CDC | The Pump Handle

Education Study: New method of mapping HIV transmission risk may be more efficient way to prevent infection

June 27, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Ideally, everyone should be tested for HIV. In reality, however, only about half of U.S. adults have ever been tested for HIV and about half of the 50,000 new infections that happen every year in the U.S. are transmitted by people who are unaware of their HIV status. Such statistics recently led a group of researchers to ask if there’s a more efficient way to go about curbing the HIV epidemic.

Food Safety & Nutrition Two new studies find food policy interventions have support and impact

June 10, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Five million dollars. That’s how much the fast food industry spends every day to peddle largely unhealthy foods to children. And because studies have found that exposure to food marketing does indeed make kids want to eat more, advertising is often tapped as an obvious way to address child obesity. Fortunately, a new study finds that the public agrees.

Government New research estimates that one in eight U.S. children will experience maltreatment

June 6, 2014 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

Researcher Christopher Wildeman has spent his whole career describing and quantifying the more unpleasant parts of people’s lives and his latest study on the surprising prevalence of childhood maltreatment is no exception. Still, there is a bit of a silver lining.

California Where you live may be hazardous to your health: Two reports show “place matters”

June 4, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman

Where you live may be hazardous to your health. This is the conclusion of several new reports including one by the Environmental Justice and Health Alliance for Chemical Reform that shows who lives in US communities most vulnerable to hazardous chemical exposures and the CDC’s latest examination of health disparities.

Injury Control & Violence CDC data chronicles role of ladders in occupational falls

April 30, 2014 Kim Krisberg

Climbing the corporate ladder is usually associated with promotions, salary raises and executive offices. But for many workers, the common metaphor is part of a real-life job description with real-life risks.

Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Study: Every $1 invested in childhood vaccines saves $10 (and thousands of lives)

March 14, 2014 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

It’s not the first study to examine the enormous health and economic benefits of vaccines. But it’s certainly another impressive reminder about the power — and value — of prevention.

Environmental Health Stopping chemical catastrophes: Can we do better than calling for stronger storage tanks?

February 25, 2014 Elizabeth Grossman

More than a month after the Freedom Industries chemical spill in West Virginia, it remains unclear if Charleston’s water is truly safe to drink and what the health consequences of exposure to these chemicals may be. Legislation has been introduced that calls for more inspections, better tank construction, overflow containment and emergency response. But why not go beyond and also call for safer chemistry?

Education Study: Economic burden of West Nile virus estimated at $778 million

February 14, 2014 Kim Krisberg 2Comment

Most people infected with mosquito-borne West Nile virus don’t experience any symptoms at all. However, the tiny percentage of cases that do end up in the hospital total hundreds of millions of dollars in medical costs and lost productivity.

Affordable Care Act Massachusetts study: High demand for publicly funded family planning services, despite near universal insurance

February 7, 2014 Kim Krisberg 3Comment

Higher insurance rates don’t mean people stop seeking care at publically funded health centers, found a recent study of family planning clinics in Massachusetts. The findings speak to serious concerns within public health circles that policy-makers may point to higher insurance rates as a justification to cut critical public health funding.

Cancer Silica exposures in fracking : Over 60 percent of workers may be excessively exposed

November 21, 2013 Elizabeth Grossman

At least 1.7 million US workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica each year, this according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). These exposures occur in a variety of industries, among them construction, sandblasting, mining, masonry, stone and quarry work, and in the rapidly expanding method of oil and gas extraction […]

Liz Borkowski, MPH	Celeste Monforton, DrPH,
Kim Krisberg	Garrett Brown