Death

(CNN) Far too often, Dr. Debra Houry found herself covered in blood. As an emergency physician in the United States for about 20 years, Houry said, it was a "frequent occurrence" to treat young men in the emergency room for gunshot wounds. They often would "bleed out" on her as she was resuscitating them. Then she would search the hospital for a clean white coat to wear "so that I'd look respectable and presentable to talk to their families -- or to somebody that did survive but then was paralyzed or had traumatic stress as a result of it," Houry said. "That was heartbreaking." The rate of gun-related deaths in the US appears to be getting worse. Read More The US firearm homicide rate in 2020 was the highest recorded since 1994, according to data published Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where Houry serves as acting principal deputy director and head of the National Center for Injury Prevention. … [Read more...] about US has the highest rate of gun-related deaths in more than 25 years, new CDC data shows

(CNN) Drug overdoses in the United States were deadlier than ever in 2021, according to provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 108,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2021, and about two-thirds of those deaths involved fentanyl or another synthetic opioid. Overdose deaths have been on the rise for years in the US, but surged amid the Covid-19 pandemic: Annual deaths were nearly 50% higher in 2021 than in 2019, CDC data shows. The spike in overdose deaths in the second year of the pandemic wasn't as quite as dramatic as in the first year: Overdose deaths were up about 15% between 2020 and 2021, compared with a 30% jump between 2019 and 2020. But the change is still stark. In 2021, about 14,000 more people died of overdose deaths in than in 2020, the CDC data shows. States prepare for summer launch of new 988 suicide prevention number Read More "This is indeed a continuation … [Read more...] about In 2021, US drug overdose deaths hit highest level on record, CDC data shows

Issac Bailey is a longtime journalist based in South Carolina who writes for McClatchy and the Batten Professor of Public Policy at Davidson College. He's the author of " My Brother Moochie: Regaining Dignity in the Face of Crime, Poverty and Racism in the American South ." His latest book is " Why Didn't We Riot? A Black Man in Trumpland ." The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) A police officer shot Patrick Lyoya, killing him instantly. It happened during a physical encounter following a traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 4. Lyoya's family commissioned an autopsy, and the forensic pathologist who performed it said at a news conference that Lyoya "died as a result of a single gunshot wound with entrance wound in the back of the head." Issac Bailey No matter if use-of-force experts, fellow police officers, prosecutors or even a jury says in the end that shooting him was justified, in a sane … [Read more...] about Opinion: Why Patrick Lyoya’s death is a tragedy, but not a surprise

Representative image A World Health Organisation (WHO) report on excess COVID-19 mortality has estimated 4.74 million deaths for India in 2020 and 2021, nearly 10 times higher than the country’s official coronavirus toll of 4.84 lakh during the two years. India, according to the report, had the highest excess COVID-19 deaths, followed by Russia and Indonesia. Globally, the world health body has estimated that almost three times more people have died of COVID-19 than the official data. As per the UN body, there were 14.9 million excess deaths associated with COVID-19 by the end of 2021. The official count of deaths directly attributable to COVID-19 and reported to WHO in that period, from January 2020 to the end of December 2021, is slightly more than 5.4 million. In other words, the estimated toll is 9.5 million higher than the confirmed fatalities by countries. Close COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine … [Read more...] about WHO estimates 4.74 mn COVID-19 deaths in India in 2020, 2021; nearly 10 times the official toll

Representative image (Source: Reuters) The calculation of deaths due to Covid-19 in India is “quite complex” and there are “no definite answers”, former Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist Dr Raman Gangakhedkar told News18.com, responding to the latest data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), which claims that Covid could have killed as many as 47.4 lakh people in India in 2020-21. The figure, disputed by the Indian government, is nearly 10 times the country’s official Covid death toll of 4.81 lakh at the end of 2021. The epidemiologist, who was the face of the country’s apex medical research agency during government briefings on Covid-19 last year, said when a modelling exercise is done, certain assumptions have to be used when data is not available. “India is a large country with a population over 134 crore. Here, health infrastructure, quality and timelines of data reporting vary between states. Use of one assumption for all states may not … [Read more...] about Calculation of India’s Covid deaths complex, modelling changes can affect numbers: Ex-ICMR Scientist

