11/15
Public Health
State laws are key to HIV prevention efforts
Data show that four of five people who could benefit from PrEP did not access the medication in 2018. A new study from Penn Nursing finds that states with comprehensive nondiscrimination laws for sexual and gender minorities have a higher PrEP-to-need ratio.
Belief in conspiracy theories is a barrier to controlling spread of COVID-19
Belief in conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic is not only persistent but also is associated with reluctance to accept a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available.
Pizza, a nascent dairy industry, and infant health in the Peruvian highlands
Research from anthropologist Morgan Hoke shows that in homes that produce their own foods, children exhibit better growth rates and mothers report more autonomy and economic control.
Ensuring an ethical path to a ‘warp speed’ vaccine
Penn scholars consider the ethical implications of the development and allocation of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Using PennOpen Pass for the early detection of COVID-19
The daily symptom tracker is a critical step in ongoing efforts to safely resume academic, research, and clinical activities across campus.
How misinformed vaccine beliefs affect policy views
There is broad support in the U.S. for pro-vaccination policies, but as many as 20% of Americans hold negative views about vaccines. The Annenberg Public Policy Center shows that such misinformed vaccine beliefs are the strongest driver of opposition to pro-vaccination public policies.
A data-driven approach to understanding domestic violence during the pandemic
Four takeaways from Penn researchers show there’s more to learn to protect those at risk for intimate partner violence.
Poultry in a pandemic: Getting the facts on keeping backyard flocks
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Penn Vet’s Sherrill Davison has seen an increase in phone calls from new flock owners looking for general management resources for their birds. Here, she offers health and safety advice for keeping flocks healthy.
Wide variation across hospitals in nurse staffing is threat to public’s health
Researchers at the Penn found that the understaffing at hospitals during the first surge of COVID patients has had adverse consequences on nurses and on patient care.
Iranian, American health experts share coronavirus experiences in rare talk
The coronavirus crisis and the move to online events presented Penn’s Middle East Center with a rare opportunity to foster the first public conversation about the virus between senior health officials in Iran and counterparts in the United States.
In the News
Got canker sores? Try switching your toothpaste
Richard Wender of the Perelman School of Medicine says that canker sores often start with a minor trauma to the mucosal lining, like a sharp edge on a tooth or a pair of prickly braces.
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Colorado has the most cases of bird flu among dairy cows in the U.S.
The School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a bird flu vaccine that is to be tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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FDA Study finds infectious H5N1 bird flu virus in 14% of raw milk samples
Patrick E. Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says it is important that anyone planning to consume raw milk be aware that doing so can make you sick and that pasteurization reduces the risk of milk-borne illnesses.
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This Juneteenth, we must invest in our future as well as remember our past
Victor Roy, an incoming assistant professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, writes that “baby bonds” could help mitigate the worsening racial wealth gap.
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Column: How a blunder by a respected medical journal is fueling an anti-vaccine lie
Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine says that even with a 100% effective vaccine, there would have been high levels of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in 2021.
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RFK Jr.’s vaccine misinformation campaign started after he ignored a Philly doctor
Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine and Melanie Kornides of the School of Nursing comment on Robert F. Kennedy’s misinformation campaign against vaccines.
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