HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

October 25, 2024 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future

HEALTH

• What we know about the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak investigation (CNN)
• IV fluid supplies in US disrupted by Hurricane Helene (BBC)
• CDC updates COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for older adults (The Hill)
• Worst U.S. whooping cough outbreak in a decade has infected thousands  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• TikTok sued by 14 states over alleged harm to children’s mental health (CNN)
• Inside the TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting ‘attractive’ people (NPR)
• In an engineering feat, mechanical SpaceX arms catch Starship rocket booster back at the launch pad  (AP)

SpaceX pulled off the boldest test flight yet of its enormous Starship rocket on Sunday, catching the returning booster back at the launch pad with mechanical arms.

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HEALTH

What we know about the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak investigation (CNN)

An E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has led to at least 49 illnesses across 10 states, including one death. Here’s what we know.

IV fluid supplies in US disrupted by Hurricane Helene (BBC)

Hospitals across the US could see their intravenous (IV) fluid supplies dwindle after a plant involved in producing IV solutions for one of the country’s largest manufacturers was flooded as a result of Hurricane Helene.

CDC updates COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for older adults (The Hill)

n its latest guidance, released Wednesday, the CDC recommends that adults aged 65 and older, as well as individuals with weakened immune systems, receive a second dose of the updated vaccine six months after their last shot. People who are immunocompromised may require even more doses, depending on their personal health and doctor’s advice... The CDC also noted that getting the updated vaccine can help protect against newer variants and reduce the risk of Long COVID,

Worst U.S. whooping cough outbreak in a decade has infected thousands  (NPR)

Whooping cough is spreading nationwide at the highest levels since 2014. There have been more than 16,000 cases this year — more than four times as many U.S. whooping cough outbreak is the worst in a decade compared to the same time last year — and two confirmed deaths. And experts are concerned that the outbreak could worsen in the fall and winter months.

SCIENCE AND TECH

TikTok sued by 14 states over alleged harm to children’s mental health (CNN)

A bipartisan group of 14 attorneys general from across the country filed lawsuits on Tuesday against TikTok, alleging that the platform has “addicted” young people and harmed their mental health.  The lawsuits take issue with various elements of the TikTok platform, including its endlessly scrolling feed of content, TikTok “challenge” videos that sometimes encourage users to engage in risky behavior and late-night push notifications that the attorneys general claim can disrupt kids’ sleep.

Inside the TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting ‘attractive’ people (NPR)

Here are a few more of the most serious, and previously unreported, allegations against TikTok, the wildly popular app that is used by around 170 million people in the U.S.

In an engineering feat, mechanical SpaceX arms catch Starship rocket booster back at the launch pad  (AP)

SpaceX pulled off the boldest test flight yet of its enormous Starship rocket on Sunday, catching the returning booster back at the launch pad with mechanical arms.