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CDC Calls for Extra COVID Dose for Seniors and At-Risk Groups

United States: In October, the CDC issued guidance for high-risk Americans that they should get a second booster shot of a covid vaccine to enhance immunity.

The agency now suggests that elderly individuals aged 65 and older and those with decreased immune response should receive a booster shot of the 2024-25 vaccine, six months after the first shot, as reported by NBC.

Unprecedented Frequency of Boosters

It is not the first time the agency has advised or permitted an additional probe for high-risk groups several months after the initial one. The Government, in early spring 2022, approved a second booster dose after the initial distribution in the fall of the same year. The same applies to the spring of 2023 and the spring of 2024, as mentioned in the analytical overview above.

This extreme frequency of injections is unprecedented for any other vaccine, yet the experts don’t doubt its effectiveness, especially the currently popular mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on mRNA technology, which paved immunity against a virus for the first time; this was very helpful in the initial months of the pandemic because mRNA vaccines can be developed over short periods.

However, there is no proof that the mRNA vaccines are not performing as anticipated even with an added dose, according to Akiko Iwasaki, a professor in immunology at Yale School of Medicine.

CDC Calls for Extra COVID Dose for Seniors and At-Risk Groups. Credit | Getty Images

Hybrid Immunity and Its Effectiveness

Emory University researchers conducted a study and concluded that in order to fight the coronavirus, so-called hybrid immunity — when a person is both vaccinated and infected — does not work effectively and, for the most part, did not create certain long-term cells that release antibodies. It was not true for people who received a shot of the flu and the tetanus vaccine, indicating, as Iwasaki opined, that there was a difference with the virus.

“You would think that kind of hybrid immunity is going to be the most rigorous, and yet they did not see increases in these long-lived plasma cell numbers,” she said.

Virus Mutations and Vaccine Durability

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and a former COVID-19 response coordinator for the White House, added that there is some unknown about the lifespan of the novel mRNA vaccines as compared to the more traditional vaccines.

“Maybe it is a little less durable,” Jha said. “I would say we don’t know.”

According to Jha, the virus’s year-round persistence and rate of mutation are the main problems.

“The problem here, in my mind, is not so much with the vaccine but much more with the virus,” he said, adding that he supports the updated guidance.

“It’s what I’ve actually been recommending to my own parents, and it’s what I have said publicly,” he said.

The guidelines have been issued following concerns about vaccine-induced immunity decline, especially in the elderly, which may cause more serious disease and hospitalization.

The Importance of Regular Boosters

“Getting booster doses of your vaccine-induced immunity every six to 12 months is not a bad idea,” according to the University of Pennsylvania’s immunologist E. John Wherry. The vaccine increases the antibody titers that are the body’s direct protective mechanisms against the virus, Professor Saleh noted.

“That makes it easier for the rest of your immune system to clean up and prevent that little bit of infection-causing disease,” Wherry said.

A rapidly changing virus

We look at our flu vaccine strains every year and try to match them up as best we can,” said Dr. Anna Durbin, an infectious disease physician and associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “It’s changing even faster with Covid — it’s constantly mutating to get the advantage.”

A virus-like measles doesn’t have periodic boosters because it doesn’t evolve as quickly as the coronavirus.

“A measles virus that you encounter today is very similar to a measles virus that you might have encountered five years ago or 10 years ago,” Jha said.

Ideally, it should be possible to produce new vaccines in a much shorter time to reflect the circulating strains.

“By the time we pick which strain of Covid we’re going to switch the vaccine to, and by the time that vaccine is ready and rolled out, the virus has already mutated some,” Durkin said. “So the thought really is, can we boost immunity that may not be a perfect match to the strain circulating?”

If that immunity is given another lift through a booster shot of the vaccine, then it will mean even better protection for those high-risk individuals, she pointed out.

Jha does not think that the twice-yearly vaccine will be recommended for each age group, at least, simply because the immune system of a 30 year old man or woman is very different from the immune system of an 80 year old man or woman, as reported by NBC.

“Unless the virus gets more virulent,” he said. “Which I don’t really think is going to happen.”

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Every U.S. Rice Sample Tested Shows Arsenic, Cadmium, or Lead

Be smart about the rice you consume and how you prepare it to reduce your loved ones’ intake of potentially dangerous heavy metals.

United States: A new study by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures has uncovered that many rice brands sold in U.S. supermarkets—especially in cities like New York and Miami—contain measurable and potentially dangerous levels of heavy metals. Every single rice sample tested had detectable arsenic, with one-quarter exceeding FDA limits set for infant rice cereal, as reported by HealthDay.

Infant Rules Don’t Apply to All

Although the FDA implemented a maximum arsenic level for infant rice cereal in 2021, no such rule exists for regular rice consumed by millions—including toddlers and young children. Researchers stress this loophole as a public health concern.

Major Brands, Major Findings

The report tested rice from 145 brands including Trader Joe’s, Ben’s, and Goya. Results showed heavy metal concentrations ranging from 63 to 188 parts per billion (ppb), with some samples reaching as high as 240 ppb. Arsenic was the most commonly found, followed by cadmium.

TOXIC ARSENIC IN RICE INCREASES WITH TEMPERATURE & CO2
Multiple very bad health effects.
Risk already recognized
Danger limit being exceededhttps://t.co/MIa4xewDK0 #rice #climatechange. #globalwarming pic.twitter.com/Q7pTPlqcrm
— Peter D Carter (@PCarterClimate) May 16, 2025

Industry Response: Consumers Deserve Reassurance

The USA Rice Federation acknowledged consumer concerns but insisted current arsenic levels in rice pose no significant public health risk, as reported by HealthDay.

