Author: Edward

Where the flu is surging

More US states now report “very high” levels of the deadly “super flu.”
CDC data for the week ending December 27 shows 32 states, up from 22.

Highest activity areas

CDC level 13 was given to Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York City, New York state, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Colorado, New Mexico and Idaho.

New York state logged just over 72,000 flu cases in the week of December 20.
One in four of those cases were in New York City.

Hospital strain and testing

About 4,550 people were hospitalized in New York in the week of December 27.
That is 24 percent more than the prior week, NYSDH said.

No states now have “minimal” activity, and only Montana and Vermont are “low.”
One in three flu tests were positive in the week of December 27.

That is up 21 percent from one in four the week before.
It is also a 76 percent surge from this time last year.

Deaths, strain, and warnings

Pediatric flu deaths rose, bringing the season total to nine.
The hospitalization rate hit 28 per 100,000, up from 18 per 100,000.

CDC said the 2025-2026 season reached “moderate severity” for the first time.
Hospitals are bringing back Covid-era visitor limits and mask mandates.

The strain is H3N2 subclade K, which experts link to the rise.
CDC estimates at least 11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.

One recent pediatric death was 16-year-old Ryleigh Spurlock of Ohio.
She saw a doctor December 23 with “ordinary flu symptoms,” then died December 28.

“She went from a 98.5 temperature to a 105, she went septic, she had double pneumonia, all within 24 hours, all from the flu, and it doesn’t make sense.”

“The best way to reduce flu risk during and after the holidays is to limit exposure where possible.”

What happened at the Vance home

A hammer-wielding suspect allegedly smashed four windows at JD Vance’s Ohio home.
The break-in happened overnight at his $1.4 million Cincinnati residence.

Who police charged

William D DeFoor, 26, was charged early Monday after the incident.
He faces counts of obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass and vandalism.

Secret Service agents heard a loud noise around midnight, then saw someone run.
A spokesman said agents detained DeFoor shortly after, before Cincinnati Police took custody.

What is known about DeFoor

DeFoor is a Cincinnati native who grew up in Hyde Park.
Property records show a $1.3 million home shared with family.

He attended The Summit Country Day School, costing $27,000 per year.
DeFoor, then known as Davis, graduated in 2018 as a National AP Scholar.

He appears to have transitioned and now goes by the name Julia.
A Facebook page reflecting “transgender woman Julia DeFoor” appeared last month.

The profile lists attendance at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music from August 2018.
It says DeFoor left in 2020 and enrolled at Cincinnati State last year.

Political donations and past vandalism

His father, William, donated more than $11,600 to Kamala Harris and ActBlue.
FEC records also show a donation to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.

Court records say DeFoor pleaded guilty in April to two vandalism counts.
They involved more than $2,000 damage and a $5,550 payment order.

What Vance said

“I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I’m grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly.
“We weren’t even home as we had returned already to DC.”

What happened in Bali

An Australian mum-of-two is set to be airlifted home after a Bali crash.
Her boyfriend, Bryce Alexander Black, 33, died at the scene.

Where and when it happened

Samantha Baillie, 33, and Mr Black, 33, rode a scooter in North Kuta.
They crashed head-on with a car on Petitenget street at about 4.30am.

The crash happened on Sunday, December 28.
The couple are from the NSW Central Coast.

What her friend says about her injuries

Best friend Savannah-Leigh Homer set up a GoFundMe for Ms Baillie.
She said Ms Baillie had no travel insurance and was in critical condition.

Ms Homer said Ms Baillie had serious injuries across her body.
These included a fractured skull, brain bleeding, and severe hand injuries.

She also listed pelvic injuries and extensive injuries to Ms Baillie’s feet.
“She is badly injured and facing a long and uncertain recovery.”

In an update, Ms Homer said Ms Baillie is improving.
“The brain bleed is going down. Hopefully we will be able to do surgery for her hands.”

Conflicting accounts from police and family

Ms Homer criticised Bali Police’s official injury description.
The report said Ms Baillie had “facial abrasions and bleeding from the ear.”

The report described her injuries as minor rather than serious.
Ms Homer said that was wrong and downplayed what happened.

“Sam was in a critical condition,” Ms Homer said.
“She did not have bleeding from her ears or eyes.”

Medical bills and fundraising

Ms Homer said the family faces a $50,000-plus medical bill.
She said $6,000 was paid first, then a $52,000 bill arrived.

The fundraiser launched last week and later paused.
It raised more than $51,000 within 48 hours.

What happened

Meg Hughes has urged parents to vaccinate their children after tragedy.
Her baby son Louie Hughes died from flu on Christmas Day.

What the family went through

Twins Louie and Vinnie Hughes were born at 26 weeks in Stockton-on-Tees.
Meg Hughes said they went from “strength-to-strength” after their birth.

