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The results for the combined Covid and flu vaccine seem promising. Here’s how it can benefit public health

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Earlier this week, Moderna announced positive results of a phase III clinical trial regarding a combined vaccine against Covid-19 and influenza.

So what exactly did the study show? What impact would a two-in-one vaccine for Covid and flu have on public health? Let’s have a look.

Combination vaccines are already used for other diseases

Combination vaccines have been used successfully for several many years in Australia and around the world.

For example, the DTP vaccine, a shot that mixes protection against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough), was administered for the first time. in 1948.

Since then, the DTP vaccine has been further combined to supply protection against other diseases. AND hexavalent vaccinewhich protects against six diseases – diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B and hepatitis B (an infection that can cause swelling of the brain) – is now a part of routine childhood vaccination programs In Australia and anywhere.

Another necessary combination vaccine is MMR vaccinegiven to children to guard against measles, mumps and rubella.

So what did the study show?

Moderna’s Phase 3 trial enrolled roughly 8,000 participants across two age groups. Half of them are adults aged 50 to 64. The other half are people aged 65 and older.

There were participants in each age groups random receive either a mix vaccine (so-called mRNA-1083) or a control. Control groups received the COVID vaccine and the corresponding influenza vaccine delivered individually.

A control group aged 50 to 64 was given the flu vaccine Fluarix and Moderna’s mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, Spikevax. A control group over age 65 received Spikevax together with Fluzone HD, an improved flu vaccine developed specifically for older adults.

Participants in the control groups received Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine and a separate flu vaccine.
Numstocker/Shutterstock

The study assessed safety, including any reactions after vaccination and the protective immune response induced by the vaccines.

Moderna reported that the combination vaccine induced higher immune responses in each age groups against COVID and three strains of flu in comparison with concurrent shots.

From a security viewpoint, the combination vaccine was well tolerated. Adverse events were similar in the experimental and control groups. The commonest unwanted side effects were muscle pain, fatigue and pain at the injection site.

While the study’s results are promising, they’ve not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, which implies independent experts haven’t yet peer-reviewed them. Further studies could also be obligatory to check the effects of the combination vaccine in younger age groups.

What are the benefits of combination vaccines?

We cannot overemphasize this importance of vaccines. Every yr they prevent as much as 5 million deaths worldwide from a spread of life-threatening infections.

At the same time, we can at all times do more to extend vaccination uptake, especially in areas with fewer resources and amongst vulnerable populations.

Combination vaccines have various benefits. For example, the need for fewer injections reduces costs for healthcare systems, reduces storage requirements, and reduces the burden on parents. All of these items can be especially invaluable in low-income countries.

It is price noting that studies show combination vaccines make it more likely people will undertake routine vaccinations.

A mother holding a smiling baby on her lap.  After vaccination, the doctor looks after the child's arm.
Many combination vaccines are already in use.
Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

Two necessary diseases

Every yr, especially during the winter months, tens of millions of individuals contract respiratory infections. Indeed, some parts of Australia are reportedly seeing rapid growth cases of flu at this point.

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 3 to five million people worldwide suffer from severe influenza annually, and roughly 650,000 people will die from the disease.

Covid has caused over 7 million deaths to this point throughout the world.

As the COVID pandemic continues, now we have seen pandemic fatigue as some people have turn out to be complacent about getting vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. AND 2023 study in Australia found that 30% of the surveyed population was hesitant and 9% immune to taking Covid booster doses.

The variety of flu vaccinations that many individuals are likely to get annually could also be higher. That said, electricity in Australia influenza vaccination rates for 2024 are still quite low: 53% for adults over 65, 26% for those 50 to 65, and lower for younger age groups.

A two-in-one Covid and flu vaccine could possibly be a vaccine a vital public health tool increasing vaccination coverage against these two necessary diseases. In addition to protecting individual health, this may have additional advantages for the economy and our healthcare system.

Moderna said it will present trial data at upcoming medical conference and submit it for publication. The company also said it would submit an application soon regulatory approvalwith the possibility of delivering a mix vaccine in 2025.