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya India records its deaths due to Covid through a transparent and legal process and does not agree to the WHO's estimate of Covid mortality for the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday. He also said the 14th Conference of Central Council of Health & Family Welfare (CCHFW) passed a resolution in this regard. The resolution was passed on the second day of the three-day CCHFW –'Swasthya Chintab Shivir', which concluded here on Saturday. Mandaviya said the registration of births and deaths in the country is extremely robust and is governed by the decades-old statutory legal framework the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1969. "On the 2nd day of the conference of the CCHFW yesterday we have passed a resolution that we do not agree to the WHO's estimate of Covid mortality for India," he said, referring to the WHO estimate of 4.7 million Covid-related deaths in India. "India records its deaths through a … [Read more...] about India doesn’t agree to WHO’s estimate of COVID-19 deaths: Mansukh Mandaviya

Story highlights SIDS is the leading cause of death of infants older than 1 month in high-income countries Monitoring babies to ensure that they sleep on their backs could cut chance of SIDS by up to 60% (CNN) Sudden infant death syndrome -- long regarded as an unexplained phenomenon affecting apparently healthy children under 1 -- may have a genetic basis in some cases, a new study suggests. The study, published Wednesday in the journal The Lancet , found that a genetic mutation affecting respiratory muscle function was associated with SIDS in a subset of cases. The mutation causes a dysfunction that can make it harder for infants to adequately respond to hypoxemia, or low oxygen levels in the blood, the researchers said. It alters the shape of a "sodium channel" that maintains an electric current to stimulate muscle contraction. "I think the evidence is pretty compelling that some cases of SIDS are caused by sodium channel … [Read more...] about Sudden infant death syndrome may have genetic basis, study suggests

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Traffic deaths in the United States surged in 2021 to their highest level in 16 years, according to a preliminary estimate released Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The estimated number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes was 42,915, an increase of 10.5% from the 2020 total of 38,824, the steepest yearly jump in fatalities since 2005, according to the agency’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FAR AR S), which has gathered the data since 1975. "We face a crisis on America’s roadways that we must address together,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.in a statement. The number of traffic deaths has climbed sine Covid-19 lockdowns ended in 2020, according to NHT HT SA, which attributed it to increased speeding, and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The record surge also came as American drove more. Preliminary data from the Federal … [Read more...] about U.S. Traffic Deaths Likely Jumped 10.5% Last Year To Highest Since 2005

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Pollution was responsible for more than 9 million deaths around the world in 2019, according to a study published in Lancet Planetary Health on Tuesday, equivalent to one in every six, a growing global problem researchers warn poses an “existential threat” to humanity but receives little political attention or funding to mitigate the crisis. Key Facts Air pollution, for example from burning fossil fuels, accounted for the vast majority of these, nearly 75%, and was responsible for 6.67 million deaths, the peer-reviewed analysis of global mortality data found, contributing towards higher rates of issues like cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness. Water pollution and toxic chemicals like lead were also responsible for millions of deaths, the researchers said, 1.36 million and 1.8 million deaths, respectively, leading to issues like sickness from unsafe drinking water, damage to the immune system … [Read more...] about ‘A Planetary Threat’: Pollution Responsible For 9 Million Deaths Each Year, Study Finds

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Nearly 43,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2021 in this country, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 lives lost in 2020. That’s an average of almost 120 deaths every day. Those numbers represent the highest death toll since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the nearly five-decade history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Those are the main findings of new estimates of crash deaths last year released on Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “We face a crisis on America’s roadways that we must address together,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “With our National Roadway Safety Strategy and the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are taking critical steps to help reverse this devastating trend and save lives on our roadways.” Earlier this year Mr. Buttigieg announced details of the first ever National … [Read more...] about U.S. Traffic Deaths Highest In 16 Years