Even if you’ve been deliberately trying to follow the recent events transpiring between Juul e-cigarettes and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it can be hard to keep up.  Here’s what you need to know about the public health effects of e-cigarettes (also known as electronic cigarettes, vape pens, or vaping devices), the status of the FDA ban on Juul e-cigarettes, and whether e-cigarettes have been able to establish themselves as a method of tobacco cessation, and what is most likely to happen next.  The Significance of E-Cigarettes When it Comes to Public Health  Juul’s e-cigarettes,...

For parents and caregivers of children under the age of 5, the wait is finally over. As of June 17, 2022, two COVID-19 vaccines have been given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The paths to obtaining EUA were slightly different for each of the two vaccines—Moderna & Pfizer-BioNTech—and each series does have slight differences.  Here’s what you need to know about how the FDA approved COVID-19 vaccines for EUA in children younger than 5, the differences between the two choices, the safety profiles of both options, and how to prepare...

World Hepatitis Day (WHD) takes place every year on July 28th, bringing the world together under a theme to raise awareness of the global burden of hepatitis and to influence real change. The theme for WHD is “I Can’t Wait” because preventing and treating hepatitis can’t wait.  WHD is observed annually on July 28th, the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg (1925-2011). Dr. Blumberg discovered the hepatitis B virus (HBV) virus in 1967 and then two years later developed the first HBV vaccine and won the Nobel Prize for those achievements.  WHD is coming at an interesting time as the world is currently...

Have you ever wondered when your next meal is going to come? Well, 10% of the US population does as they suffer from food insecurity. Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of safe and nutritionally adequate foods or the limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. Food insecurity in the US is linked to a variety of health issues, such as greater risks of birth defects, obesity, anemia, lower nutrient intake, cognitive issues, asthma, poor oral health, and a heightened risk of mental and behavioral health issues in children.  Food insecurity...

You may be familiar with some of the initiatives taken to help keep as many people as possible insured during the rapid crescendo of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these safety net measures are still in place more than two years later. Though the SARS-CoV-2 virus still endures, the crisis moment of the pandemic appears to be coming to a close. This means that health insurance coverage may be changing for many people, especially those who were enrolled in Medicaid throughout this COVID-19 public health emergency.  Here’s what you need to know about how Medicaid coverage was extended during the...