Health

(NEW YORK) — One-third of survivors of gun violence said they lived in fear and felt unsafe, according to a new study by Everytown for Gun Safety.

“I still, to this day, don’t feel completely safe,” Chloe Gayer, who was in an abusive relationship five years ago where guns were used as a threat, told ABC News. “It’s something that I have lived with. And I have kind of realized that I will probably never feel 100% safe again. And that’s horrifying. But it’s something that is just a reality in my life.”

“The first year was horrible, I missed a lot of school, I struggled a lot with getting back into my life,” Gayer said.

Mental health care and support from her family played a large role in helping her after her experience with gun violence, she said.

Nearly half of survivors said they needed support, services or assistance to cope with the impact of gun violence within at least the first six months or longer after the violent incident, according to the study.

“Each incident of gun violence, not only does that affect an individual who may have been shot or wounded or threatened with a gun, but we also know that it affects their families, members of their community that depend on them, or that they depend on [and] it can affect people that have shared identity with the person who was experiencing that incident of gun violence,” Abigail Hurst, the director of trauma-informed programs at Everytown, told ABC News.

But, 1 in 3 survivors who participated in a focus group said mental health counseling services were the largest unmet need of gun violence survivors.

“Gun violence survivors needed trauma-informed counseling for both short-term and long-term support. Without it, the trauma of gun violence does not end when the shooting stops,” the report said.

The newly released research study examined the impact gun violence had on survivors in the short- and long-term aftermath of a gun violence incident. Researchers brought together five focus groups totaling more than 100 gun violence survivors from all over the country who were interviewed over the course of three months.

The five focus groups focused on parents who lost a child, members of the LGBTQ community, students over the age of 18, members of the Latinx community and members of the Black community.

Survivors showed a variety of trauma responses in the aftermath of gun violence including hyper vigilance, feeling like they can’t leave home or go places they normally would; numbness; paranoia; anxiety; and depression.

Brenda Mitchell lost her son to gun violence in 2005.

“This may have been a rarity then; it’s commonplace now,” she said.

While resources were not available to her then, she said seeking therapy since has helped her the most. Mitchell also said a network of survivors and her activism through Everytown have helped her grow.

“I almost lost my life three times, just from the trauma, it didn’t come at the point of impact in 2005. Mine came 12 years later; 2016 was actually when I experienced my trauma and PTSD,” Mitchell said.

Drew Gittins, the survivor of a 2012 school shooting in Chardon, Ohio, said it is difficult to describe how deeply gun violence can impact someone’s life. Gittins also said he wished he had sought therapy earlier, instead of waiting until he was in college.

Many of his classmates saw three fellow students die in the shooting and it has since impacted them greatly, he said.

“I know individuals who find themselves unable to sit with their backs to a door in public places. I know individuals who felt felt uncomfortable in public generally, for a very long time. I think it changes how you view the world,” Gittins said.

Mass shootings only take up a fraction of gun violence deaths in the U.S. The vast majority of gun violence deaths are suicides; in 2021, over 26,300 people died of suicide by gun. Over 21,000 people died of all other forms of gun-related deaths, including murder and mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

But, Gittins said he saw a great difference between the support and resources he and his classmates received as survivors of a mass shooting compared to the support survivors of other types of gun violence receive.

“I think there are times where people demonize people who have survived trauma. And I think there’s also times when they’re just ignored. There’s a stigma around suicide, there’s a stigma around domestic violence, and then those issues aren’t talked about,” Gittins said. “They are the majority of cases and they don’t receive the support that I received, and they don’t receive the resources that I received. And I think that’s a shame.”

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(NEW YORK) — Doctors in Oregon recently set a Guinness World Record for discovering a spot of skin cancer that measured just 0.025 inches.

The spot of skin cancer was found on the face of Christy Staats, who said she made a dermatology appointment two years ago to have a different spot on her cheek examined.

The spot on her cheek turned out to be a benign skin growth, but her dermatologist, Alexander Witkowski, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of dermatology at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, noticed another miniscule spot of concern on her face.