What changed

Despite a months-long hospital stay, the twins had no major medical needs.
Meg Hughes said everything changed after they caught the flu.

The hospital fight and loss

After catching flu, the twins’ health declined quickly, she said.
Doctors placed both boys into a medically induced coma to battle the virus.
Vinnie is now recovering, but Louie died after contracting the flu.

What Meg is calling for

“Never in my life did I think the cause of death listed on my baby’s death certificate would be the flu,” she told the BBC.
She also said: “Many people think with children that flu’s just a cough and a cold that can be treated at home, they don’t realise how serious it can be.
“I hope hearing Louie’s name will help others to get well.”

Meg Hughes wants flu jabs to be compulsory.
She also hopes for mandatory full vaccinations before children start full-time education.

Staff at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary tried to save Louie until 19 minutes before he died.
A GoFundMe has been launched by Louie’s grandmother for his 15-month-old funeral costs.

Less than half of school children in England had a flu jab this winter, UKHSA said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson backed flu vaccination calls.

A new study has raised fresh concerns about popular cooking oils used in millions of kitchens.

Researchers followed 100 men with early-stage prostate cancer for one year. Those who cut seed oils like canola, corn, and cottonseed, and ate more omega-3 rich foods such as salmon, saw their tumors grow more slowly.

Lead researcher Dr. William Aronson explained: “Something as simple as adjusting your diet could potentially slow cancer growth.” By contrast, men who stayed on a normal Western diet showed signs of faster tumor progression.

Seed oils are high in omega-6 fats, which may trigger inflammation and make cancer harder to control. In contrast, omega-3 fats in fish can reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system. Still, health experts caution that more studies are needed before firm conclusions can be made.

This comes just days after another study linked seed oils to rising colon cancer rates in younger people. Should everyday cooking oils really be part of this growing health debate?

What the drugs do
Medications for over-active bladders include pills called anticholinergics.
They reduce activity in certain muscles to stop bladder contractions.

This can ease spasms linked to incontinence and frequent urination.
But new research suggests a possible dementia risk.

What the study found
A study on almost 1million Brits examined dementia links.
Experts analysed records of just over 170,000 dementia patients in England.

All were over the age of 55.
They compared them with 800,000 people without dementia.

Overall, anticholinergics linked to an 18 per cent higher dementia diagnosis risk.
The risk looked higher in men at 22 per cent.

Women showed a 16 per cent increase.
Some drugs carried a bigger rise.

Higher-risk medicines
Those prescribed oxybutynin hydrochloride had a 31 per cent higher dementia risk.
Those on tolterodine tartrate had a 27 per cent increased risk.

NHS data suggests the health service issues hundreds of thousands monthly.
OpenPrescribing records about 110,000 oxybutynin prescriptions per month.

Drugs not linked, and one unclear case
The study found no increased risk with darifenacin or trospium chloride.
It also listed fesoterodine fumarate, flavoxate hydrochloride, and propiverine hydrochloride.

Researchers also analysed mirabegron, which works differently.
They saw some evidence, but said the data was not clear.

What experts urged
Clinicians need to “take into account the possible long term risks and consequences”.
Doctors should “consider prescribing alternative treatments that might be associated with a lower risk of dementia,” they added.

The study had limits, including missing dosage details and record gaps.
The authors published the research in the British Medical Journal.

What scientists flagged
Scientists warned about acrylamide, a chemical released during cooking.
They said it could raise heart attack and stroke risk by 60 per cent.

Where acrylamide shows up
Acrylamide forms when starchy foods get heated during baking, frying, or roasting.
Bread, potatoes and coffee can produce it, especially when foods brown.

It is abundant in burnt carbohydrates, such as toast.
It can also appear in ultra-processed foods, cigarettes and some cosmetics.

What the review found
Spanish researchers published their findings in the journal Nutrients.
They reviewed dozens of studies dating back to 2007.

The studies involved over 100,000 individuals.
Higher acrylamide intake linked to heart attack, stroke, and death.

How big the risk looked
Some studies tied extreme levels to an 84 per cent higher cardiovascular death risk.
That applied to vulnerable people, such as those at risk of type 2 diabetes.

A Chinese study linked higher exposure to a 47 to 67 per cent rise.
That rise covered cardiovascular disease risk over the next decade.

Average intake ranged from 32.6 to 57 micrograms per day.
An average toast slice has about 4.8 micrograms, Professor Oliver Jones told The Telegraph.
He said this doubles when toast gets burnt.

What researchers said next
“It is a ubiquitous food processing contaminant to which the entire population is unintentionally exposed throughout life,” they wrote.
They called for more research and ways to cut acrylamide production.

They also noted limits, including that most studies came from the US.
However, some scientists dispute the quality of the evidence.