CDC issues updated RSV vaccine guidance for seniors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its RSV vaccine guidance for seniors this upcoming respiratory season to make it easier for physicians and patients to make treatment and prevention decisions. CDC is recommending that everyone ages 75 and older receive the RSV vaccine. CDC also urges people ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV, meaning they have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or they live in nursing homes, should receive the RSV vaccine.
This recommendation is for adults who did not get an RSV vaccine last year. The RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine, meaning people do not need to get a dose every RSV season. Eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time, but the best time to get vaccinated is in late summer and early fall before RSV usually starts to spread in communities.
CDC’s updated recommendation for people 60 and older replaces the recommendation made last year to simplify RSV vaccine decision-making for clinicians and the public.
U.S. Surgeon General on social media and mental health
Social media is a significant contributing factor to mental health challenges in the United States. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has spoken out saying that the threat social media poses to children requires urgent action from the nation’s lawmakers. According to Murthy in an interview with CNN, the prevalence of social media use among children is very widespread, with over 95% of teenagers having some form of access to social media. To combat the negative impact of widespread social media use, Murthy has been pushing for lawmakers and the public to put a warning label (similar to the ones displayed on cigarette cartons) on all social media apps, CNN reported. The warning label would be an attempt to protect adolescents’ mental health related to social media overuse.
Social media has been documented to double a teenager’s risk of depression, and the rate increases with the amount of time per day an individual spends on social media apps, according to a 2019 American Medical Association report. The report documented social media usage as being linked to internalizing problems for adolescents such as increased anxiety symptoms, as well as externalizing problems such as attention disorders and bullying. Further research is currently being conducted on the impact of social media on mental health in youth in order to better understand and address its impact.
Late summer heat waves: How to stay cool and healthy in unprecedented heat
The U.S. has witnessed ongoing higher than average warm temperatures throughout the entirety of summer 2024. According to U.S. News and World Report and the Associated Press’ “Climate Glimpse,” report, across the nation extreme temperatures have continued to be the cause of increased heat-related illness, heatstroke, and respiratory illness due to unseasonable wildfires.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also recently released seasonal temperature outlook predications for 2024, citing out-of-the-norm heat for Summer 2024 in over 20 U.S. states. As a result, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is warning Americans to take precautions in the face of extreme heat. With hotter temperatures and long-lasting heatwaves, it is important to stay safe during periods of abnormal heat by staying inside air-conditioned buildings as much as possible, choosing to wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing, staying hydrated consistently with electrolytes and water, applying sunscreen, and wearing protective clothing like hats and sunglasses outside.
The HHS also recommends that people reduce or avoid any outdoor exercise during intense heat waves, rest in shady areas when outdoors, and limit any necessary outdoor activity to when it is coolest, primarily in the morning and evening.
Healthy aging
The number of people aged 65 and older in the U.S. has risen at an unprecedented rate, and according to the National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information, the population of people aged 65 and older will make up 20% of the U.S population by 2050. In 2010, it was estimated that 13.3% of the nation’s population was 65 and older.
As people age, their risk of chronic disease including heart disease, diabetes, dementia, arthritis, and certain cancers increase, according to the CDC. Healthy aging practices for individuals over 65 are critical, as they promote disease prevention and encourage behaviors that allow people to stay healthy as they age.
Many factors that influence healthy aging can be controlled through lifestyle changes. According to the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging (NIH), taking care of your physical health through exercise, healthy eating, sleeping well, quitting smoking, alcohol, and other substances, and going to the doctor for regular physical exams can help to promote better health outcomes as an individual ages. It is also as important to take care of mental and cognitive health as you age, avoiding social isolation and loneliness, reducing stressors, recognizing symptoms of lowered mood and depression, and engaging in cognitive training such as activities like learning a new skill to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and disease.
COVID trends reach “high” level across Western U.S.
The pandemic may be over, but COVID shows no signs of going away. According to the CDC, the spread of COVID-19 had officially reached “high” levels across Western U.S. states in early July. Levels of the virus have been shown to have been on the rise in certain parts of the country, according to recent CDC statistics. The CDC and other health organizations have increasingly relied on analyzing samples from sewers to get a sense of COVID-19 trends, now that cases are largely no longer being tested or reported. The CDC also relies on data from emergency rooms and hospitals to track the virus, according to the CDC and CBS News. The virus in wastewater across the U.S. has remained low, but figures from the most recent weeks show this key COVID-19 trend has now passed above the threshold that the agency considers to be “high” levels of the virus. Previous years also had COVID-19 cases increase in the summer months, according to the CDC. Hawaii and Arizona have seen the highest levels thus far.