“He looked four or five times, just looking really closely from every angle, and told me that he thought I had the smallest melanoma in the world,” Staats, of Portland, told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “So that’s how it got found.”

Witkowski told GMA that he was able to use a high-tech tool, called a confocal microscope, to detect the cancer quickly. He said the spot, located on Staats’ right cheek, was about the size of the tip of a pencil.

“I noticed this very tiny speckle, and so that’s when we applied the confocal microscope, the virtual biopsy, and that tool allowed me to see down to one cell and one nucleus,” Witkowski said. “So what I saw were very clear, distinct, atypical cells that are associated with melanoma skin cancer.”

He continued, “When I saw those, that’s when I made the comment to Christy, that ‘you’ll think I’m crazy, but I think this is the smallest skin cancer ever detected to date.'”

Staats was diagnosed with Stage 0 melanoma in July 2021. Because the cancer was caught so quickly, Staats was able to have all of it removed and did not have to undergo any further treatment.

“I was in the right place at the right time with the right technology,” Staats said. “I have no idea what would have happened if I hadn’t gone in and had the opportunity to have it looked at using the confocal imaging. I was just a very lucky individual.”

This month, nearly two years after her diagnosis and after many rounds of verification, Witkowski and Dr. Joanna Ludzik — his wife and colleague who worked with him on the diagnosis — were recognized with a Guinness World Record for the “smallest skin cancer detected.”

“This was a team effort,” Witkowski said of the honor. “But more importantly, this achievement for our group allows us to start a national conversation and get the word out that skin cancer does affect a lot of Americans.”

It’s estimated that more than one million Americans are currently living with melanoma, a rare form of skin cancer in which cancer cells form in melanocytes, the cells that color the skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology and the National Cancer Institute.

Melanoma is both an aggressive form of skin cancer and one that can spread throughout the body, according to Witkowski, who said that is why early detection is so key.

“With a late diagnosis in melanoma … I like to call it falling through the cracks, because we have this technology,” Witkowski said. “The solution is just the widespread implementation of these type of precise tools, not only in our offices, but across the United States.”

Ludzik added that when technology is available to detect melanoma early, the results can be lifesaving.

“All of the melanomas that we can find early are stage 0 or sometimes stage 1 melanomas,” she said. “And because of the early detection and treatment, we know that the survival [rate] of our patients is up to 99%.”

Both Ludzik and Witkowski said that it’s also key for people to pay attention to their own skin and reach out to their healthcare provider when they notice any type of change.

“The power is in the patient’s hands, because … skin cancers are [often] identified first by the patient, or their family member, their partner, friend or co-worker,” Witkowski said. “That means that a lay person or a public person, before they become a patient, are worried about something because it’s different, it has changed or evolved, and then they asked a question.”

He continued, “That’s where the power is, that if you think something is changing or different or stands out from the rest, ask your primary care doctor or ask your dermatologist so that an expert can evaluate it.”

Both Ludzik and Witkowski also stressed that people should know the ” ABCDEs of melanoma,” which include evaluating the characteristics of a mole for the following:

–Asymmetry.

–Border irregularity.

–Color of the area.

–Diameter of the mole.

–Evolving size of the area in question.

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(NEW YORK) — As the popularity of injectable weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy continues to rise, some users of the drugs are speaking out about the reality of the medications’ reported side effects.

Lee Thomas, who lives in Washington state, said that he has lost 12 pounds after nearly seven weeks of using Ozempic, one of a class of drugs called GLP-1 RAs that help people produce insulin and lower the amount of sugar in the blood. The drugs work by slowing down movement of food through the stomach and curbing appetite, thereby causing weight loss.

Thomas told ABC News that he initially experienced nausea and gastrointestinal issues while on the medication, but found that consuming lots of water and protein helped ease those symptoms.

“It’s been pretty minor with the things I’ve been doing,” Thomas said of the side effects he’s experienced. “And if I can feel it starting to come on, I can take care of it pretty quickly.”

Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, but some doctors prescribe them “off-label” for weight loss. Wegovy is specifically approved for weight loss for people with obesity or who are overweight.

Ozempic and Wegovy are made from a compound called semaglutide, and Mounjaro contains a compound called tirzepatide.

While people can take semaglutide under the brand name Ozempic or Wegovy, some people, due to shortages and cost, have also accessed an off-brand version of the drug through pharmacies that create their own semaglutide compound, using the raw ingredients. There are risks associated with getting semaglutide through that route because the compounds are not regulated by the FDA.

Ashley Harkins of Minnesota told ABC News that she has been taking a generic semaglutide compound for nearly two weeks. She said she has not felt any side effects so far, but has lost her appetite.

“I was like fully expecting to be sick,” Harkins said. “But, no, I feel great.”

Heather Winterstein, who uses Mounjaro, said she experienced nausea when she started taking the medication.

She said her doctor prescribed Zofran, an anti-nausea drug, to ease the symptoms, and she has continued taking Mounjaro for nearly nine months. In total, she said she has lost 73 pounds and is no longer on medications to treat high blood pressure.

“My medical history alone from prior to this medication to six months in was astronomical,” Winterstein, who lives in Mississippi, told ABC News. “I used to have really high blood pressure. I was actually on two medications for high blood pressure.”

Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, and Novo Nordisk, the maker of both Ozempic and Wegovy, told ABC News that people who experience side effects using the medications should contact their health care providers.

To date, there are no reported irreversible side effects associated with Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro use.

Dr. Sethu Reddy, president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, said the primary side effect of the medications is nausea. The drugs can also cause constipation.

“The side effects are minimal. They are very well tolerated,” Reddy told ABC News. “Side effects include primarily nausea, stomach upset, sometimes vomiting.”

The medications cannot be given to patients with certain medical conditions, including medullary thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, or gallstones.

Their safety has not yet been established in minors.

Both Winterstein, who uses Mounjaro, and Thomas, who uses Ozempic, said that, more so than any physical side effects, the main impact of the medications that they’ve noticed is the quieting of what they describe as the “food noise” in their heads.

“I’ve never been able to overcome it because I’m trying to figure out how to have a better relationship with food while food is shouting at me in my mind all the time, and it’s never worked,” Thomas said. “And so, now that is quiet.”

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(NEW YORK) — May is Mental Health Awareness Month, with experts across the country raising alarms about a growing mental health crisis.

Over 94 million Americans experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression in the past four weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Jake Goodman, a psychiatry resident doctor who advocates for mental health awareness on social media, described the numbers as “staggering,” telling ABC News, “We have to talk about this.”

Goodman and other mental health professionals said one of the keys to mental wellness is prevention: Ensuring you are taking care of yourself on a daily basis.

ABC News interviewed mental health professionals to learn about their top coping strategies for extra hard days when anxiety and depression feel out of control.

1. Find a therapist or mental health professional.

Mental health professionals said finding a trusted mental health therapist is the first step.

Ideally, this is someone you can seek advice on especially hard days, experts said.

“It is important to cast a wide net, as the most important factors for a therapy relationship are trust and safety,” Dr. Kali Hobson, an Atlanta-based adult and child adolescent psychiatrist, told ABC News.

Anyone having a mental health emergency should call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Experts said there are many barriers to starting therapy. For one, it can be expensive, especially for people without insurance coverage.

“In an effort to address insurance barriers and access, some therapists offer a ‘sliding scale’ cost based on income — ask about it.” said Hobson.

Stigma can be another barrier to seeking mental health help, even for professionals.

“I regret not getting therapy sooner,” Goodman said. “I had my own stigma about therapy. I used to think that therapy was only for people with severe mental health issues.”

Dr. Osose Oboh, a Maryland-based internal medicine resident doctor, said some of her patients initially worry about being stereotyped as crazy, being misunderstood, or being from different cultures and having to educate while trying to heal.

