In The News: Department of Social and Behavioral Health
Tattoos have become quite prevalent, especially in the younger generation. Tattoos include the administration of exogenous pigments into the deep layer of the skin (dermis) to create a permanent design. Tattoos have been administered for over 5000 years, and at present are a common cosmetic practice all over the world.
Late last month, Brooke L. Rollins, the Trump administration鈥檚 incoming secretary of agriculture, unveiled her plan to combat the growing threat of avian flu to animal and human populations. In a commentary published Feb. 27 in the Wall Street Journal, Rollins laid out a five-step strategy to fight the virus. But the title of the piece was not 鈥淗ow we will prevent a new pandemic鈥 or 鈥淔ive steps to prevent the avian flu virus from infecting millions of Americans.鈥
The world celebrated World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, 2025, with the theme of 鈥淵es, We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver.鈥 According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023, approximately 10.8 million people were affected by TB globally, including 6.0 million males, 3.6 million women, and 1.3 million children. No country or age group has been spared by TB. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, 9,633 cases of TB were reported which was an increase of 15.6% over the previous year. It needs to be noted that TB is preventable and curable. Can we eradicate TB like we did smallpox?
Dr. Manoj Sharma, Professor of Social and Behavioral Health and Internal Medicine, answers queries on the 鈥榚mpty nest syndrome鈥.
One of the twentieth-century public health achievements that was touted was the prevention of dental caries through fluoridation of water. But the recent political climate has challenged this, and the debate is on. What are the pros and cons of fluoridation of public water?
The National Institutes of Health will cancel or cut back dozens of grants for research on why some people are reluctant to be vaccinated and how to increase acceptance of vaccines, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post on Monday.
The National Institutes of Health will cancel or cut back dozens of grants for research on why some people are reluctant to be vaccinated and how to increase acceptance of vaccines, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post on Monday.
Four months ago, Tara McKay, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University, received an award from the National Institutes of Health recognizing her contributions to the field of LGBTQ+ health research.
The funding was supposed to last for at least several more months, said Jace Flatt, an associate professor of health and behavioral sciences at the 51吃瓜网万能科大. But on Friday, he and several other scientists studying LGBTQ+ health received a letter from the National Institutes of Health informing them that some existing, ongoing grants from the federal government were terminated, effective immediately.
At the end of February 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 164 cases of measles in 9 jurisdictions in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas. An outbreak of measles is considered when there are 3 or more related cases, and 3 outbreaks have been reported in 2025 with most cases in Texas. A large majority of these cases were unvaccinated individuals and 20% were hospitalized with one confirmed death. This is a cause of alarm for the public as measles was declared to have been eliminated in 2000 in the United States. Hence, we need to be cognizant of precautions and preventive measures.
Federal grant freezes are impacting many institutions and programs including some right here in the 51吃瓜网免费App valley.
Federal grant freezes are impacting many institutions and programs including some right here in the 51吃瓜网免费App valley.