WHO: Coronavirus Patients Who Don’t Show Symptoms Aren’t Driving Spread of Virus

WHO: Coronavirus Patients Who Don’t Show Symptoms Aren’t Driving Spread of Virus

Preliminary evidence from the earliest outbreaks indicated that the virus could spread from person-to-person contact, even if the carrier didn’t have symptoms. But WHO officials now say that while asymptomatic spread can occur, it is not the main way it’s being transmitted.

Some people, particularly young and otherwise healthy individuals, who are infected by the coronavirus never develop symptoms or only develop mild symptoms. Others might not develop symptoms until days after they were actually infected.

“From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said at a news briefing from the United Nations agency’s Geneva headquarters. “It’s very rare.”

Source: Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is ‘very rare,’ WHO says

Damaged teeth can be regrown naturally using an Alzheimer’s drug, scientists discover

‘A way to naturally regrow damaged teeth has been discovered by scientists in a breakthrough that could significantly reduce the need for fillings. Researchers at King’s College London (KCL) found that a drug designed to treat Alzheimer’s disease was able to stimulate the tooth to create new dentine capable of filling in large cavities. Teeth can already cope with small areas of damage using the same process, but when the holes become too large a dentist must insert artificial cements or the tooth will be lost.

“Indeed when fillings fail or infection occurs, dentists have to remove and fill an area that is larger than what is affected, and after multiple treatments the tooth may eventually need to be extracted.

“As this new method encourages natural tooth repair, it could eliminate all of these issues, providing a more natural solution for patients”.’

Source: Damaged teeth can be regrown naturally using an Alzheimer’s drug, scientists discover

The top 50 hospitals that gouge patients the most

“These are the 50 hospitals in the United States with the highest markup of prices over their actual costs. That means that they are charging out-of-network patients and the uninsured, as well as auto and workers’ compensation insurers, more than 10 times the costs allowed by Medicare, according to new research published Monday.”

Continue reading: 50 hospitals charge uninsured more than 10 times cost of care, study finds

Hospitals Discarding Organs & Denying Transplants to Meet Federal Standards

Hospitals across the United States are throwing away less-than-perfect organs and denying the sickest people lifesaving transplants out of fear that poor surgical outcomes will result in a federal crackdown…

…As a result, thousands of patients are losing the chance at surgeries that could significantly prolong their lives, and the altruism of organ donation is being wasted.

“It’s gut-wrenching and mind-boggling,” said Dr. Adel Bozorgzadeh, a transplant surgeon at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass.

Continue reading: Hospitals refusing to perform transplants to keep ratings high

Now There’s Proof: Docs Who Take Company Cash Tend to Prescribe More Brand-Name Drugs

“The more money doctors receive from drug and medical device companies, the more brand-name drugs they tend to prescribe, a new ProPublica analysis shows…”

“ProPublica has compiled the disclosed payments from pharmaceutical companies to doctors and other health care providers.  Pharmaceutical companies have paid out 3.49 billion dollars in disclosed payments: 681,020 to doctors, 81,135 to hospitals, and 21,565 to companies.”

Continue reading: Now There’s Proof: Docs Who Take Company Cash Tend to Prescribe More Brand-Name Drugs

Search for your doctor in their interactive database at: http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

Apps Are Doing What Government Can’t to Help Low-Income Americans Stay Healthy

“Not only do Medicaid and Medicare provide inadequate care, but they have also set up perverse incentives which further diminish quality of care and increase costs for all patients…”

“So while the US government dithers and then makes the problem worse, here are six ways apps are helping low-income Americans stay healthy…”

Continue reading: Apps Are Doing What Government Can’t to Help Low-Income Americans Stay Healthy

See also: 10 apps increasing health care access for low-income patients