Therapy is not a quick fix, and you may need to meet with a few therapists to find the best match. But experts said the long-term payoff can be significant.

“You are investing in yourself by giving yourself time to sort out the things you’ve experienced in this life,” Oboh said.

Experts recommended approaching therapy with an open mind, clear written goals, and a willingness to hear things you may have to work on.

Goodman also said it’s best not to share your therapist with friends or family members.

2. Identify healthy coping strategies that work for you

There are many positive coping strategies that can help people get through difficult days, experts said.

“For some people, coping may look like running a marathon, and for others, it might be binge-watching a show in bed,” Hobson said. “Don’t compare your coping skills to others. If it helps, it helps.”

Oboh said running, journaling, or listening to music helped when she didn’t have the words to express how she was feeling.

As for finding the time in your schedule, Oboh said to pay attention to how you divide your time, especially time spent scrolling on devices.

“If you’re not giving yourself time, then who are you giving it to?” she said.

Social media can be a helpful way to find community, but it can also be harmful.

Oboh and other experts recommend that if you are depressed or anxious, or constantly comparing yourself in your life to other people, take a break from social media.

3. Know your adverse childhood experiences

Many people have experiences in childhood that include traumatic events, neglect, or abuse that may have contributed to mental health diagnoses later in life, experts told ABC News.

By understanding yourself better, experts say this self-awareness about past trauma can help people cope during their hardest days.

Knowing about potentially triggering events won’t eliminate bad days, but when people have a better understanding of why they feel so upset, it may help them remember to practice coping mechanisms, according to Oboh.

“[Think] about your experiences from childhood that still bring you to tears…bring out strong emotions …anger,” Oboh said, explaining those are the things that need healing.

4. Know when to seek professional help

In an emergency, seek qualified professional help, the experts said.

It can be hard to know when to seek help, but there are some good indicators that you may need immediate assistance.

If you are experiencing a few of the following — trouble sleeping, less interest in activities you love, feelings of worthlessness, less energy, trouble concentrating, increased or decreased desire to eat, easily angry, or feelings of not wanting to live, or wanting to harm others — then speak to your doctor, according to Oboh.

Oboh noted that if you’ve ever wondered if anyone would care if your car flipped over a median, it can be classified as passive suicidal thoughts and should be taken seriously.

“Typically, if your symptoms are impacting your functioning at school, job, social life, relationships … it is to the point where therapy and the consideration of medication would be recommended,” added Hobson.

In an emergency, Goodman states, “[Go] to an emergency room and let a physician know what you’re going through”

Oboh, Goodman, and Hobson agree that getting help sooner than later is very important because your mental health can decline quickly.

5. Don’t be afraid to take medication

According to Hobson, behavior and therapy strategies are used first before moving on to medication, but for some people, therapy plus medications is the best path to mental wellness.

Before starting a medication, you should talk about risks and benefits with your doctor. Ultimately, it’s your decision.

People who are having a hard day should never self-medicate with drugs or other substances that are not prescribed by a doctor. Instead, call a psychiatrist to explain how you are feeling. If it feels like a crisis, people can find a nearby emergency room or emergency psychiatric care center for same-day medical care, according to Oboh, Goodman and Hobson.

As we exit the pandemic and continue to seek a normal life, experts say some days will be harder than others, but it’s okay to have some bad days.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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(NEW YORK) — A new study from the medical journal JAMA Network estimates there were 1.63 million excess deaths among Black Americans between 1999 and 2020. “Excess deaths” is an estimate of how many people died above and beyond what is expected, according to the study.

Put another way: An estimated 1.63 million more Black Americans died compared to what would have happened if Black people experienced the same death rate as white Americans in that same time period, the study revealed. Additionally, an estimated 997,673 excess deaths occurred among Black males and 628,464 excess deaths occurred among Black females.

According to the study, among a multitude of causes of death in this minority group, heart disease in both sexes and cancer rates in males were major contributing factors. These findings suggest that prior efforts made to eliminate disparities in death rates have not been successful.

