How Many Physicians Have Opted Out of the Medicare Program?

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peter doshi :: Article Creator New Research Reports On Financial Entanglements Between FDA Chiefs And The Drug Industry An investigation published by The BMJ today raises concerns about financial entanglements between US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chiefs and the drug and medical device companies they are responsible for regulating. Regulations prohibit FDA employees from holding financial interests in any FDA "significantly regulated organization" and the FDA says it takes conflicts of interest seriously, but Peter Doshi, senior editor at The BMJ, finds that financial interests with the drug industry are common among its leaders. Doshi reports that nine of the FDA's past 10 commissioners went on to work for the drug industry or serve on the board of directors of a drug company. That includes Margaret Hamburg, who led FDA between 2009 and 2015, but whose story is less well known. Like her colleagues, Margaret Hamburg h
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US Flu Season Ebbing, but Still Widespread: CDC - WebMD

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FRIDAY, March 29, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Though flu season has probably peaked, beware: Influenza is still widespread in much of the United States, federal health officials said Friday.

"This week activity decreased a little bit, but flu is going to be around for a while," said Lynnette Brammer, from the domestic influenza surveillance team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Making matters worse, the predominant strain is influenza A H3N2, the most serious type, and it's putting older Americans in the hospital, she said.

How much longer flu season will last depends on how long the H3N2 virus sticks around, and if influenza B viruses start to spread, Brammer said. Right now, B viruses are causing only a small percentage of flu cases.

Though this year's flu hasn't been as bad as last year's, it's still been a severe season, not the mild one health officials had hoped for. It will still be weeks before flu drops to levels needed for the CDC to declare the season over.

In other words, there's still time to get a flu shot if you haven't done so already, Brammer said. "There's still a benefit from getting vaccinated."

That's especially important if you're in a high-risk group, such as the elderly, she said. Seniors are particularly susceptible to H3N2 and its complications, including pneumonia.

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get vaccinated. There's still plenty of vaccine available, Brammer said.

And remember: Even if you get the shot for this flu season, you'll still need to get vaccinated in the fall, she said.

That's important because next year's vaccine is different from this year's. Both influenza A strains -- H3N2 and H1N1 -- have mutated, and the new vaccine has been tweaked to address these changes, Brammer said.

Both strains were included this year's vaccine, but the H3N2 protection has been less than hoped, according to the CDC.

An underrated benefit of the vaccine is that even if you get sick, your flu will be milder than if you haven't been vaccinated. A milder case can prevent complications like pneumonia that can be deadly, especially to the very young and very old.



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