Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Fewer Girls Undergoing Female Genital Mutilation: Report
Fewer girls in Africa and the Middle East are undergoing female
genital mutilation, according to new data released by the United
Nations.
In 29 countries in those regions, 36 percent of girls ages 15 to
19 had been subjected to the procedure, compared with about 53
percent of women ages 45 to 49,
BBC Newsreported.
Female genital mutilation typically involves removing the
clitoris. It can lead to bleeding, infections and childbirth
problems. Last year, 1,775 communities in Africa publicly declared
their commitment to end the practice.
The new figures show that it is possible to end female genital
mutilation, Anthony Lake, UNICEF's executive director, said in a
statement,
BBC Newsreported. He said that female genital mutilation is
"deeply wrong" and that "we can and must end it to help millions of
girls and women lead healthier lives."
The data was released on the international day calling for an
end to female genital mutilation.
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Fewer May Get Insurance Under Health Care Reform: Report
Only about 27 million more Americans will have health insurance
by 2017, instead of the 32 million to 34 million originally
projected by the Obama administration when it implemented the
health care reform law, according to a Congressional Budget Office
report.
It said that the smaller number of newly-insured people within
four years is mostly due to the deal Congress made last month to
prevent the country from going over the fiscal cliff,
NBC Newsreported.
The CBO said the deal takes away some of the tax breaks
employers get for providing health care coverage to employees. This
means that about eight million people who would have been insured
by their employers will likely lose their coverage.
Some of those people will likely purchase health insurance on
the new insurance exchanges that are scheduled to be available by
October, while others will become newly eligible for Medicaid,
NBC Newsreported.
About 18 percent of Americans under age 65 don't have health
insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. One of the
main goals of the Affordable Care Act was to greatly increase the
number of people with health insurance.
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Pubic Hair Grooming Injuries on the Rise: Study
Pubic hair grooming injuries are sending an increasing number of
Americans to emergency departments, according to a new study.
The number of such visits rose five-fold between 2002 and 2010,
when there were an estimated 2,500 pubic hair grooming mishaps
involving cuts, burns, rashes, gashes and other problems that
required emergency medical care,
MSNBCreported.
However, this figure represents only people who sought medical
help and the actual number of pubic hair grooming injuries is
likely much higher, said study author Dr. Allison Glass, a clinical
researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
Shaving razors caused 83 percent of the injuries, followed by
scissors at 22 percent and hot wax at 1.4 percent, according to the
study in the journal
Urology. About 57 percent of the injuries occurred in women
and 43 percent in men.
The study said that 70 to 88 percent of young women in the U.S.
partially or fully remove their pubic hair, along with 58 to 78
percent of men,
MSNBCreported.