Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.
Two thirds of patients with HIV had missed opportunities for prep
New findings from a retrospective cohort study revealed that 66% of patients newly diagnosed with HIV in South Carolina visited a health care facility before their diagnosis. The health care visits occurred after the CDC had issued interim guidance recommending daily pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for patients at risk for HIV and, therefore, likely represent missed opportunities for its use, according to researchers.
General Interest
Hurricane season starts Friday. Here’s what forecasters predict will happen.
With surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean suggesting a less active hurricane season than previously thought, Tropical Meteorology Project lead scientist Phil Klotzbach on Thursday became the first of the forecasters to down-scale his earlier predictions.
He dropped one storm from each category which range from named-storms to catastrophic.
The numbers still suggest an active year.
Here’s How Vitamin D Supplements Can Help New Moms (And Newborns)
Vitamin D has been touted as a must-have vitamin in recent years as studies have shown that many Americans are deficient.
Getting vitamin D is important since it can help with calcium absorption and has roles in immune function and cell growth, among others. While the vitamin is found in some foods and can be obtained via ultraviolet light, nearly 50 percent of the population worldwide has insufficient levels, according to a 2012 study.
But understanding what’s the right amount of vitamin D for young children, pregnant women, and others, can be difficult.
Live Healthy S.C. 