All the news fit to fear

Happy Friday.

Do any of you watch the ABC Evening News?  That sharp-looking young man always starts the broadcast with an earnest look on his face as he energetically chops the air with his hands while saying, "Several breaking stories as we come on the air tonight!"

To help you enter the weekend with a suitable sense of impending doom, here's the week's recap of health news from the Army Public Health Center.

• from our ace cub reporter in Pulaski, the Congo is dealing with their 10th Ebola outbreak since it first started killing people in the '70s.  This area already suffered from millions killed in savage ethnic wars in the late '90s.  
• Reuters reported that 1,000+ children tested positive for elevated lead levels between 2011-2016 by the Army, but test results were not reported to state health departments -- a violation of state laws.  Four Senators want to know why, and what the Army is going to do to improve its procedures.  The sites were mostly family housing unit located on Army bases in Georgia, Texas, Kentucky and New York.
• hearing aids are expensive, which is why so few people who need them do not get them (you know who we're talking about).  For several years now we've been waiting for new, low-cost hearing aids to be made available to the public without having to go to a doctor first.  That reality is inching closer.
• researchers at George Washington University and Texas Children's Hospital are developing a vaccine for human parasites like hookworm and liver flukes (shudder)
• remember the valsartan recall?  China trying to kill us all by putting impurities into your heart medicines?  Check out the update titled, "Toxim at heart of drug recall".  Valsartin now comes with traces of a carcinogen (N-nitrosodimethylamine)...no extra charge. 
• 32 different children's medicines are being recalled because of "microbial contamination".  The medicines were made by King Bio company in North Carolina.
• Chinese pig farmers have culled more than 20,000 animals trying to stem the spread of African swine fever -- for which there is no cure.
• Looks like the National Institute of Health is sketching out the parameters of what is going to be called "cannabis-use disorder" -- previously known as reefer-madness!
• All exercise improves mental health.  Read that again to be sure it sinks in, then go look at the article on the 3-year study of 1.2 million adults that found that every form of activity helps maintain a positive attitude (reduce stress, depression, etc.).  Cycling is the best solo activity, but team sports are the best overall choice to banish a bad day.
• related to that story above -- even short bouts of activities can reduce the bad health effects of sitting too long.  Moving about every once in a while reduces levels of fat in the blood and concentrations of glucose and insulin. 
• vaping is being linked to DNA damage, increasing one's risk of cancer. 
• frequent home moves increase psychosis in children.  Now we all know the impact of living with a bunch of gypsies!
• China has embarked on an anti-smog campaign.  Some reports indicate that a few folks in Beijing actually saw the sky last month.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Get outside and enjoy the early Fall weather!

Joe