You may be one of the 42.9 million people who got the flu last season. Perhaps you were among the over 645,000 people hospitalized due to the flu. Or maybe you even knew one of the 61,200 people who died from flu-related causes, according to CDC estimates. Today, health experts are bracing for the next flu season. Flu activity in the U.S. begins around October and runs through May, so now is the time to get your flu shot! “We know it isn’t perfect, but we need to emphasize the importance of partial protection,” says Dr. William Schaffner, director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “If you get the shot and you still get the flu, you are less likely to get pneumonia, less likely to be hospitalized and less likely to die.”
This is especially ...
One of America’s highest Latino-populated cities now has a strategy to address the climate crisis. Earlier this month, the San Antonio (64% Latino) City Council passed Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) by a 10-1 vote. It outlines objectives that will aim to reduce the city’s greenhouse emissions by 2050 and achieve climate equity for all populations. This plan follows in suit with many cities across the U.S. that are taking personal responsibility for its role in the climate crisis. “We declare that we will not be bystanders,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said, according to the Rivard Report. “In no simpler terms, here and around the world, we are in a climate emergency.”
What Does the Climate Action Plan Say?
The main goal is to make the city and its ...
Sadly, many rural residents struggle with lung problems. COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, includes lung diseases like emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and non-reversible asthma. This condition is characterized by increasing breathlessness. But there are ways to help rural communities prevent and manage COPD, and help people breathe easier. That's why the Rural Health Information Hub (RHI Hub) created a new toolkit to compile evidence-based models and resources to help rural leaders implement COPD programs in their communities. "Each rural health program designed to treat COPD is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all implementation strategy," according to RHI Hub's toolkit. "Successful programs identify existing resources and best practices and tailor them to ...
The CDC Foundation is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients program by launching new bilingual resources to improve support for Latino and all cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
How Infection Can Happen During Cancer Treatment
If you are getting chemotherapy, you may be at risk for getting an infection. This risk is highest when your white blood cell count is at its lowest (called neutropenia). White blood cells are the body's main defense against infections. An infection during chemotherapy can lead to treatment delays, hospitalization, and sometimes death. About 650,000 U.S. cancer patients get chemotherapy in an outpatient oncology clinic each year. More than 100,000 are hospitalized because of an infection, according to the ...
In October 2019, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed a new law that requires restaurants to make healthy drinks the default drink in kid's meals, over sugary sodas. Kid's meals now will offer a choice of water, nonfat/low-fat milk, or 100% juice. Sugary drinks are not banned. Instead, customers must specifically request them. “Ensuring that these healthy beverage options are available to families is a step in the right direction toward the health and well-being of our city’s children,” said City Council Member Blondell Reynolds Brown, who introduced the law, in a statement.
Why Does Philadelphia Need Healthier Kid's Meals?
About 66% of American children drink at least one sugary beverage a day. Sugary drink consumption contributes to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular ...
Nearly 2 of 3 U.S. children's drinks sold in 2018 were unhealthy fruit drinks and flavored waters with added sugars and/or diet sweeteners, according to Children’s Drink FACTS 2019, a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. In fact, none of the 34 top-selling children's sugary drinks met expert recommendations for healthy drinks for children. These unhealthy drink sales complicate health equity for Latino and black children, who are targeted more with sugary drink marketing and have higher rates of sugary drink consumption. They face obesity, higher rates of cavities (57% of all Latino kids have cavities), and other health conditions as a result. "Beverage companies have said they want to be part of the solution to childhood obesity, but they continue to ...
Youth sports are a great way to help kids get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day. But only about half of U.S. kids participate on a youth sports team. Latinos or other racial/ethnic minorities, girls, rural, low-income, and/or youth with disabilities all have lower rates of both physical activity and youth sports participation, data show. For Latinos, cost and local access to places to play are big barriers to youth sports equity. Fortunately, the new federal National Youth Sports Strategy outlines opportunities for youth, adults, organizations, communities, and policymakers to improve youth sports equity. "[The strategy] aims to unify U.S. youth sports culture around a shared vision: that one day all youth will have the opportunity, motivation, and access ...
At least 1 in 6 Latinos in the U.S. live with a disability. Nearly 40% of these individuals are classified as obese, according to the CDC. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This is a good time to reflect on policies and solutions to help communities come together to support disabled individuals through inclusive programs and strategies. We must work to make workplaces, homes, stores, streets and public spaces accessible to everyone. Let's tweet with #SaludTues on Oct. 29, 2019, to share ways to work towards inclusion for disabled individuals and all! We'll also celebrate the accomplishments of disabled individuals and discuss employment opportunities. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: "National Disability Employment Awareness Month"
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ...
Days after Salud America! members helped flood USDA with comments to protect the SNAP food assistance program, the comment period has reopened after a controversial new report. Comments now can be submitted until Nov. 1, 2019. The reopened comment period comes after a surprise release of USDA data that advocates say underscores the deep harm of its proposed rule to limit access to the SNAP. The change would eliminate food assistance for 3.1 million people and jeopardize free school meals for nearly 1 million kids, according to the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). “Even for those who remain eligible, forcing low-income families to navigate the burdensome paperwork will inevitably lead to eligible children losing access to a critical source of daily nutrition,” said ...