The study also noted that infants and middle-aged adults had the largest excess years of potential lives lost. The years of potential life lost among Black males was 47 million, and 35 million in Black females.

There seemed to be substantial progress from 1999 to early 2010s, but “despite initial progress during the early 2000s, [the study] found persistent excess mortality rates among non-Hispanic Black adults,” César Caraballo, a postdoctoral associate at CORE and lead author of the study, said in prepared remarks.

Despite progress narrowing health disparities in the early 2000s, progress later stalled — and was especially exacerbated by the pandemic, consistent with fears of the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affecting the Black population more than the non-Hispanic white population, according to the study. Early in the pandemic, the death rate abruptly increased and exceeded previous years. In 2020, the number of excess deaths among both Black men and Black women was higher than in previous years, the study showed.

“The abrupt worsening of these disparities in the first year of the pandemic indicates that current efforts to eliminate mortality disparities have been minimally effective and that progress has been fragile,” Caraballo said.

Researchers said both pandemic-specific factors (higher infection exposure, financial instability, food insecurity and financial distress) and social factors (structural racism, systemic bias, barriers to healthcare, higher prevalence of multiple chronic conditions and worse average health status) contributed to the vulnerability in the Black population.

Medical experts say that analyzing the excess death rate should raise awareness of the unfair health burden of Black Americans and spur new policies specifically designed to ease this glaring disparity.

Ifesinachi Nnaji, MD, is a resident physician in family medicine at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(NEW YORK) — A family of six spent the last year traveling the world together to take in as many sights as possible before retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder, causes total vision loss for three of the four children.

The Lemay-Pelletier family — 12-year-old Mia, 10-year-old Leo, 7-year-old Colin and 5-year-old Laurent, along with mom Edith Lemay and dad Sebastien Pelletier — sat down with GMA3 to talk about what led up to the incredible journey.

After learning the news four years ago that three of her four kids were diagnosed with the disorder, it took some time to come to terms with what it would mean for their family, Lemay said.

“At first it’s denial, you think, you know, ‘It’s impossible. Nobody in my family has that. And then you get angry. You know, ‘Why me? Why does this happen to me? It’s not fair.’ And then comes sadness, you feel sorry for yourself, for your family. Really it’s only when you get to acceptance, when you accept that your children’s path is going to be different. That’s when you start thinking about the future and make real plans,” Lemay said.

When the kids were diagnosed four years ago, specialists recommended the parents start exposing their children to visual memories by showing them photos and books of the world surrounding them. But the parents decided to take it even further — allowing their kids to make those visual memories based on real-life experiences around the world.

“For us, it was just an obvious thing. Let’s take them around the world and go all in,” Pelletier said.

The eldest, 12-year-old Mia, said her favorite memory so far was riding in a hot air balloon in Turkey.

“It was just magical and amazing,” she told GMA3.

Leo, 10, is the only one of the siblings without the diagnosis.

“I feel lucky that I don’t have [it], but sad that my brothers and sister will lose their vision,” Leo said.

GMA3 surprised the family with tickets to see a Broadway show together while they are in New York, which Leo was particularly excited about.

There is currently no known cure or treatment to slow down the disease. So far, the parents said they haven’t seen any changes to their kids’ vision, besides not having the ability to see in the dark since they were born, Pelletier said. Total loss of vision is expected to occur in midlife.

Meanwhile, the parents have made it their mission to teach their children resilience, being grateful and how to adapt to new situations, Lemay said. She wants them to “focus on the positive in their life.”

Lemay and Pelletier said they felt less alone when a Quebec-based organization connected them to other families dealing with the condition.

Retinitis pigmentosa affects about 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 4,000 people worldwide, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. The Foundation Fighting Blindness said it has funded the launch of more than 40 clinical trials to look for potential treatments for the disorder. The organization supports research efforts by connecting patients to relevant clinical trials, along with offering free genetic testing.

