Parents should boil water, add formula, and then wait. Researchers found that not following these steps — which isn’t spelled out in packaging instructions — could lead to serious illness in infants. More public health news is on Omega-3 in adults and children, a covid surge, and more.
Newsweek:
Parents Warned Against Deadly Bacteria In Infant Formula
Parents of newborns are being urged to take extra care when preparing powdered infant formula after new research revealed that the ambiguity of many current instructions may leave babies vulnerable to a deadly foodborne bacteria. The study, published in the Journal of Food Protection by Cornell University researchers, highlights dangerous gaps in the guidelines printed on formula packaging. (Gray, 8/20)
Newsweek:
Alzheimer’s: Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Protect Women From Disease
Omega-3 fatty acids could help to protect women against Alzheimer’s—with women “disproportionately impacted” by the disease compared to men. It seems there is a noticeable loss of unsaturated fats, like those that contain omega fatty acids, in the blood of women with Alzheimer’s disease compared to healthy women. Scientists from King’s College London came to this discovery through analysis of lipids—fat molecules that perform many essential functions in the body. (Millington, 8/20)
MedPage Today:
Higher Omega-3 Intake Linked To Lower Myopia Risk In Kids
Higher dietary intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was associated with a reduced risk of myopia in children, according to findings from a population-based study in Hong Kong. Among over 1,000 children, axial length was longest — indicating myopia — in the lowest quartile group of dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake compared with the highest quartile group, reported Jason C. Yam, MBBS, MPH, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. (Dotinga, 8/19)
The Hill:
Tick-Borne Illness Leads To Rise In Meat, Dairy Allergies
Emergency room visits have spiked across the Midwest this summer as millions of Americans grapple with tick bites, but a lesser-known tick-borne illness is causing particular alarm in some communities. Alpha-gal syndrome, transmitted by the lone star tick, creates severe allergies to meat and dairy products that can last for years. The condition essentially forces people to adopt vegan diets, with some patients experiencing life-threatening reactions even to the smell of cooking meat. (Menezes and Vargas, 8/20)
The New York Times:
Why Covid Cases Are Up This Summer
Covid cases are climbing again this summer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s forecasting model estimates that infections are growing, or likely growing, in most states. While the agency is reporting low levels of the virus in wastewater nationally, some states, including Texas, Utah and Nevada, are showing very high concentrations of Covid in their wastewater. Emergency department visits linked to Covid are rising, too. (Blum, 8/20)
Stat:
Study Challenges Assumptions About Brain Change After Amputation
Neuroscientists have long held that the brain reorganizes itself when a body part is amputated. A new study says that’s not the case. (Paulus, 8/21)
KFF Health News:
How Older People Are Reaping Brain Benefits From New Tech
It started with a high school typing course. Wanda Woods enrolled because her father advised that typing proficiency would lead to jobs. Sure enough, the federal Environmental Protection Agency hired her as an after-school worker while she was still a junior. Her supervisor “sat me down and put me on a machine called a word processor,” Woods, now 67, recalled. “It was big and bulky and used magnetic cards to store information. I thought, ‘I kinda like this.’” (Span, 8/21)
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.