At the same time, Pfizer and BioNTech late-stage trials for a combined Covid-19 and flu vaccine are also underway. We will wait with interest for further developments.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Cleveland council is moving to reform its response to the mental health crisis

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Three Cleveland City Council members recently presented the argument at a city council meeting that, somewhat than having armed law enforcement officials conduct health screenings because they aren’t trained mental health professionals, unarmed behavioral health clinicians should perform these screenings.

According to Cleveland.com, council members proposed this solution on November 4called Tanisha’s Law, after 37-year-old Tanisha Anderson, a Cleveland woman who struggled with mental illness and died in police custody in 2014.

This decision was made largely due to the efforts of Anderson’s uncle, Michael Anderson, who worked with Case Western University Law students on a proposal presented at the meeting by Stephanie Howse-Jones, Rebecca Maurer and Charles Silfe.

Tanisha’s nephew, Jacob Johnson, said at a Nov. 7 press conference on the university campus that the law could protect others from what he and his family have been coping with since his aunt’s death.

Johnson was present with Anderson the night of her death in the custody of Cleveland police.

“It will mean that no other family can have to endure what we went through, not only due to what happened that night, but additionally because of getting to undergo life without her – having to undergo life without this beautiful mother, this beautiful aunt, this beautiful daughter, this beautiful sister. We just don’t desire every other family to undergo what we had to undergo,” Johnson noted.

While the bill still needs to be passed by the Cleveland City Council and signed by Mayor Justin Bibb, it could fundamentally change the way law enforcement approaches people who find themselves mentally sick or disturbed.

The law recommends that police use two sorts of limited responses or non-police responses. One model, the co-responder model, allows police to respond first to a call before calling a behavioral health specialist, which is somewhat similar to an officer calling a backup.

The second model, the care-response model, removes the police from the equation entirely, as an alternative dispatching teams of medical professionals directly, with the understanding that these will probably be situations where no harm to the individual or the broader public occurs.

The latter model gained Bibb’s tacit support, but Howse-Jones indicated that these options needed to develop into a proper a part of city law to be effective.

“Once it is legal, we can ensure it is funded,” Howse-Jones told the outlet. “If it’s not on paper, it’s not real.”

Cleveland police do currently subject to consent decreeimposed on them by the Department of Justice following the death of Tanisha Anderson in 2015, a part of the agreement required them to improve their response to reported mental health crises.

Their agreement will expire sooner or later and the department will then have to maintain order itself, which is one in all the explanation why councilors are in no rush to pass the law.

They have indicated to Cleveland.com that they need to be certain that the law, if approved, will probably be implemented in the best interest of Cleveland’s most vulnerable residents.

Yannina Sharpley-Travis, one in all the law students who helped write the proposal, succinctly summed up the need for careful implementation of the law at a press conference: “The city’s commitment to adopting these measures would go a good distance to reducing and stopping harm faced by members of our community in crisis when intervention is obligatory.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Shelby Ivey Christie on starting her own publishing company – Essence

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Conscious Film

Shelby Ivey Christie is a valued voice at Fashion X, formerly often known as Twitter. Her tone is commonly well-received – in 2018, she began sharing insights on the history of black fashion. Thanks to this, she has turn into a conscientious and well-studied documentarian, whom many individuals need to discuss our unsung heroes and facts which might be largely unknown. The Atlanta-based fashion and costume historian has experience that has allowed her to delve into the center of publishing and culture. Roles at Vogue, Amazon and L’Oréal are the hallmarks of a lady who has worked diligently from the within the corporation. The core of her work at these corporations included shaping marketing and brand strategies for multicultural consumers. Currently, it’s on the brink of a brand new era due to the recently launched project, a publishing house titled Haute Heritage Publishing House which, in her opinion, will shake up the posh fashion industry.

