HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

September 20, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

SCIENCE AND TECH

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

Study: Nearly 8 million kids lost a parent/primary caregiver to the pandemic (NPR) 

A new international study  estimates that from January 1, 2020, to May, 1, 2022, nearly 8 million kids age 18 and under lost a parent or primary caregiver to a pandemic-related cause. When the researchers included the deaths of secondary caregivers like grandparents or other older relatives, the number of kids affected rose to 10.5 million.

Omicron booster shots in California: Am I eligible? Where can I get it? How quickly? (Los Angeles Times)

New COVID-19 booster shots are rolling out in California after federal officials greenlighted a new vaccination formula targeting the latest dominant Omicron subvariants as well as the original coronavirus strain. 

 

New York declares 'state of emergency' as polio continues to spread (Politico)

New York declared a state disaster emergency Friday after poliovirus was detected in wastewater samples from Long Island, signaling growing community spread of the virus which can cause paralytic disease.

Puzzling trend: large proportion of monkeypox cases have happened in people with HIV (NPR) 

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that a disproportionate number of people who are contracting monkeypox in the U.S. are also HIV-positive.

How to Raise a Pig for Its Organs   (Slate)

Xenotransplantation could be the future—if only the pigs could be kept virus-free.

SCIENCE AND TECH

China Discovers Stunning Crystal on the Moon, Nuclear Fusion Fuel for Limitless Energy  (Vice.com)

The find makes China the third country to discover a new mineral on the Moon, and the country says it's analyzed the soil for rare helium-3.

Musk's lawyer urges judge to delay Twitter trial due to whistleblower (Reuters)

A trial over Elon Musk's bid to end his $44 billion deal for Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) should be delayed by several weeks to allow the billionaire to investigate a whistleblower's claims about security on the social media platform, Musk's lawyer told a judge on Tuesday.

Next gen hard hats give better protection against head injury (NPR)

A new generation of hard hats is promising better protection against on-the-job concussions, also known as mild traumatic brain injuries. These hard hats incorporate technology that not only protects the head from a direct impact, but also from a glancing blow that causes the head to rotate suddenly – a major cause of concussions.