Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/page/19/)
The dry summer has increased the mosquito that spreads the West Nile virus.
The species easily reproduces in a warm, dry climate.
Michigan health officials say more than 115 cases and six deaths have been confirmed this year, up from 34 cases last year.
Lake Superior has long entranced us — with its fickle, dramatic beauty and threats, with its historic legacies and legends, with its immensity and with the people who live along its shores.
Now two new books highlight some of the reasons for our fascination and our awe.
Childhood obesity has tripled in the last decades, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Programs to curb childhood obesity would be more effective if they were gender-specific, researchers say.
Unseasonably warm weather this spring sparked the spread of oak wilt disease in Michigan earlier than expected.
Michigan officials reported that the disease has been found in more than 40 counties already.
Thousands of shipwrecks lie at the bottom of Michigan waters, attracting thousands of visitors to the state. But cultural and economic resources like these wrecks are deteriorating because of human intervention and invasive species.
The demand for fresh, local produce has boosted a statewide uptick in the number of Michigan farmers markets.
And a state grant program aims at ensuring low-income communities don’t miss out.
Environmental experts are urging property owners to get rid of lakefront lawns and stone breakwalls in favor of a new approach to landscaping.
A recent federal study echoes concerns by Michigan health professionals that link the lack of time set aside for physical and health education classes in K-8 schools to increasing childhood obesity.
The Government Accountability Office study of public schools indicates that while sports opportunities for students have generally increased, the frequency of physical education classes has decreased.
Few need help.
Good intentions could spread disease.
Or lead to their death.
By Wei Yu
Capital News Service
LANSING — Two new obesity drugs are awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration, but federal advisers say Qnexaand Lorcaserin should undergo clinical trials to ensure there are no heart-risks. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, the state has the 10th highest rate of obesity in the U.S. Thirty percent of adults were obese and about one in six children aged 2 to 5 were obese or overweight in 2010. “It is necessary to initiate clinical trials of the new drugs,” said Tom Rifai, medical director of metabolic nutrition and weight management at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Mich. “Large, placebo-controlled, prospective trials would be ideal for any type of drug like this,” Rifai said.