and scrub and refill pet water dishes and birdbaths regularly. Defend: Use insect repellents that contain DEET when outdoors and reapply according to directions. Exercise may stop colon cancer from returning — and more Dress: Wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes to cover the skin when outside. Dusk to Dawn: Wear EPA-registered insect repellent outdoors during these prime times for mosquito activity. According to the West Nile Virus dashboard maintained by the Illinois Department of Public Health, there have been no human cases reported in the state so far this year. In 2024, the state saw 69 human cases, which resulted in 13 deaths. Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update includes important information from WGN's Dina Bair and the Med Watch team, including, the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments, as well as personal features related to people in the medical field. Sign up here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Administration cancels funding for vaccine development
Medical Watch Digest for May 29 The Trump Administration scraps funding for a vaccine development. Nearly $800 million dollars was awarded to Moderna to come up with a vaccine against potential, pandemic influenza viruses. This includes the h5n1 bird flu. The cancellation comes as the drugmaker announced positive results from a vaccine trial targeting that virus. Scientists are worried, the bird flu virus could become more harmful or spread more easily among people… Possibly causing a pandemic. The United States may be losing doctors to Canada. NPR reports that since President Trump was elected, a skyrocketing amount of doctors have filled out applications to become licensed in Canada. According to The Medical Council of Canada those applications have increased more than 750%, from 71 applicants to 615 for the same time period last year. Some doctors have disclosed they are specifically moving because of the trump administration. The White House has not commented on the report. More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch A new study has uncovered a link between cannabis use and heart troubles. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco found even people who used edible cannabis instead of smoking it had greater risk of cardiovascular issues. A study from 2024 found that people who reported using marijuana daily had a 25 percent higher risk of a heart attack, and a 42% higher risk of say using cannabis in any form could be associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update includes important information from WGN's Dina Bair and the Med Watch team, including, the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments, as well as personal features related to people in the medical field. Sign up here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The benefits of midlife weight loss — and more
For Tuesday, May 27, WGN's Dina Bair has the latest on new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch The benefits of midlife weight loss Shedding those pesky pounds that build up as we age is a meaningful way to prolong life without surgery or medication. It's not always easy but it works. Weight loss in middle age is a powerful tool to ward off diabetes and other chronic illnesses. As part of a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, patients lost weight without surgical intervention or medication. Sustained weight loss decreased all-cause mortality. When people went from being overweight to maintaining a healthy weight for decades of follow-up, they displayed better health in all categories. This is among the first studies to show that weight loss not only decreases diabetes risk, but it also carries long term health benefits. A decline in U.S. maternal mental health Columbia University researchers report a concerning decline in mental health among mothers in the U.S. Subsequently they discovered physical health suffering because of mental challenges. Doctors reached their conclusion after studying nearly 200,000 mothers with children from newborns to 17-years-old. Just 26% of mothers surveyed reported excellent mental health in 2023, down nearly 10% in just seven years. The declines were seen in every socioeconomic group. A mother's unstable mental health can impact her child's growth and development. HIV drug improves vision in diabetes patients A long-approved HIV drug is seeing a new life helping treat diabetic eye disease. Lamivudine improves vision in a common diabetes eye complication called macular edema (DME). Currently, patients with DME require monthly injections in their eye to reduce fluid buildup in the retina that alters their vision. University of Virginia vision scientists say the oral HIV medication is inexpensive and effective to treat the blinding diabetes eye disease which impacts millions of patients. Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update includes important information from WGN's Dina Bair and the Med Watch team, including, the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments, as well as personal features related to people in the medical field. Sign up here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Weight gain linked to long Covid neurological symptoms
Medical Watch Digest for May 7 The impact of weight on covid weight may contribute to long covid. Being overweight or obese is associated with neurological symptoms including headaches, vertigo, sleep problems and depression. The Journal Plos one reports covid patients who are overweight and obese develop persistent, debilitating symptoms following the covid infection. They face a long road to complete covid recovery and suffer multiple organ system disruptions involving respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and mental health. Long covid also leads to smell and taste disorders, sleep disturbances and anxiety. Eating disorders are a hidden health crisis on college campuses according to Washington University researchers. They say students mask their struggles, hiding the prevalence of the dangerous and even deadly ailments like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. And doctors say eating disorders do not discriminate. Their study of nearly 30,000 students from 26 colleges, funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health found the risk for eating disorders was similar for white, Black, Asian and Latino students. Experts say they never imagined the magnitude of the crisis on college campuses. And they urge parents to talk with their children about healthy eating. More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Alzheimer's knowledge is a double edged sword. With greater ability to detect impending Alzheimer's, patients have the ability to intervene, even if there is no cure. So researchers set out to see if knowledge is power when it comes to the mind robbing disease. The Rutgers University study found the Alzheimer's realization brings unrelated health struggles. Knowing the risk for Alzheimer's reduces the motivation toward healthy behavior leading a person to spiral. Healthy habits fall by the wayside, even though adopting healthy lifestyle changes could help the scientists measured amyloid plaques in the brain to figure out Alzheimer's risk for study participants. Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update includes important information from WGN's Dina Bair and the Med Watch team, including, the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments, as well as personal features related to people in the medical field. Sign up here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Charisma, clarity and a shepherd's heart': A look at how past popes have shaped the Catholic Church
As the conclave of cardinals gather in Vatican City to consider their choice and the characteristics and qualifications necessary for a new pope, WGN-TV takes a look back at past popes and how they led and changed the Catholic Church. Father Robert Ryan of Saints Joseph and Francis Xavier Parish in Wilmette joined WGN's Dina Bair to share his perspective on past popes and the type of characteristics the cardinals may be looking for in their next choice to lead the church. When asked to share what characteristics he would desire in the new pope, Fr. Ryan invoked those of the last three popes. 'Someone who has the boldness and the charisma of John Paul II, someone who has the clarity and the sharpness of Benedict XVI, and someone who has the shepherd's heart of Francis,' he said. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines See the attached video player for the full story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
