The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission has released its annual End-of-Season Air Quality Report, analyzing air quality trends from November 2023 to October 2024. Brandi Whetstone, MORPC’s director of Sustainability, said the majority of the 2023-24 season delivered reports within the Good Air Quality Index range, though there was a decline from the previous season. “The [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — This year’s flu season — the most intense in 15 years — has federal health officials trying to understand if it sparked an increase in a rare but life-threatening brain complication in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 19,000 people have died from the flu so far this winter, [...]
Supplies of high-demand obesity treatments are increasing, but that doesn’t mean it’s easier to get them. Many employers and insurers are scaling back coverage of Wegovy and Zepbound, and a key government program, Medicare, doesn’t cover the drugs for obesity. Some big employers, meanwhile, are adding coverage, but their commitment isn’t guaranteed. Treatment prices that [...]
Researchers say an Ohio State University-led study validates the premise that the relative safety of a generic drug is linked to where it is manufactured. Study co-author John Gray, a professor of operations at the university’s Fisher College of Business, said the data illustrated that all generic drugs are not equal, despite patients often being [...]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — On a recent Sunday, Tracy Quinn drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to assess damage wrought upon the coastline by the Palisades Fire. The water line was darkened by ash. Burnt remnants of washing machines and dryers and metal appliances were strewn about the shoreline. Sludge carpeted the water’s edge. Waves [...]
Medications that have transformed the treatment of obesity may also help people drink less alcohol, according to new government-funded research. The study was small — just 48 adults — and lasted a little more than two months, so it’s not the final word. Experts say it’s not yet clear how safe these drugs are for [...]
NEW YORK (AP) — The winter virus season is in full force, and by one measure is the most intense in 15 years. One indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Two weeks ago, that number was higher than the peak of any winter flu season since [...]
A study of the carbon-storing capacity of a wetland area along the Olentangy River north of the Ohio State campus revealed that man-made features of the ecosystem diminish over time in their ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon. According to a news release, university researchers examined soil core samples taken from two constructed freshwater [...]
Dairy cattle in Nevada have been infected with a new type of bird flu that’s different from the version that has spread in herds since last year, Agriculture Department officials said last week. The detection indicates that distinct forms of the virus known as Type A H5N1 have spilled over from wild birds into cattle [...]
Andrea Meneses stumbled on a direct primary-care clinic because of a crisis. Her grandmother, visiting Wisconsin from Bolivia, did not have insurance but needed to see a doctor fast. One of the grandchildren accidentally put her insulin in the freezer instead of the refrigerator. Meneses reached out to friends in a panic and one recommended [...]