“Our way to cope was to get into action. Like the hardest part for us is to not do anything. And that was the hardest part with RP, is that there’s nothing you can do,” Pelletier said.

ABC News’ Jessica Horning and Stefanie Javorsky Parasram contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — People who are trying to lose weight should avoid using zero calorie non-sugar sweeteners, according to a new recommendation released Monday by the World Health Organization.

Zero calorie non-sugar sweeteners, including artificial and natural sweeteners like aspartame and stevia, have not been shown to help with weight loss long-term in children or adults, and their use may bring side effects like increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes and death in adults, the WHO said in its finding.

“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said in a statement announcing the recommendation. “NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.”

The WHO defines artificial sweeteners as “all synthetic and naturally occurring or modified nonnutritive sweeteners that are not classified as sugars found in manufactured foods and beverages, or sold on their own to be added to foods and beverages by consumers.”

The only exception to the recommendation, according to the agency, is for “individuals with pre-existing diabetes.”

The WHO said it issued the recommendation after a “systematic review” of over 280 studies involving the use of artificial sweeteners in adults, pregnant women and children.

Due to a growing obesity epidemic worldwide, non-sugar sweeteners are becoming increasingly common ingredients found in soft drinks, “diet” foods and other processed products. Although federal regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have deemed most artificial sweeteners to be safe, little is known about the long-term health effects.

Low-calorie sugar alternatives have been found in at least one study to change the gut microbiome, the collection of microbes in the gut that help protect humans against disease and enable us to digest food.

Saccharin, sucralose, aspartame and stevia were the four substances tested in the study on gut health, published last year in the medical journal Cell.

Overall, the healthiest sweetener to use is no sweetener at all. The American Heart Association recommends drastically lowering added sugar in a daily diet to help slow the risk of obesity and heart disease and to focus on more whole foods like a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines currently recommend that Americans ages 2 and older limit their intake of added sugars to less than 10% of their daily calories, or about four tablespoons for someone consuming a 2,000-calorie diet. Children under the age of 2 are advised to consume no added sugars at all in their diet.

The average American consumes around 34 teaspoons of sugars a day, which equals over 500 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

People who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk for many serious health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, mental illness and other health problems.

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(ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted doctors across the country Monday about the potential risk of new mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, cases, warning that summer gatherings could lead to a “resurgence.”

Mpox cases have plummeted since a peak in the summer of 2022, with the World Health Organization calling an end to the emergency phase of the outbreak Thursday — but the virus is not completely eradicated.

“While the transmission of monkeypox has reached its lowest levels since its emergence last year, the upcoming summer months, characterized by larger gatherings, present an increased risk of local outbreaks,” John Brownstein, PhD, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News Contributor, said.

“The most important message is that mpox has not gone away,” Dr. Richard Silvera (MD, MPH, CPH) Associate Program Director of the Infectious Disease Fellowship and Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told ABC News.

Mpox infection is not usually life-threatening. It often appears as a painful rash, and some people experience flu-like symptoms.

The new CDC warning comes on the heels of a cluster of cases in Chicago, where health officials say there have been 12 confirmed cases and one probable case from April 17 to May 5.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) tells ABC News they are in close contact with the people who tested positive and are working with other health departments and the CDC in an ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, health officials in Chicago are raising awareness ahead of summertime festivals.

“We have been working with community partners to spread awareness of this resurgence and opportunities for vaccination, ahead of [International Mr. Leather], Pride, associated and other events,” a CDPH spokesperson said.

None of the Chicago mpox patients have been hospitalized, but nine cases were among men who had been fully vaccinated.

Experts caution that many vaccines, including mpox, reduce the likelihood of infection but do not completely eliminate risk. Vaccination is still encouraged because people who are fully vaccinated can expect less severe symptoms.

Chicago health officials are not recommending booster doses for fully vaccinated people at this time. Both unvaccinated and vaccinated people should avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with someone who has mpox, according to the CDC.