As this era is all about making a tangible impact for Christie, she can be releasing her first book under her imprint: . AND set of flashcards also launched with a book. The company has its rhyme and reason. Christie’s goal is to dispel preconceived notions about education in the worldwide apparel industry. The book features such icons as the long-lasting designer Dapper Dan and the legendary stylist and costume designer June Ambrose. But it also includes other names that some will not be conversant in, including designers Anne Lowe and Zelda Wynn Valdes.

Christie hopes that through her company she will encourage younger generations to achieve for his or her dreams after learning concerning the icons and others who paved the way in which for today’s fashion luminaries. In her own words: “The important message behind this endeavor is that I want to get more young, diverse minds interested in fashion so that we can encourage a more diverse range of talent to enter our industry.”

Shelby Ivey Christie on starting her own publishing company
Haute Heritage Publishing House

As a lady native to southern North Carolina, this brand will probably be a legacy builder for Christie that may impact beyond just her peers and the publications and types which have anointed her as a key voice price being attentive to. This will even create a chance for individuals who have a barrier to entry into the lauded industry to attach with the worldwide market. “It’s important to me because, you know, as a Southerner growing up in the South, far from the capital of fashion, New York,” Christie added.

Below, we caught up with Shelby Ivey Christie to debate her latest enterprise, an alphabet book bringing together black style legends and more.

ESSENCE.com: Can you walk me through the present era and what it has been like thus far?

Shelby Ivey Christie: For me, it is a tangible a part of my era of continued influence. I really imagine that my comments on social media and my archival work have actually had an impact on the style industry and beyond. I see the outcomes of this work. I understand that from 2018, after I began talking about Black stories in fashion, taking a look at fashion through the lens of race, class, and culture and being one in every of the few voices discussing and exposing this content, to now, when Black and POC stories are considered he said, talent is being hired inside and outdoors the industry. I feel like I even have a direct impact on this in our industry.

However, I believe I even have made it my goal to focus on more tangible technique of impact. My goal has at all times been to go offline, and this release and this primary set of products is my way of expanding my efforts to amplify Black history in fashion, to incorporate diverse talent in the style pipeline in real life, offline, something tangible and something that it opens up access to fashion content much more because that is something I’m keen about, making fashion and history content and Black history content more accessible.

Why did you select to begin a publishing company? I mean, it’s an area you realize in some ways.

My experience is expounded to publishing activities. My name was on the publisher’s masthead at . I reported it to the publisher. I used to be an intern at [and] On . When I used to be growing up, my dream was to turn into a fashion editor. [I would] browse pages, browse pages, [and] wanting to have a voice, own and direct this content. I believe once I got into fashion publishing, I gained a greater understanding of who controls content and the way that influences what stories get published and ultimately what the general public has access to.

This experience combined with my current passion for working to amplify Black and POC contributions to fashion made me think, “OK, you know what? If I’m tired of seeing the same stories amplified, or if I’m tired of people pointing out the loopholes in fashion storytelling, why don’t I just do it myself?” Black women’s motto, right? Instead of DIY, I believe for a very long time my platform was focused on stating content gaps and throwing flags at the sport where I felt there have been misses, which served its purpose, but I didn’t need to get stuck complaining and pointing fingers.

Even most people is now very informed and well-versed in cultural nuances, the problems we face around race, and who’s telling the stories in fashion. It’s an even bigger issue now and getting more attention, so I didn’t need to get stuck in the web noise and outrage and clickbait and complaining. I desired to get up and say, “OK, I have the experience, I have the knowledge, I have the network, and I can find the resources to do something about it.” This is my answer to this query and I would like to not only complain and point fingers, but do something to vary it, influence it and alter the conversation.

Shelby Ivey Christie on starting her own publishing company
Haute Heritage Publishing House

What is most vital to you about this latest enterprise?

For me, the purpose is that this latest enterprise goals to make fashion resources and books that tell diverse stories accessible to people of all ages. The first product is, in fact, a kid’s book. But relating to fashion, now we have specialty products. When something is polished, it could not appeal to us like designer Lego sets and the like, but we still take pleasure in it because we understand the cultural meaning behind it. These are products for fashion lovers [and] individuals who should not fashion lovers. They are intended for people of all ages. I believe the core of my work has at all times been about making fashion engaging and accessible, so now I try this in a broader and more tangible way.

