Tag: Persp

Here We Go . . . Misinformation on the Rise

For Long COVID, Stock Up On … Crushed Worms?

Earthworm extract. Horse dewormer. Blood washing.

They’re just a few of the unorthodox, expensive, and potentially harmful so-called treatments being purchased by long COVID sufferers desperate for relief from debilitating symptoms. Frustrated by the slow pace of government-sponsored science and months-long clinic waits, some long COVID patients are seeking remedies—primarily unproven and unregulated—on their own. . .

Twitter content policy change fuels rise in misinformation

As of last week, Twitter has stopped enforcing its COVID-19 misinformation policy, which allowed users to flag content promoting false or misleading information about COVID-19 for review and potential removal from the platform.

Twitter’s COVID-19 guidelines were launched in January 2020 to combat misinformation in real time and make it easier for users to find accurate information about COVID-19 on the platform. The rules, while imperfect, have led to the suspension of over 11,000 accounts circulating COVID-19 misinformation. With the end of the policy, some large accounts that fueled early waves of COVID-19 misinformation and contributed to enduring vaccine hesitancy have returned to the site. Other prominent anti-vaccine accounts that have been flagged by public health and fact-checking organizations are expected to return soon.  Public Health Communications Collaborative  11/29/22

It's More Than Just a Number

If asked to predict life expectancy, you might think to factor in genetics, habits, gender, or even profession. But a strong determinant of life expectancy is simply a five-letter zip code.

The average life expectancy in the United States of America is 77 years old, but there is significant variation in that average if you look at individual neighborhoods. The data shows that life expectancy gaps in neighborhoods within the same city can be as drastic as 30 years.

Access to healthy food, medical care, stable jobs, quality education, and safe housing is not equitably distributed or available across all neighborhoods. Residents of low-income communities are more likely to develop chronic health conditions and be less healthy than their higher-earning counterparts.

Like with everything in life, statistics and averages do not have to define an individual. We must, as a society, create equitable opportunities for health and well-being regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or geography.

Learn more at  Zip Codes are connected to life expectancy. @helunahealth.org

Pamela Chitwood, Population Health Community Coordinator, Pamela.chitwood@vdh.virginia.gov 540-484-0292 ext. 223

Monkeypox Name Change: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it will adopt “mpox” in place of the “monkeypox” naming convention. Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while “monkeypox” is phased out. Mpox will become a preferred term, replacing monkeypox, after a transition period of one year.

• • WHO will adopt the term “mpox” in its communications, and encourages others to follow these recommendations, to minimize any ongoing negative impact of the current name and from adoption of the new name.
  • Reasoning for this change included “rationale, scientific appropriateness, extent of current usage, pronounceability, usability in different languages, absence of geographical or zoological references, and the ease of retrieval of historical scientific information.” Virginia Department of Health – 11/28/22

Epidemiology is the science at center of public health.

Not Vaccinated for MMR? Think Again . . .

There were 46 cases in Greater Columbus (Ohio) as of last Wednesday, according to the Columbus Public Health dashboard.... "The message is clear: If you have a child who is 12 months of age and older and has not received their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, please make every effort you can do to get them vaccinated this week," …. All 46 children were unvaccinated for the measles, with 19 hospitalized for the illness. Fifty-four percent of infections have occurred in children between the ages of 1 and 2, and 17% of cases occurred in children between the ages of 3 and 5. Eighteen of those cases occurred at schools and day cares….

About one in five people in the U.S. who get measles will be hospitalized, according to the CDC. About one in 1,000 people who contract the measles could develop brain swelling, which could lead to serious brain damage, according to the agency…..The disease is also highly contagious as around 90% of unvaccinated individuals who are exposed to measles will become infected, according to Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health. Symptoms of the measles include fever, cough, rash, runny nose and red or watery eyes.  The Columbus Dispatch 11/30/22