India's southern state of Kerala is currently facing an outbreak of the rare, but potentially serious Nipah virus with at least two deaths so far, according to local reports. Dr. Peter Rabinowitz, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

The inhaled vaccine technology being developed at Yale cannot be sprayed from the sky in a “chemtrail,” as a social media post suggests. Inhaled vaccines require measured doses delivered directly into the nose. Experts agreed spraying a vaccine from airplanes is not feasible or ethical. Dr. Christopher Sanford, associate professor of global health and of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.

A week after publishing a study on the impact of drug use in the air on public transit, researchers from the UW are pushing back on claims that their work shows there is no risk from the levels of meth and fentanyl residue on board. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

In a landmark development for medical research and public health, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center has been selected as the national coordinating center for an ambitious study focusing on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), a news release stated. The study’’ primary objective is to delve into the risk factors contributing to cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, mental health issues, and other chronic health conditions affecting AANHPI populations.

The leadership team at the coordinating center includes Dr. James Floyd, a cardiovascular epidemiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine; and Dr. Kwun Chuen (Gary) Chan, a professor in the University of Washington Department of Biostatistics and Department of Health Systems and Population Health, and associate director of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, along with Dr. Garnet Anderson, senior vice president and director of Fred Hutch’s Public Health Sciences Division.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended that all Americans ages 6 months and older receive updated COVID shots from Pfizer and Moderna, clearing the way for Americans to start receiving the shots within days. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.

Virtually all Americans should get an updated coronavirus shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday, with the vaccines expected to become available within 48 hours — as the respiratory illness season looms. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.

The Seattle City Council is on the verge of approving new legislation to codify a state law on drug possession. But not after a couple of last-minute amendments in the Council’s public safety committee. A UW study is referenced.

Fentanyl and methamphetamine are in the air and on surfaces in mass transit buses and trains here in the northwest. That's according to UW researchers they studied mass transit in the Seattle and Portland areas.

As our summers become hotter and our skies fill with wildfire smoke, Western Washington seemingly gets deeper into a climate crisis. PBS discusses this with Dan Jaffe, professor of environmental chemistry at UW Bothell; Nicholas Bond, a research scientist at the UW and the Washington State Climatologist; and Brian Harvey, assistant professor of environmental and forest sciences at the UW. A UW report on extreme heat is also referenced.

Airborne fentanyl residues were found in a quarter of Seattle and Portland light-rail transit vehicles tested this spring, while methamphetamine appeared in them all, said a UW study. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is mentioned.

The union leader representing Seattle's transit operators says, "Smoking drugs on public transportation should not be considered acceptable," following the results of a UW study that found traces of fentanyl and methamphetamine on buses and trains.

Researchers are recommending upgrading air filters on buses and trains after finding trace amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine on public transit in and around Seattle. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

The UW ran a study to see if drug smoke from fentanyl and methamphetamine is affecting transit operators and passengers.

"Anemia is a major health problem, with nearly 2 billion people affected globally. It afflicts more people worldwide than low back pain or diabetes – or even anxiety and depression combined," write the UW's William Gardner, research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; Nicholas Kassebaum, adjunct professor of global health and of health metric sciences; and Theresa A McHugh, scientific writer at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Researchers with the UW found meth and fentanyl residue is prevalent on public transit, but the risks from exposure to riders and operators is low. Marc Beaudreau, researcher of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Methamphetamine and fentanyl are lurking on bus and train surfaces throughout Seattle and Portland, a recent study by UW researchers found. The study, which looked at possible secondhand drug exposure on public transit, also found the drugs in the air of those vehicles. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Researchers from the UW unveiled their findings after transit workers in the Pacific Northwest complained earlier this year that they were being exposed to second-hand fentanyl and methamphetamine smoke. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

The UW released Thursday its final report in a first-of-its-kind study on the potential impacts of drug use on transit systems in western Washington. A UW research team collected air and surface samples for fentanyl and methamphetamine from 11 buses and 19 train cars, according to the report. Marissa Baker, the study leader and an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

The Environmental Protection Agency is delaying plans to tighten air quality standards for ground-level ozone — better known as smog — despite a recommendation by a scientific advisory panel to lower air pollution limits to protect public health. Lianne Sheppard, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and of biostatistics at the UW, is quoted.

Pakistan is the epicenter of a new global wave of disease and death linked to climate change, according to a Washington Post analysis of climate data, leading scientific studies, interviews with experts and reporting from some of the places bearing the brunt of Earth’s heating. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Heat is already the leading cause of death related to weather-related hazards in the U.S. Letting clinicians know when temperatures pose a particular threat to their patients could save lives. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted. (This article is from a partnership that includes WBUR, NPR, and KFF Health News.)

Wildfires, hurricanes, floods, extreme heat and other climate disasters rocked the globe this summer as climate change worsens record-breaking extreme weather events. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Dueling policies over water breaks for laborers are caught in a court fight as federal officials probe more than 20 heat-related workplace deaths this year in the state of Texas. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

More school kids in Washington state have been getting vaccinated against measles. That’s because, after measles outbreaks in 2019 — including a major one in the Portland/Vancouver area — legislators tightened who could opt out of the shots. Julia Bennett, doctoral student in epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.