How to Reduce Your Risk

The report offers key tips for safer consumption:

Cook it like pasta: Drown your rice in water (6–10 cups per 1 cup of rice) and let it brew.

Switch it up: Switch to grains such as quinoa, barley, or couscous, since they contain less heavy metals.

Pick safer varieties: Look for white rice from California, sushi rice, Thai jasmine, or Basmati rice from India. Stay away from brown rice, Southern-grown white rice and arborio rice imported from Italy (Suggested Alternative: Skip those three varieties as they may contain higher levels of metals).

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News

Houston Wastewater Detected Measles Weeks Before Outbreak, Study Finds

Early detection and prevention of measles can be done by monitoring for the virus in wastewater.

United States: Measles virus showed up in Houston’s sewage water several weeks before the big measles outbreak happened in Texas in January, according to a new study.

Early Warning Signs in Wastewater

Wastewater samples taken on Jan. 7 were found to have measles virus DNA in them, which was reported by scientists in the American Journal of Public Health, as reported by HealthDay.

According to the researchers, the City of Houston Health Department found and reported two cases of measles in adults not vaccinated for the disease on January 17th. The survey is based on people living in the same areas where the water treatment plants supplied water.

Measles Resurgence in Texas

In all, 717 people in Texas had measles as of May 13, reported the Texas Department of State Health Services. Two children who have not been vaccinated have died.

#Measles in the #Sewers? #WastewaterSurveillance Offers Early Warning for #Outbreaks. #Houston @BCMTailorLabs @saracregeen @MikeTisza @bcmhouston @TEPHI_Texas @RiceUNews @UTHealthSPH #AJPH https://t.co/RNxDxBIaFV @DiscoverMag pic.twitter.com/xrlAPDCbsY
— From the Labs at Baylor College of Medicine (@BCMFromtheLabs) May 15, 2025

“With lessons learned from the Houston measles detection event, we are now working with our public health partners to gather data on the current measles outbreak in West Texas,” lead researcher Michael Tisza, an assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said in a news release.

“Our program has been monitoring measles in wastewater from those sites as well, hoping the information can help officials get ahead of this virus,” Tisza said.

The sampled Houston treatment plans help more than 218,000 people, according to the researchers.

Researchers found that testing wastewater before an outbreak revealed that these methods can prepare officials for an infectious disease.

Wastewater Testing: A Promising Public Health Tool

“Systematically sequencing the genetic material in wastewater reveals dynamic changes in human viruses circulating in a community,” senior researcher Anthony Maresso, chair of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor, said in a news release.

“Importantly, analyzing these viral changes in wastewater can improve our understanding of outbreaks and transmission and inform public health preparedness, just as one uses meteorological data to better understand and predict weather patterns to anticipate potentially dangerous conditions,” Maresso said.

According to the researchers, there had not been any measles viruses found in any of the 821 wastewater samples collected in Houston in the past 31 months.

“Because no other cases have been reported and the detections occurred in the same area where the travelers resided, it is reasonable to assume that the measles signal detected in wastewater is from the two infected cases, which underscores the high sensitivity of the method,” Maresso said.

Vaccination Still the Best Defense

Co-researcher Eric Boerwinkle, dean of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, said that “this work underscores the ability of sophisticated wastewater analyses to serve as an early detection system benefitting public health, healthcare, and communities in preventing a measles outbreak in Houston.”

If they haven’t already, Boerwinkle advised individuals to acquire the measles vaccine, as reported by HealthDay.

The best way to stop the contagion of measles is the MMR vaccine, since it has already proven to be both safe and effective.

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Health

Your Smartphone Might Predict How Well You Recover from Injury

With more smartphone data, there will be better ways to predict and guide recovery in orthopedics.

United States: According to a study published on May 9 in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, smartphone data — including step count, walking speed, and gait — can predict how well someone recovers from bone or hip injuries. The findings suggest that mobility patterns before an injury may offer powerful insights into a patient’s post-surgical progress, as reported by HealthDay.

Data That Speaks Volumes

The study, led by Dr. Brian Shear at the University of Maryland Medical Center, followed 107 adults who had previously undergone surgery for a broken leg or hip. Using data from participants’ Apple iPhones, researchers analyzed their pre-injury activity levels — specifically, their steps, speed, and gait — and compared it with their recovery progress.

Patients who were more active before their injury tended to recover faster and return to mobility more easily. “This novel approach has the power to reshape how orthopedic care is delivered,” Dr. Shear explained.

A New Era of Personalized Rehab

The study found that patients with higher daily step counts before their injury had better recovery outcomes. Likewise, those with faster walking speeds and consistent gait patterns pre-injury also healed more effectively — highlighting the predictive value of everyday mobility metrics.

With this knowledge, doctors are able to plan treatments better, detect possible issues in patients’ progress earlier, and give patients more precise timelines for recovery.

Expanding the Technology’s Use

Senior researcher Nathan O’Hara, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, announced plans to broaden the study’s scope to include other areas of orthopedics like sports medicine, joint replacement, and shoulder or foot surgery, as reported by HealthDay.

An app is also under development to support this initiative, with multicenter clinical trials expected to begin later this year.

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