The New York City Department of Health released a survey yesterday showing that one out of every four New Yorkers has genital herpes. We don't know if 26 percent is officially considered an epidemic, but it's obviously a serious situation. Maybe hipsters are responsible? The entire North section of Brooklyn has basically become a health hazard.
The data are especially scary since most people infected with herpes have no symptoms--and because genital herpes doubles the risks of spreading HIV. In other words, the city might be in even worse shape soon.
The DOH is encouraging people who are getting laid in New York to wear condoms and to avail themselved of the free testing services at one of New York's many STD clinics. Between this and the bedbugs in the parks, we'll probably just skip hanging out in NYC till October.
The South Korean government has been struggling with this bird flu thing. Early attempts to contain a fresh outbreak back in April were unsuccessful, and last weekend all the poultry in Seoul--about 15,000 birds--was killed in an attempt to curb the disease.
Now health officials are announcing plans to build a massive plant capable of producing a bird flu vaccine should the disease spread to humans, at a rate of 20 million doses per year. Which is great--though the plant apparently won't be finished until the end of 2009.
This isn't the first time South Korea has wrestled with the virus. The first local case was reported in 2003, and the country killed 5.3 million birds. During another spate of the disease in 2006-2007, only half that number were killed. In the past two months, South Korea has culled 7 million birds.
Worldwide the H5N1 strain of the bird flu has killed 240 people, according to the World Health Organization, and none of those deaths have been in South Korea. (Media scare says what?) Still, if you're in the country, probably shouldn't feed the ducks.
Hey, did you totally buy the hype that Airborne could keep you from getting sick on a plane? Turns out it can't. And a non-profit group that sued the makers of the vitamin supplement wants you to get in on a $23.3 million settlement.
The Center for Science in the Public interest put out a release yesterday with its findings:
"There's no credible evidence that what's in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment," said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt, who reviewed Airborne's claims. "Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that's been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed."
We never really bought the bogus health claims, but we did pick up a couple samples when we saw 'em in JFK once. (No harm in giving the stuff a go, right?) As for Airborne, after dolling out this cash, will the company be able to afford a Sundance swag lounge next year?
Ashton Kutcher's 30th birthday party is already out of the running for bash of the year, following the announcement that some of his guests may have been exposed to Hepatitis A. Kutcher and wife Demi Moore partied it up at exclusive NYC club Socialista a few weeks ago along with Bruce Willis, Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow; now these A-listers and several others are being advised to get a shot in case they came in contact with a waitress who later was found to have a "raging" case of Hep A.
Is Hep A the new celebrity plague? Nah, it's something many travelers headed to industrializing or developing nations might want to prepare for. Steer clear of tap water, wash your hands thoroughly and if you know you're going somewhere with demonstrated risk, think about getting the shot. (This worksheet has more info). And basically, don't touch anything a cast member from "Punk'd" has touched or used... but you already knew that.
We're not sure if Oklahoma City saw an unflattering picture of itself, got too big for its fat jeans or simply got tired of being known as one of America's porkiest towns, but last month, the entire place went on a diet. Mayor Mick Cornett, who at one point had "a bit of a weight problem" himself, is spearheading the campaign to help his constituents get off their size XXL duffs. He's hoping that with a little encouragement--and fewer double cheeseburgers--they can shed more than 1 million pounds by 2009. The mayor says:
Putting an entire city on a diet may seem a little extreme but we have to get people's attention. This is a serious public health problem that's not going to go away unless we act.
Since the program launched on New Year's Day, more than 10,000 people have registered on OKCMillion.com, a website that allows dieters to confidentially track their weight loss progress and calculate their body mass index. Just five weeks in, the city has already collectively lost more than 10 tons. No telling, of course, if the other 680,000 residents not registered on the site have been pulling their weight too--or taking advantage of slightly shorter lines at Sonic.
It's baby time! Oscar winner and "Golden Compass" villainess Nicole Kidman announced she's pregnant by country-music husband Keith Urban. Meanwhile, reality-TV star Nicole Richie is due any day now and taking her boyfriend, Joel Madden, to hypnotists to calm her pre-labor fears.
We're not in the sanctimommy business, but here are some tips for Mrs. Keith Urban as she enters this new and exciting phase: WebMD reminds you to get up and stretch your legs and drink plenty of fluids when you fly. BabyCenter.com suggests a cut-off of 36 weeks for expectant moms in the air (and some airlines may require a doctor's letter), but iVillage points out that no major studies have shown that air travel is unsafe for fetuses. So go ahead, book those flights for Memorial Day Weekend! But it never hurts to check with your doctor first since, disclaimer, we're not doctors.
Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport has just opened a new retail medical facility, AeroClinic, which will quickly treat walk-ins for a quick $80. That's right: You actually see a physician who'll even write you a quick prescription if you need it.
Interesting, sure, but if you're really not feeling that hot, why would you get on a plane? And who has layovers long enough to sit in a waiting room, paging through back issues of US Weekly? AeroClinic's doctor thinks plenty of folks do:
"We're kind of the stop in between the hospital during your travels."
Sounds like this guy needs a new runnin' crew: All his buddies are always stuck in the hospital. Then again, Stephen Plumlee, who recently popped in to the clinic after a dizzy spell found it quite nice:
This has been good...It's been fine to be able to do it in the airport, and not have to go to some other part of the city and find my way back.
Another AeroClinic is scheduled to open at the airport in Philadelphia this fall. Prognosis? Too early to say.
We would never put Italy at the top of our list of countries to visit if we wanted to lose weight (spaghetti bolognese, anyone?!). But it looks like the northwestern town of Varallo, not far from Turin, might be the place to go. That's because the mayor of Varallo has just announced that local residents are going to get paid to lose weight.
This sounds unbelievable, but it's true. In an effort to beat rising obesity, local men who lose 9 pounds and women who lose 7 pounds in a month will get 50 Euros ($68), and a bonus 200 Euros ($272) if they keep the weight off for five more months. So it's kind of a group diet that they get paid for: sounds like a place that will develop some good weight loss strategies. Perhaps Varallo will be the hip new place for some weight loss travel--saving you some Plastic Surgery Travel in the future.