I believe the subsequent big goal for me is that this [the] the book has 28 letters of the alphabet. Some of those individuals are still amongst us, and it was very vital to me that this book included people from the legends who’re still alive, because as a historian I often spend time in archives and extract information on this subject. icons which have gone further, constructing on work done a long time ago, sometimes 100 years ago. We are also unable to confer with creators in real time, learn from them, follow their journey, or see them in real time.

It’s also vital to me to not only give flowers to legends while they’re here to smell them, but in addition to introduce young people and folks of all ages to this talent while they’re here so that they can support them and watch them in real time while still working and moving through the industry, because you possibly can learn loads from watching someone proceed to do the job in real time.

Who are the people you would like people to learn more about on this book?

There are great authors on this book [and] I feel like people can recognize their work, not themselves. The letter W honors the person who designed costumes for Michael Jackson for a lot of, a few years and who created the prototype of the infamous white glove, this white glove encrusted with Swarovski, [the] costume designer, Bill Whitten. There can be Elizabeth Keckley, who designed fashion for First Lady Mary Lincoln and whose work is within the Smithsonian. So many characters have legacies and have left an enormous mark, and audiences simply do not know their names. This is the core of what drives me.

I adore it when people say, “Wow, I didn’t know that” after I’ve talked to them about something or introduced them to a brand new talent or a brand new concept in fashion, so I can just have fun a creative legacy like that too. These are individuals who have already got established jobs, they simply will not be household names, so having the ability to highlight them, have fun them and put them into the minds of young people in order that their legacy doesn’t end with ours once we’re already 30, 40 years old, is for me exciting.

What else are you able to share about yours first book which one are you able to buy today?

I can not help but mention that this book was written by the black fashion legend herself, June Ambrose. In his foreword, he expresses his excitement and encourages young minds to invigorate them and instill enthusiasm to enter this industry. I believe the foreword is a gorgeous call to motion and an inspiring message for readers to feel like they’ve something to supply to the style industry, the posh industry, and feel inspired by the characters on the pages.

I also desired to say that this book not only features Black fashion legends, nevertheless it was written by a Black fashion legend herself, and I felt it was really vital to have her co-writer and her signature and support of what we’re attempting to portray, which is bringing Black narratives in relation to fashion and, again, ensuring that the long run of fashion is more diverse. That’s why her post, support and call to motion for young minds on this book were amazing.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

an informative story of light healing

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For millennia, humans have had one obvious and reliable source of light – the Sun – and we’ve got known that the Sun is crucial to our survival.

Perhaps for this reason ancient religions – resembling those in Egypt, Greece, Middle East, India, AsiaAND Central AND South America – concerned the cult of the Sun.

Sun worship – resembling the worship of the Greek god Helios – was common in lots of cultures.
Enthusiast of neoclassicism/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

Early religions were also common related to healing. Sick people turned to a shaman, priest or priestess for help.

Although ancient people used the Sun for healing, it might not be what you’re thinking that.

Since then, we’ve got used light for healing in some ways. Some of them chances are you’ll recognize today, others sound more like magic.

From warming ointments to tanning

Currently, there’s little evidence that ancient people believed that sunlight could cure disease. Instead, there’s more evidence that they used the Sun for healing.

Ebers Papyrus (reproduction)
The Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt contained recipes for ointments that needed to be heated by the sun.
Wellcome Collection

The Ebers Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian medical scroll created around 1500 BC. It accommodates a recipe for an ointment for “they make the tendons (…) flexible“. The ointment was constructed from wine, onions, soot, fruit and wood extracts, frankincense and myrrh. After application, the person was “exposed to sunlight.”

