Latest news with #pregnantwomen
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Air quality alerts in Minnesota due to Canadian wildfire smoke
An air quality emergency has been issued in a Minnesota city, warning residents that any exposure could lead to serious health effects. Minneapolis and its suburbs are currently experiencing 'Very Unhealthy' air due to toxic wildfire smoke drifting in from Canada. Several large wildfires have been burning across British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba over the past week. Blaine, a suburb, currently has the worst air quality in the United States, followed by nearby Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Savage. More than 3.6 million Americans are under the alerts. All of Minnesota is under some level of air quality alert, which officials say will remain in effect through midday Wednesday. Meteorologists warn that due to the size and scope of the Canadian wildfires, Minnesota is likely to face intermittent smoky skies for several more days. Smoke from over 160 active Canadian wildfires is also creating public health concerns in Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. These areas are experiencing conditions classified as from 'Unhealth' to 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,' posing risks to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions. The US Air Quality Index (AQI) considers a value of 50 or below to be 'good' air quality. But current readings in Blaine have reached 253, placing it deep in the 'Very Unhealthy' range. Saint Paul sits at 234, Minneapolis at 210, and Savage at 204, all of which are also hazardous to health. These elevated levels are expected to persist through Tuesday afternoon, before gradually dropping into the 100s, a range still considered 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,' through Wednesday. The official air quality forecast indicates that conditions are expected to improve to healthy levels by Thursday. Eastern Iowa, from Burlington to Maquoketa, is currently experiencing unhealthy air quality, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Parts of northern and western Iowa are listed under a moderate air quality ranking. The region's AQI is ranging from 151 to 200, while moderate levels sit from 51 to 100. Meteorologists said showers and thunderstorms are expected in the coming days that will push some of the smoke out of the area. Brooke Hagenhoff, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Des Moines, told Des Moines Register : 'With this incoming system, that's going to help push a lot of the smoke off to the east, so with that we should start to see improvement as far as the haziness in the sky the past several days.' The wildfire smokes is also concentrating in a small region of Nebraska around Blair and Blakely Township where levels are 'Unhealth for Sensitive Groups.' The Canadian province of Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, triggering mass evacuations in the area. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said: 'This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory.' 'The military is being called for help here because of the sheer scale of the 17,000 folks that we move relatively quickly.' So far this year, Manitoba has had 102 fires, which officials say is 'well above' the province's average of 77 by this time. Separately, wildfires in Alberta province have prompted a temporary shutdown of some oil and gas production and forced residents of at least one small town to evacuate . That region was affected on Wednesday by wildfires spanning 11.2 square miles near Chipewyan Lake, a small community in the northern part of the province approximately 81 miles west of the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Major US city hit with air quality emergency as toxic chemicals force thousands in doors
An air quality emergency has been issued in a Minnesota city, warning residents that any exposure could lead to serious health effects. Minneapolis and its suburbs are currently experiencing 'Very Unhealthy' air due to toxic wildfire smoke drifting in from Canada. Several large wildfires have been burning across British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba over the past week. Blaine, a suburb, currently has the worst air quality in the United States, followed by nearby Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Savage. More than 3.6 million Americans are under the alerts. All of Minnesota is under some level of air quality alert, which officials say will remain in effect through midday Wednesday. Meteorologists warn that due to the size and scope of the Canadian wildfires, Minnesota is likely to face intermittent smoky skies for several more days. Smoke from over 160 active Canadian wildfires is also creating public health concerns in Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. These areas are experiencing conditions classified as from 'Unhealth' to 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,' posing risks to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions. The US Air Quality Index (AQI) considers a value of 50 or below to be 'good' air quality. But current readings in Blaine have reached 253, placing it deep in the 'Very Unhealthy' range. Saint Paul sits at 234, Minneapolis at 210, and Savage at 204, all of which are also hazardous to health. These elevated levels are expected to persist through Tuesday afternoon, before gradually dropping into the 100s, a range still considered 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,' through Wednesday. The official air quality forecast indicates that conditions are expected to improve to healthy levels by Thursday. Eastern Iowa, from Burlington to Maquoketa, is currently experiencing unhealthy air quality, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Parts of northern and western Iowa are listed under a moderate air quality ranking. The region's AQI is ranging from 151 to 200, while moderate levels sit from 51 to 100. Meteorologists said showers and thunderstorms are expected in the coming days that will push some of the smoke out of the area. Brooke Hagenhoff, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Des Moines, told Des Moines Register: 'With this incoming system, that's going to help push a lot of the smoke off to the east, so with that we should start to see improvement as far as the haziness in the sky the past several days.' The wildfire smokes is also concentrating in a small region of Nebraska around Blair and Blakely Township where levels are 'Unhealth for Sensitive Groups.' The Canadian province of Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, triggering mass evacuations in the area. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said: 'This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory.' 'The military is being called for help here because of the sheer scale of the 17,000 folks that we move relatively quickly.' So far this year, Manitoba has had 102 fires, which officials say is 'well above' the province's average of 77 by this time. Separately, wildfires in Alberta province have prompted a temporary shutdown of some oil and gas production and forced residents of at least one small town to evacuate. That region was affected on Wednesday by wildfires spanning 11.2 square miles near Chipewyan Lake, a small community in the northern part of the province approximately 81 miles west of the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray. Canada experienced its worst wildfire season on record in 2023, when more than 45 million acres were lost. Huge swaths of the US , from the north east to the Great Lakes, were blanked in smog for several days as a result. New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged millions of residents to remain indoors as a sheet of smoke from the wildfires left hose in Manhattan unable to see the New Jersey skyline across the Hudson River. Similar air quality alerts were also issued in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, Virginia and the Carolinas.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
U.S. just radically changed its COVID vaccine recommendations: How will it affect you?
As promised, federal health officials have dropped longstanding recommendations that healthy children and healthy pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccines. "The COVID-19 vaccine schedule is very clear. The vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women. The vaccine is not recommended for healthy children," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a post on X on Friday. In formal documents, health officials offer "no guidance" on whether pregnant women should get the vaccine, and ask that parents talk with a healthcare provider before getting the vaccine for their children. The decision was done in a way that is still expected to require insurers to pay for COVID-19 vaccines for children should their parents still want the shots for them. The new vaccine guidelines were posted to the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear whether insurers will still be required under federal law to pay for vaccinations for pregnant women. The Trump administration's decision came amid criticism from officials at the nation's leading organizations for pediatricians and obstetricians. Some doctors said there is no new evidence to support removing the recommendation that healthy pregnant women and healthy children should get the COVID vaccine. "This situation continues to make things unclear and creates confusion for patients, providers and payers," the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement Friday. Earlier in the week, the group's president, Dr. Steven Fleischman, said the science hasn't changed, and that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and protects both the mom-to-be and their infants after birth. "It is very clear that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic," Fleischman said in a statement. Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, criticized the recommendation change as being rolled out in a "conflicting, confusing" manner, with "no explanation of the evidence used to reach their conclusions." "For many families, the COVID vaccine will remain an important way they protect their child and family from this disease and its complications, including long COVID," Kressly said in a statement. Some experts said the Trump administration should have waited to hear recommendations from a committee of doctors and scientists that typically advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on immunization recommendations, which is set to meet in late June. The California Department of Public Health on Thursday said it supported the longstanding recommendation that "COVID-19 vaccines be available for all persons aged 6 months and older who wish to be vaccinated." The changes come as the CDC has faced an exodus of senior leaders and has lacked an acting director. Typically, as was the case during the first Trump administration and in the Biden administration, it is the CDC director who makes final decisions on vaccine recommendations. The CDC director has traditionally accepted the consensus viewpoint of the CDC's panel of doctors and scientists serving on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Even with the longstanding recommendations, vaccination rates were relatively low for children and pregnant women. As of late April, 13% of children, and 14.4% of pregnant women, had received the latest updated COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC. About 23% of adults overall received the updated vaccine, as did 27.8% of seniors age 65 and over. The CDC estimates that since October, there have been 31,000 to 50,000 COVID deaths and between 270,000 and 430,000 COVID hospitalizations. Here are some key points about the CDC's decision: Previously, the CDC's guidance was simple: everyone ages 6 months and up should get an updated COVID vaccination. The most recent version was unveiled in September, and is officially known as the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine. As of Thursday, the CDC, on its pediatric immunization schedule page, says that for healthy children — those age 6 months to 17 years — decisions about COVID vaccination should come from "shared clinical decision-making," which is "informed by a decision process between the healthcare provider and the patient or parent/guardian." "Where the parent presents with a desire for their child to be vaccinated, children 6 months and older may receive COVID-19 vaccination, informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances," the CDC says. The vaccine-skeptic secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., contended in a video posted on Tuesday there was a "lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children." However, an earlier presentation by CDC staff said that, in general, getting an updated vaccine provides both children and adults additional protection from COVID-related emergency room and urgent care visits. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious diseases expert, said he would have preferred the CDC retain its broader recommendation that everyone age 6 months and up get the updated vaccine. "It's simpler," Chin-Hong said. He added there's no new data out there that to him suggests children shouldn't be getting the updated COVID vaccine. A guideline that involves "shared decision-making," Chin-Hong said, "is a very nebulous recommendation, and it doesn't result in a lot of people getting vaccines." Kressly, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the shared clinical decision-making model is challenging to implement "because it lacks clear guidance for the conversations between a doctor and a family. Doctors and families need straightforward, evidence-based guidance, not vague, impractical frameworks." Some experts had been worried that the CDC would make a decision that would've ended the federal requirement that insurers cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines for children. The out-of-pocket cost for a COVID-19 vaccine can reach around $200. In its adult immunization schedule for people who have medical conditions, the CDC now says it has "no guidance" on whether pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccine. In his 58-second video on Tuesday, Kennedy did not explain why he thought pregnant women should not be recommended to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Chin-Hong, of UCSF, called the decision to drop the vaccination recommendation for pregnant women "100%" wrong. Pregnancy brings with it a relatively compromised immune system. Pregnant women have "a high chance of getting infections, and they get more serious disease — including COVID," Chin-Hong said. A pregnant woman getting vaccinated also protects the newborn. "You really need the antibodies in the pregnant person to go across the placenta to protect the newborn," Chin-Hong said. It's especially important, Chin-Hong and others say, because infants under 6 months of age can't be vaccinated against COVID-19, and they have as high a risk of severe complications as do seniors age 65 and over. There are some questions that don't have immediate answers. Will some vaccine providers start requiring doctor's notes in order for healthy children and healthy pregnant women to get vaccinated? Will it be harder for children and pregnant women to get vaccinated at a pharmacy? In a statement, CVS Pharmacy said it "follows federal guidance and state law regarding vaccine administration and are monitoring any changes that the government may make regarding vaccine eligibility." The insurer Aetna, which is owned by CVS, is also monitoring any changes federal officials make to COVID-19 vaccine eligibility "and will evaluate whether coverage adjustments are needed." Blue Shield of California said it will not change its practices on covering COVID-19 vaccines. "Despite the recent federal policy change on COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children and pregnant women, Blue Shield of California will continue to cover COVID-19 vaccines for all eligible members," the insurer said in a statement. "The decision on whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is between our member and their provider. Blue Shield does not require prior authorization for COVID-19 vaccines." Under California law, health plans regulated by the state Department of Managed Health Care must cover COVID-19 vaccines without requiring prior authorization, the agency said Friday. "If consumers access these services from a provider in their health plan's network, they will not need to pay anything for these services," the statement said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What is gestational diabetes?
(NewsNation) — Diabetes affects the lives of tens of millions of Americans. Gestational diabetes is part of this total but specifically affects 5% to 9% of pregnant women in America, per the CDC. As the name suggests, it is a variant of diabetes that forms in a woman during pregnancy. Oftentimes, it develops around the 24th week of pregnancy in cases where the body is unable to produce adequate amounts of insulin to combat increased blood sugar levels. The increased blood sugar levels are a result of hormonal changes throughout the gestation period. Per the Centers for Disease Controla nd Prevention, symptoms often do not appear. If they do exist, they are generally mild and can involve urinating more frequently than usual and being thirstier than usual. The CDC recommends that women be tested to determine if they have gestational diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends losing extra weight before getting pregnant if you are overweight. Regularly being physically active before and during pregnancy can decrease the likelihood of developing gestational diabetes. If one develops gestational diabetes, the likelihood of type 2 diabetes can be heightened, but can be somewhat curtailed by making healthy choices, per the NIDDK. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bloomberg
26-05-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Climate Change Adds More Risks for Pregnancies
Hi it's Karoline in Singapore, where the average temperature last year tied for the warmest on record. This is dangerous for pregnant women. But before I explain ... Global warming is not just about the melting glaciers or the rising sea level. It's also a real health risk.
