Death by fentanyl

It’s cheap, it’s strong, and people are desperate for it (or something like it). With the ongoing crackdown on both legal and illegal painkillers, those in pain are turning to the streets and to fentanyl — and it’s killing them. New CDC data shows fentanyl is involved in almost twice as many overdose deaths as heroin.

What’s killing Georgians (part of CDC’s region 4)? Fentanyl is #1, followed by cocaine, heroin, Xanax, meth, and oxycodone.

Two more steps toward a universal flu vaccine

One is in the works at Georgia State University (it works on ferrets so far)…

The drug tricks the virus into making genetic errors as it replicates, creating essential flaws that doom its ability to spread.

“The drug mutates the virus to death, forcing the virus to make so many errors that the virus cannot live any longer.”

…while the other comes from a team from several research centers (it works on mice). It’s an antibody that binds to the neuraminidase protein and prevents the flu virus from using it to replicate.

The last step is a doozy

Two strains of polio are virtually eradicated around the globe, but one is still out there. But anti-vaxxers have stymied the eradication program, and that has allowed mutant strains to emerge, making finally wiping out the disease tougher than ever.

I guess it’s news

Retailers are pulling 22-oz. J&J Baby Powder from their shelves after it was recalled by the company. Put another way, “Recalled products are being recalled.”

Free gluten

A team of researchers in Chicago developed a technology that allows people with celiac disease to reduce their reaction to gluten by 90 percent. It’s not a permanent treatment; it involves drinking what the team created before eating.

The technology involves a biodegradable nanoparticle that “hides” gliadin — the main compound in gluten — in a shell, “tricking” the immune system into not realizing that it contains gluten.

Go ahead, take your time

While no one is selling Zantac (or its generics) anymore — it’s been pulled from shelves around the world by governments, manufacturers, and retailers — the FDA is still investigating whether it’s safe … and hasn’t ordered a recall.

You don’t say

Canadian researchers have found that kids who watch TV, play on their phones, or use social media are more likely to have too much sugar and energy drinks.

(And why do they get hooked on sugar in the first place? “Misleading marketing.”

The Long Read: Losing an ounce of prevention

For 10 years, the U.S. has funded a critical and innovative program to help detect animal viruses before they jump to humans. Now we’ve stopped. The program, called Predict, had strong bipartisan support… until two years ago.

“Scientists Were Hunting for the Next Ebola. Now the U.S. Has Cut Off Their Funding.”

“Predict was an approach to heading off pandemics, instead of sitting there waiting for them to emerge and then mobilizing. That’s expensive.

“The United States spent $5 billion fighting Ebola in West Africa. This costs far less.”