Other recipes, for instance for cough, involved putting the ingredients right into a container and leaving it within the sun. This might be to warm up the drink and permit it to brew stronger. Same technique occurs in medical writings attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates, who lived around 450-380 BC

It was written by the physician Aretheus, who worked around 150 AD in what’s now Turkey sunlight could heal chronic cases of what he called “lethargy”, but today we might recognize depression:

The classical Islamic scholar Ibn Sina (980-1037 AD) described the health effects of tanning (at a time once we didn’t know of the link to skin cancer). In Book I Canon of medicine he said the new sun helps with all the pieces from flatulence and asthma to hysteria. He also said that the sun “refreshes the brain” and has a helpful effect on “cleansing the uterus.”

Sometimes it was hard to inform science from magic

All hardening methods described to this point depend more on the sun’s heat than on its light. What about light-only curing?

The healing power of sunlight Jakob Lorber
German mystic and visionary Jakob Lorber believed that sunlight healed almost all the pieces.
Merkur Pub Co/Biblio

The English scientist Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) knew that sunlight could possibly be “split” into rainbow spectrum of colours.

This and lots of other discoveries radically modified ideas about healing over the subsequent 200 years.

But sometimes it was hard to inform when latest ideas got here up learning from magic.

For example, the German mystic and visionary Jakob Lorber (1800-1864) believed that sunlight was one of the best cure for nearly all the pieces. His 1851 book “The Healing Power of Sunlight” read: still in print in 1997.

Public health reformer Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) he also believed in the facility of sunlight. In his famous book Notes on Nursingshe said about her patients:

second only to the necessity for fresh air is the necessity for light (…) not only light, but in addition direct sunlight.

Nightingale also believed that sunlight was the natural enemy of bacteria and viruses. It seems at the least partially right. Sunlight can kill some, but not all, bacteria and viruses.

Chromotherapy – a treatment method based on colours and light – appeared during this era. Some proponents claim that the origins of using coloured light for healing date back to ca ancient Egyptit’s hard to search out evidence of this now.

A page from The Principles of Light and Color
The 1878 book “Principles of Light and Color” paved the best way for people to be treated with light of different colours.
Getty Research Institute/Internet Archive Book Images/Flickr

Modern chromotherapy owes much to the fertile mind of Edwin Babbitt (1828-1905) from the United States. Babbitt’s 1878 book Principles of light and color he was based on experiments with coloured light and on his own visions and clairvoyant observations. It’s still in print.

Babbitt invented a conveyable stained glass window called Chromolumaimed toward restoring the balance of the body’s natural coloured energy. It is claimed that sitting under coloured light from a window for a certain period of time restores health.

Spectro-Chrome, circa 1925, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago
Spectro-Chrome made one entrepreneur lots of money.
Daderot/Wikimedia Commons

Indian entrepreneur Dinshah Ghadiali (1873-1966) examine it, moved to the United States and invented his own instrument, the so-called Spectro-Chromein 1920.

The theory behind Spectro-Chrome was that the human body was composed of 4 elements – oxygen (blue), hydrogen (red), nitrogen (green), and carbon (yellow). When were these colours? imbalanceit caused the disease.

A couple of hour-long sessions with Spectro-Chrome could be enough restore balance and health. For example, through the use of green light, you’ll be able to supposedly help your pituitary gland, while yellow light helps with digestion.

By 1946, Ghadiali had created about one million dollars from sales of this device within the USA.

And today?

While some of these treatments sound strange, we already know that certain coloured lights treat certain diseases and disorders.

Blue light phototherapy it’s utilized in the hospital treatment of newborns with jaundice. People affected by seasonal affective disorder (sometimes called winter depression) may be treated by often exposing themselves to this medicine white or blue light. And ultraviolet light is used to treat skin diseases, resembling psoriasis.

Nowadays, light therapy is even utilized in the cosmetics industry. LED masks with star inscriptions, promise to fight pimples and reduce the signs of aging.

However, as with all forms of light, exposure to it comes with each risks and advantages. In the case of these LED face masks, they might disturb your sleep.


This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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