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In the headlines...
🍼 After two years at a plateau, the U.S. infant mortality rate dropped last year. Experts point to a vaccination campaign against RSV as one potential reason for the decline, as it can be particularly dangerous for infants.
⚖️ After six weeks in a detention center in Louisiana, Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk was released. Ozturk, who was pulled off the street by federal officials wearing plain clothes and masks, said she has “faith in the American system of justice.”
❤️ In what they said is a step toward reaching a ceasefire agreement, Hamas released Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander, who is believed to be the last living U.S. citizen held in Gaza by Hamas since the October 7 attack.
health
Photo: Teal Health
The US FDA approved the country’s first at-home cervical cancer test as an alternative to the Pap smears
One year after it received “breakthrough status,” the Teal Wand has officially been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, making it the first at-home alternative to the Pap smear in the U.S.
In addition to offering a “much preferred experience” to the dreaded and often painful traditional cervical cancer test, the Teal Want also aims to increase screening rates by making it more convenient. Tests like this already exist in countries like Australia and Sweden.
The approval follows a U.S.-based study that found the at-home screening was just as effective as the one done in a doctor’s office. It also found that women overwhelmingly preferred to self-screen at home, and said they’d be more likely to stay up-to-date.
Why is this good news? Every year, about 13,000 cervical cancer cases are diagnosed, with more than 4,000 dying from the disease — a figure that also has a large racial gap, with Black and Native American women more likely to die from cervical cancer than white women.
And while rates have dropped dramatically since the Pap smear became more common, about a quarter of women in the country are still behind on their screenings — the Teal Wand is likely to help lower that even further.
Grandmothers are knitting sweaters for penguins on an Australian island impacted by oil spills
The Knitting Nannas is a group of grandmothers at a care home in Australia, and their latest project is helping protect penguins on Phillip Island south of Melbourne.
The grandmothers knit small sweaters that are used to prevent penguins caught in oil spills from getting sick while they try to clean their feathers.
The island is home to 40,000 penguins, and the sweaters are stocked in the event of an oil spill, so they can be placed on a penguin until its feathers can be cleaned by rescue workers.
The Knitting Nannas have inspired knitters around the world to join their efforts, too.
I looove The Last of Us, but will admit ... it totally freaks me out. I cover my eyes. Like a lot. So while that story is reassuring and very cool and fascinating, the show is so well done that it still feels soooo real!
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