A recent study found that tampons from popular brands in the U.S. contain arsenic, lead, and other toxic substances. The researchers wrote, "Tampon use is a potential source of metal exposure…Our findings point towards the need for regulations requiring the testing of metals in tampons by manufacturers....
July is Minority Mental Health Month, also known as BIPOC Mental Health Month. In the past week, several social media posts and blog posts called attention to the barriers to mental health care that BIPOC face and shared therapy resources specifically for BIPOC. On July 8, several social media posts...
A recent Instagram post and a Reddit thread have sparked online conversation about fentanyl. On July 3, the CDC shared an image on Instagram showing the difference between a positive and negative result on a fentanyl test strip. The post received 3,269 likes as of July 11. In the...
On July 3, a Colorado dairy farm worker became the fourth person to contract H5N1 bird flu in the U.S. this year. The person only reported eye symptoms and has fully recovered after treatment. The CDC reported that the risk to humans remains low and that farm workers who...
Last week, a Tennessee woman who had been fired from Blue Cross Blue Shield for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine won a $700,000 settlement. Within a day, news of the settlement spread across multiple news outlets and social media platforms. Some social media users called the woman a...
Last week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) announced that as of July 1, the state had 126 cases of whooping cough—more than double the number of cases last year—and recommended that residents stay up to date on whooping cough vaccines. WDHS shared its recommendations on social...
On June 24, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a 2021 Connecticut law that does not allow religious exemptions for vaccine mandates in schools, colleges, and daycare facilities. The “health freedom” group that filed the lawsuit argued that the law violated parents’ religious freedom. Within a day, news of...
Vaccine opponents are circulating a new Italian study that claims to have found a decrease in life expectancy following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. The study assessed death from any cause in people who were unvaccinated and those who had received one or more vaccine doses, finding that a higher number of...
A widely-circulated blog post falsely claims that routine childhood vaccines have few benefits and many serious side effects. The article argues that vaccines are unnecessary because childhood diseases are no longer a threat and repeats myths about the safety of many vaccines. Recommendation: Trending conversations about recommended vaccines for children...
In late June, the CDC recommended that people 6 months and older receive updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines in the fall. Social media posts in English and Spanish criticized the recommendation, arguing that the vaccines are unnecessary and unsafe. Recommendation: The CDC’s new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations provide an opportunity...
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