Many have interpreted Vivek Ramaswamy’s comment that the “climate change agenda is a hoax” as a flat statement that climate change is a hoax. But that doesn’t seem accurate, because a moment later he referred to deaths from “actual climate change.” Instead, he appeared to be suggesting that policies used to stem climate change don’t deliver what they promise and thus are a hoax. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Excess carbon dioxide does increase growth in some crops, but it also decreases their nutritional value and has other negative impacts on the planet, such as increasing droughts and fires through climate change. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A south Tacoma Frugals restaurant has had a listeria bacteria outbreak that has left 3 dead and 6 total hospitalized. The restaurant has stopped selling milkshakes as of Aug 8. However, signs of listeria can take up to 70 days to manifest and is most dangerous to immunocompromised or pregnant people. Judy Simon, clinical instructor of health systems and population health at the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.

In the Puget Sound region, average monthly lows are rising in all summer months, with August continuing to see the highest lows. And, while minimum temperatures are up year-round, the summer months — July to September — have seen the sharpest increases. Dennis Hartmann, professor of atmospheric sciences, is mentioned, and Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A study found that almost 94% of hurricane-related deaths were among people who lived in counties that ranked medium to high on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social vulnerability index. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Death rates skyrocket during extreme weather events among the most vulnerable Americans, especially those from minority groups. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

The D.C. region is experiencing its first substantial uptick in coronavirus transmission in several months. "We're probably not in the same sort of surge as our winter omicron surges have been," says Neil Sehgal, a public health professor at the University of Maryland and the University of Washington.

Punishing heat is a fact of life inside America's prisons without air conditioning, and it is taking a serious toll on prisoners' mental health. When the outside thermometer hits 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more, a new study shows that prison suicide risk jumps 36%, in comparison to when temperatures are in the 60s. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Even when it seems obvious that extreme heat was a factor, death certificates don’t always reflect the role it played. Experts say a mishmash of ways more than 3,000 counties calculate heat deaths means we don’t really know how many people die in the U.S. each year because of high temperatures in an ever warming world. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

As rates of sexually transmitted infections continue to skyrocket across the U.S., a growing number of physicians are prescribing a commonly used antibiotic as a way to prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis infections in gay and bisexual men and transgender women. Dr. Connie Celum, professor of global health and of medicine at the UW, is quoted.

 As extreme heat worsens, cities are exploring ways to reach isolated individuals before it’s too late. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Climate change is making summer heat waves more frequent and more intense, with effects on health. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is interviewed (begins at 4:45).

July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded. It could even be the hottest month in human history. And it’s just one in a chain of broken heat records. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

When temperatures are extreme, the accuracy of a weather forecast can be the difference between life and death. New research shows that even small errors in temperature predictions — as little as one degree Celsius — lead to more deaths, and that improving forecasts would save thousands of lives and billions of dollars annually. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

An 80-plus-degree day is not sizzling by Phoenix standards. It wasn't even high enough to trigger an official heat warning for the wider public. But research has shown that those temperatures, coming so early in June, would drive up the number of heat-related hospital visits and deaths across the Boston region. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

There’s a new kind of vending machine on the UW campus. It sells pregnancy tests, tampons, tylenol – and the morning-after pill for $12.60, packaged in purple and white boxes. Taylor Riley, doctoral student in epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.

Outdoor workers express anger and fear of potential repercussions after governor rescinds mandatory breaks amid extreme heat. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Washington could be the second state to impose permanent safety regulations, but employers and workplace advocates disagree on the proposal. The UW's Christopher Zuidema, clinical assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, and Elena Austin, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, are quoted.

According to a recent study published in The Lancet Hematology, in 2021, the leading cause of anemia globally was dietary iron deficiency (66.2% of all anemia cases). Women are far more likely to have anemia than men. While approximately 444 million men are anemic, 825 million women were diagnosed with the condition. Nicholas Kassebaum, adjunct professor of global health and of health metric sciences, is quoted.

The punishing heatwaves that have scorched much of the U.S. could result in a record number of heat-related deaths this year, experts have warned, amid a spike in hospitalizations from collapsing workers. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

A huge wildfire burning out of control in California’s Mojave national preserve is spreading rapidly amid erratic winds. The York fire erupted on Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the wildland preserve. It crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday, and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

As climate change fans hotter and longer heat waves, the poorest Americans often suffer the hottest days with the fewest defenses. Centralized air, once a luxury, is now more a matter of survival. Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.

As scientists, clinicians, policy makers and activists gathered this week in Brisbane, Australia, for a conference on HIV/AIDS, all of them certainly expected to hear about the latest scientific advancements. Many of them probably used some of their free time to explore the rich cultural offerings of the host city. Probably only a few, though, imagined that they could view an exhibition that explored HIV/AIDS through art. Elizabeth Bukusi, research professor of global health and obstetrics and gynecology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.

The regional approach to homelessness and affordable housing in Seattle and King County is a mess. With future investments predicted to be in the billions of dollars, strong fiscal accountability is essential. At the same time, we must increase the amount of publicly subsidized housing. Opinion piece by Global Health Professor Scott Barnhart on homelessness and affordable housing in Seattle.

Some of the most vulnerable communities in the U.S. live in places that are particularly prone to frequent, prolonged power outages. DEOHS Assistant Professor Joan Casey is quoted.