Respiratory viruses are increasing among children, and are occurring earlier than usual; one can cause a debilitating condition

CDC graph shows share of outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses, by week of the year. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News With common respiratory viruses on the rise among children, doctors are concerned that the viruses are showing up earlier in this year, says Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale, chief medical officer...

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Bedbugs, long thought to pose no risk to human health, produce large amounts of inflammatory histamines, UK researchers find

Bedbugs in an entomology lab (Photo by Matt Barron, UK) By Haley Simpkins University of Kentucky Bedbugs produce large amounts of histamine that may pose risks to humans, entomologists at the University of Kentucky and North Carolina State University have discovered in a study.  Histamines are naturally...

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New cases of Covid-19 in Kentucky continue to decrease, but cases among young people are up and the east remains hot

New York Times map, adapted by Kentucky Health News By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Every metric of the pandemic in Kentucky fell last week, but while the number of new coronavirus cases was dropping, the number of those in Kentuckians 18 and younger increased by almost a third.  The state's report for...

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Most Kentucky counties don't have enough primary-care doctors

Kentucky Primary Care Association map, adapted by Kentucky Health News Most of Kentucky's rural counties and some of its metropolitan areas have too few primary-care doctors and they are leaving faster than they can be replaced, Sarah Ladd reports for the Louisville Courier Journal. All told, 94 percent of the counties...

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With the important exceptions of vaping and marijuana, substance abuse among U.S. teenagers has been going down

With the exceptions of cannabis use and vaping, substance abuse among American teens is going down, according to a recent study.  Published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use and Misuse, the study examined data from more than half a million adolescents in 1991-2019 from the national Monitoring the Future...

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UK Extension program to address farmer suicide and mental-health issues expands to include young people and nurses

Farmer Dinner Theater helps farm families discuss mental health and suicide issues, through dramatic performances by local youth. (Photo by Steve Patton, UK Agriculture Communications) An initiative that was originally designed to address farmer suicide has expanded to address mental health issues and suicide...

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Abortion-rights supporters report raising more funds than backers of anti-abortion ballot measure; Lexington mayor opposes it

By Al CrossKentucky Health News Abortion is on Kentucky's ballot. The state's portal for requesting an absentee ballot opened Saturday, Sept. 24, and the ballot will have this question: Are you in favor of amending the Constitution of Kentucky by creating a new Section of the Constitution to be numbered Section 26A to state...

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State launches campaign to promote vaccines for Covid-19, flu

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Working to get ahead of what is expected to be a severe flu and Covid-19 season, the state has started a campaign to encourage Kentuckians to get vaccinated against both viruses.  The effort is part of a million-dollar partnership between the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky...

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Latest Covid-19 risk map shows the number of Kentucky counties at high or medium risk dropped 24% in the past week

CDC map, adapted by Kentucky Health News By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The weekly pandemic risk map for Kentucky improved again Thursday, as the number of counties at elevated risk of Covid-19 dropped 24 percent.  Only a few Kentucky counties moved into higher risk categories on the latest Centers for...

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UK creates Cannabis Research Center, following new state law

Cannabis research at UK (UK photo by Arden Barnes) By Elizabeth ChapinUniversity of Kentucky The University of Kentucky is home to a new center that will advance research on the medical use of cannabis. The UK Cannabis Center will conduct research on the health effects of cannabis, including its risks and benefits...

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New Covid-19 cases in Ky. hit a plateau, but in Eastern Kentucky it's a very high plateau, and part of the nation's biggest hotspot

Ky. Health News graph from state data; click to enlarge By Al Cross Kentucky Health News New cases of the coronavirus in Kentucky hit a plateau last week after declining for four of the last five weeks, but the number of Kentucky hospital patients with Covid-19 fell 22 percent, according to the weekly report from...

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Here are some simple tips to help you stay healthier as you age

Photo illustration from iStock/Getty Images Plus By Kelly ParsonsUniversity of Kentucky What goes up and never comes down? Your age! September is Healthy Aging Month, an observance designed to celebrate the positive aspects of growing older. Keeping in touch with your neighbors, community and world around lowers...

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Commission handling opioid-abatement settlement funds will have its first town-hall meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday in Pikeville

The first in a series of town-hall meetings by state commission overseeing distribution of $478 million Kentucky received in a settlement with drug makers is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19 in Pikeville. The meeting will be held by the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission at The Overlook, 891 Bob Amos Drive. The meeting agenda is available here. After the commission is introduced and its work is explained, it will hear comments...

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More than 50,000 in Medicare prescription program had a drug overdose last year; up 15%, about same as overall increase in Ky.

HHS graph, adapted by Kentucky Health News By Al CrossKentucky Health News At least 50,391 Americans in Medicare Part D, which pays for prescription drugs, had an overdose from prescription opioids, illicit opioids, or both during 2021, though fewer of them were prescribed opioids, says a report from...

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In Ky. Court of Appeals, Anthem loses battle to keep Medicaid managed-care contract; 177,000 could need a new health insurer

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2022/09/15/kentucky-medicaid-contracts-upheld-by-court-anthem-is-out-as-mco/69494863007...

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Covid-19 map for Kentucky shows 41 counties with less risk than last week, but Eastern Coal Field remains almost fully high-risk

CDC map, adapted by Kentucky Health News; click on it to enlarge. By Al CrossKentucky Health News The weekly Covid-19 risk map for Kentucky took a solid turn for the better Thursday, as more than a third of the state's counties had a lower risk level than a week earlier. Only two counties, Barren and Trigg, showed...

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Beshears get new Covid-19 booster shots designed to protect against recent variants of the coronavirus

The governor gets a shot as the first lady watches. (State photo) Gov. Andy Beshear and his wife, Britainy Beshear, got the newly updated bivalent Covid-19 booster vaccine Wednesday in the rotunda of the state Capitol. Beshear encouraged Kentuckians to get vaccinated and boosted, and called on leaders in government,...

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About 400 people a day still die from Covid-19 in the U.S., but most deaths are preventable by vaccinations and booster shots

Graph from Your Local Epidemiologist Covid-19 is still the third leading cause of death in America, killing about 400 people a day, largely the unvaccinated and those 65 and older. The deaths are largely preventable since most are among unvaccinated people, epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina writes in her newsletter,...

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