Suicide rates among the U.S. military increased by 41.4% from 2015 to 2020, according to a Department of Defense report out Thursday.
By the numbers: Some 580 members of the military died by suicide in 2020, and the suicide rate among active duty service members increased 9.1% that year. From 2018 to 2020, it rose 15.3%.
A new analysis found unique networks of hundreds of proteins that may drive the growth of breast, head and neck cancers, according to three studies out today.
Why it matters: Cancers differ in many aspects, including their mutations. But, there are some common systems of cells involved, including protein networks, that may affect cancer growth and scientists hope to target them with therapies.
The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the nation's opioid crisis but brought important lessons on new treatment methods and the importance of public education campaigns, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) explained during an Axios virtual event on Thursday.
Why it matters: The pandemic "put the accelerator" on opioid addiction and overdoses nationwide because of people's increased isolation and disrupted treatment, Capito said.
The World Health Organization said on Thursday that just 15 out of 54 African countries had fully vaccinated 10% of their populations against COVID-19.
Why it matters: The announcement that more than 70% have missed the World Health Assembly's target indicates that global leaders are struggling to narrow the large gap in vaccine access between poor and wealthy countries.
Tennessee's top health official, Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, told reporters Wednesday she is "cautiously optimistic" that the state was easing out of its latest COVID-19 surge.
Fewer than 20% of people in most southeast Asian countries are fully vaccinated, which has led to COVID-19 outbreaks and forced apparel factories to shut down.
Why it matters: U.S. companies can't change international vaccination rates on their own, and the problem illustrates another reason Americans have a self-interest in supporting the effort to vaccinate other countries. Besides preventing more virus mutations, better vaccination rates in southeast Asia would improve the flow of consumer goods like sneakers and apparel.
Americans are paying pharmaceutical companies more for the world's 20 blockbuster drugs than the rest of the world combined, according to an analysis of company financial filings by Public Citizen.
Why it matters: The U.S. is the pharmaceutical industry's gold mine, and the analysis shows how much the industry has at stake as it fights Democrats' plan to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and let employers piggyback off those lower prices.
New coronavirus infections in the U.S. fell by 25% over the past two weeks — another hopeful sign that the worst of the Delta wave may be behind us.
By the numbers: The U.S. is now averaging roughly 114,000 new cases per day. That's still a lot, but it's a significant improvement from this summer, when the Delta variant unleashed a new wave of infections, hospitalizations and death.
Manufacturers "knowingly" sold baby food that contained heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, according to a House Oversight subcommittee report published Wednesday.
The big picture: These metals are in the World Health Organization's top 10 chemicals of concern for infants and children, and can affect brain development, according to Harvard Health Publishing. The companies cited either failed to recall contaminated food or were lax in testing, the report found.
