The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 2 Travel Alert for travelers to practice enhanced precautions while traveling abroad this summer. The alert has a list of countries on it. Read the alert here.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert to physicians and state health departments to be vigilant for monkeypox cases due to an unprecedented global spread of the virus. A small number of cases have been reported in the U.S. Read the CDC information.

According to the Kansas Infant Death and SIDS Network (KIDS), new research points to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as a likely combination of a vulnerable infant (enzyme level), outside stressor (sleep space, smoke, heat, etc.) and critical developmental period (age of baby) - Triple Risk Theory. All infant caregivers need to understand safe sleep practices are still paramount in reducing SIDS and other sleep-related causes of death as addressed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

The CDC is reporting, "Unvaccinated children from 5 to 11 years old were hospitalized at twice the rate of vaccinated children during the winter Omicron variant surge, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on April 19.  Rueters is reporting the study found that "for every 100,000 children in the age group, 19.1 were hospitalized for COVID-19 between mid-December and February, compared with 9.2 per 100,000 for vaccinated kids."

A new, free, service is being offered to aid those who are blind and visually impaired to help them with their medications. The center will make available medication guides suitable for viewing with visual aid devices.

To accomplish this the KU Drug Information Center plans to offer medication guides (including patient leaflets) in an accessible format which can be read by assistive technology (i.e., screen reader). 

To inquire on this new service or other services available to health care professionals or the public please visit the KU Drug Information Center (https://pharmacy.ku.edu/drug-info-center). The center can be reached by email or by phone.

The American Osteopathic Association decided today to cancel in-person attendance at OMED - scheduled for Phoenix, AZ to an all virtual event. In light of the resurgence of COVID-19 due to the delta variant the decision was made today. To read the official announcement click here.

HHS Secretary Becerra has issued a letter to insurers and providers concerning free COVID-19 vaccines and tests.

To COVID-19 vaccination and testing providers and insurers:

Since we took office, the Biden-Harris administration has made combating the COVID-19 pandemic our top priority. Central to our national plan to protect Americans and end the pandemic has been increasing testing and vaccinations. In light of recent reports of consumer cost concerns, I am reminding health care providers of their signed agreements to cover the administration of COVID-19 vaccines free-of-charge to patients, and group health plans and health insurers of their legal requirement to provide coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations and diagnostic testing without patients shouldering any cost.

Read the letter here.

Yesterday, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Wichita,  and the Legislative Coordinating Council declined to meet on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 to consider extending the Governor's emergency orders on the COVID-19 Pandemic. This in action has ended those orders on June 30. Republican leadership took the action as a way of getting back to normal for Kansas.

Johns Hopkins and Maryland University Research Team have developed a tool to assess your relative risk of mortality from the COVID-19 virus. The tool takes your age, height, weight, ethnicity, health conditions and calculates your risk. Please be aware this just indicates, based on your risk factors, how high the risk might be for you. If you are curious you can view it here.  No information is saved and this is not medical advice.

Newly released 2019 data from the CDC shows that Kansas is among 12 states with 35% or more adults being obese. Kansas was not one of the nine states cited with this percentage in 2018. Obesity places people at a much higher risk of complications from COVID-19 and other chronic health health conditions including diabetes. The study looks at ethnicity and race related to obesity as well.

While reducing this extremely high percentage of obesity in adults will take time, simple fixes like more physical activity, getting enough sleep, reducing stress and eating a healthy diet can be implemented immediately. Only one state - Colorado - had a percentage of obesity in adult residents between 20-25%, it was 23%.