The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unanimously approved vaccines for very young children on Saturday, clearing the way for likely dose availability early this week.
Michigan Health Watch
In-depth reporting on the intersection between public policy and important health topics ‒ such as insurance coverage, hospital admissions, opioid abuse, access to care, medical research and the business of health care ‒ that impact nearly every Michigan resident.
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Michigan blood donations still lagging pre-pandemic levels
Some residents fell out of the routine of donating blood over the past two years for fear COVID-19. Now, doctors are scrambling to find ways to get people back to donation centers.
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New Planned Parenthood CEO: We have abortion options for post-Roe Michigan
How will Michiganders get abortions if they’re illegal here? Paula Thornton Greear, the first Black woman to lead the state agency, says Planned Parenthood has a plan. Plus: Her first sex talk with Mom down Nine Mile and the agency’s first gender-affirming treatment program.
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Ticks on rise in Michigan, so researchers get crafty to map the tiny terrors
With Lyme disease on the increase and pathogen-carrying ticks creeping across Michigan, scientists are using unconventional methods to identify hot spots.
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University of Michigan gun violence researchers hope to curb shooting deaths
Even a University of Michigan institute dedicated to firearm injury prevention and research isn’t sure why mass shootings are increasing.
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Monkeypox isn’t in Michigan. Yet. Here’s what you need to know
At least one case of monkeypox has been confirmed in the U.S., and health officials expect more. But it’s unlikely to wreak havoc like COVID-19.
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Suicide stalks rural Michigan
The 15 Michigan counties with the highest suicide rates from 2005 through 2020 were all rural. Experts point to isolation, job loss and lack of mental health care as key contributors to rural despair.
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Northern Michigan braces for tourists as counties move to high risk for COVID
Up North is bracing for big crowds and travel, as vacationers weigh personal risk and the third pandemic summer is set to start.
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Man v. Microbe: Drug-resistant superbugs gain a toehold in Michigan
The overuse of antibiotics — in ERs, dental offices, and for your steak dinner — means microbes are gaining ground in a microscopic arms race. Next time you ask for antibiotics, your doctor may say “no.”
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COVID-19 booster approved for Michigan children ages 5 to 11
The FDA decision Tuesday extends boosters to everyone who has had their first COVID vaccines. Children younger than five have yet to be approved for a COVID vaccine, but that may come this summer.