Jen Christensen
CNN
Atlanta, GA, United States
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Past articles by Jen:
Transplanted lungs likely spread dangerous Legionella infection to two recipients, study says
For the first time, an organ transplant is believed to have spread dangerous Legionella bacteria, according to a report published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. → Read More
Popular OTC medicines for colds and allergies don’t work, FDA panel says
Phenylephrine, a popular ingredient in many over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines, is ineffective in tablet form, an independent advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration unanimously agreed on Tuesday. → Read More
Cases of locally acquired malaria rise to six in Florida
There are two more cases of locally acquired malaria in Sarasota County, according to the Florida Department of Health, bringing the total number of cases to six in the state. → Read More
FTC, FDA crack down on companies selling copycat snacks containing Delta-8 THC
The US Food and Drug Administration and the US Federal Trade Commission say they have sent warning letters to six companies for selling products containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC) that look strikingly similar to popular snack foods. → Read More
Nearly half of the tap water in the US is contaminated with ‘forever chemicals,’ government study finds
Almost half of the tap water in the US is contaminated with chemicals known as “forever chemicals,” according to a new study. The number of people drinking contaminated water may be even higher than what the study found, however, because the researchers weren’t able to test for all of these PFAS, chemicals that are considered dangerous to human health. → Read More
Health officials in Florida, Texas keeping close watch after locally acquired malaria cases
Days after a national alert about cases of locally acquired malaria in Texas and Florida, public health officials in those states said they continue to monitor for further illness and to conduct mosquito surveillance but have found no further cases. → Read More
Transgender people face significantly higher suicide risk, Danish study finds
People who identify as transgender have significantly higher rates of suicide and suicide attempts than the rest of the population, according to a study out of Denmark. → Read More
Malaria cases in Florida, Texas are first US spread in 20 years, CDC warns
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning doctors and public health officials about a handful of locally acquired cases of malaria. There hasn’t been a case of malaria caught locally in the US in 20 years. → Read More
CDC vaccine advisers’ vote sets stage for first RSV shot for older adults this fall
Adults 60 and older will be eligible to get a shot that could protect them from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, this fall if the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention follows the advice of its independent vaccine advisory committee. → Read More
People of color have more food allergies than White people, study finds
People of color and those in lower income brackets seem to be disproportionately affected by food allergies, compared with people who are White and at higher incomes, a new study finds. → Read More
People who are gay, lesbian or bi have more mental health and substance use problems, survey finds
Adults who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are more likely than adults who identify as straight to experience serious thoughts of suicide, mental health conditions including major depressive episodes and they are more likely to use substances like alcohol or drugs, according to a new US government report. → Read More
Australia’s having an intense flu season, and it could be a signal of what’s to come in the US
It’s only June, but scientists in the US are already thinking about flu season. As always at this time of year, they’re keeping a close eye on Australia, which saw an early start to its flu season. Some parts of the country are seeing a spike in illness, and the highest number of cases are among children. Those flu patterns could be an indicator of what’s to come in the US. → Read More
How to minimize the health risks of wildfire smoke
Millions of people in the US are under air quality alerts as smoke from raging Canadian wildfires sweeps down the East Coast. The smoke is likely to cause health problems such as trouble breathing, burning eyes, dizziness, headache or even nausea. Here’s what doctors want everyone to know about avoiding these problems. → Read More
Move to electric vehicles could save nearly 90,000 lives in US by 2050, study says
If gas guzzlers disappeared from US car lots by 2035 and were replaced by zero-emissions vehicles – essentially, electric cars, trucks and SUVs – the nation would see 89,300 fewer premature deaths by 2050, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. But the country would also have to move more toward clean noncombustion electricity – like wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and… → Read More
Drug cuts risk of breast cancer recurrence for some early-stage patients, trial shows
A drug used in people with the most common kind of breast cancer – early-stage hormone receptor positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER-) breast cancer – significantly reduced the risk of the cancer returning after treatment, according to a new study. → Read More
Simpler hysterectomy may improve quality of life for some women with cervical cancer, study finds
A late-stage trial of low-risk women with cervical cancer found that having a simple hysterectomy instead of a radical hysterectomy resulted in similar outcomes in terms of keeping the patients cancer-free, a finding that some doctors say could be “practice-changing.” → Read More
FDA proposes revamping medication guides that come with prescriptions
The US Food and Drug Administration proposed Tuesday to add to what you get with your prescription drugs. → Read More
HPV vaccine: Some studies say one and done might be better
This week leaders at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Seventy-Sixth World Health Assembly are signing off on a global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer. → Read More
FDA advisers vote in support of new RSV vaccine to protect newborns
The US Food and Drug Administration’s independent vaccine advisers voted Thursday in favor of recommending approval of a new vaccine to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. → Read More
USDA takes steps toward vaccinating endangered California condors against bird flu
The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, known as APHIS, said it is taking steps toward vaccinating endangered California condors against a highly infectious bird flu that has already led to the death of millions of birds in the United States. → Read More