“It’s important to remember that vaccines—while incredibly helpful—are not our only way to reduce the risk of contracting Mpox,” Silvera said. Other risk reduction strategies include “things like avoiding social and sexual contact if you have new skin lesions and asking your intimate contacts if they are experiencing symptoms or new skin changes,” Silvera said.

The 2022 global mpox outbreak disproportionately impacted gay and bisexual men, but anyone can get or spread monkeypox, regardless of their sexual orientation or how they identify. It spreads most easily through close skin-to-skin contact, often during sex. It does not easily spread via casual contact, such as touching shared surfaces, like elevator buttons, or brushing against someone.

The CDC said that in the U.S., only one-quarter of eligible people are vaccinated, and urged vaccination among those who are high-risk.

The CDC recommends mpox vaccination for people with a known exposure, including close physical contact or sexual contact with someone who had an mpox rash. In addition, the CDC also recommends vaccination for people with HIV who have a higher risk of exposure, for gay, bisexual and MSM who have recently had more than one sexual partner or a recent sexually transmitted infection.

“Vaccination stands as the most effective means of safeguarding oneself against monkeypox. However, only a small fraction of those eligible have received the vaccine thus far. Increasing vaccination coverage is likely to contribute to reducing monkeypox transmission,” Brownstein said.

“The good news is that we have many tools to help prevent mpox including vaccination, as well as strategies to reduce your risk as you socialize this summer,” Silvera said. Along with vaccination, Silvera said, “our best tool is communication: telling those you have intimate contact with if you are experiencing potential Mpox symptoms; asking if they are experiencing symptoms; and listening for updates from public health organizations as we learn more.”

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(NEW YORK) — As the seasons change, our skin care needs change with it, so here are a few dermatologist-approved ideas to help switch up that regimen for summer.

Dr. Rita Linkner shared her top tips with ABC News’ Good Morning America to get your skin ready for the summer sun:

What should you look for in sunscreen?

“There are three things you’re looking for: Broad spectrum is gonna cover UVA, UVB; At least SPF 30; Remember you want it to really be water resistant for up to an hour is what you’re looking for on the label,” Linkner said.

What should change with skin care from spring to summer

“Temperatures are rising, humidity levels are rising. Switch out that pore-clogging, thick cream, you want to go to lighter serums and lotions,” she said.

What ingredients to look for in summer skin products?

“You want to see the titanium oxide [or] zinc oxide in it,” Linkner said. “There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that can protect you against pollution and environmental stressors as well.”

How much sunscreen should you use?

“An ounce is what you need to cover yourself head to toe when you’re at the beach on the weekend. If you’re not using a full ounce you’re not getting the same SPF level that’s on the bottle. Remember, a full shot glass. That’s what you need,” she explained.

How often should you reapply sunscreen?

“Every two hours. Remember if you get out of water sunscreen’s not sweatproof, reapply. And if you’re exercising, reapply every two hours as well,” she said.

What is ultraviolet protection factor clothing?

“In 2023, there’s a lot of fashion involved with upf — ultraviolet protection factor — you want to be around a 50 level. It will block 1/50th of UVB light,” Linkner said.

She suggested a wide-brim hat, sunglasses and other things that cover places aggravated by the sun.

Top body parts to keep covered with SPF

Finally, she said you should remember to apply sunscreen on some neglected body parts: the tip of the nose, top of the ears, lips and hands.

“These are common areas we’re going to see skin cancer and May is skin cancer awareness month,” she said.

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(BUDA, Texas) — Bandages, ice packs, aspirin and epinephrine have long been staples of nurse Dawn Baker’s public high school medical clinic in Texas.

Now, she also stocks Naloxone to treat drug overdoses — keeping a supply by the door in case she needs to save a life in an instant.

“Schools have had drugs in them forever. It’s just that the drug is so much stronger and so much scarier now, and, you know, the outcome is death,” Baker said.

As the nation’s fentanyl crisis claims a growing number of American teenagers each year, school districts nationwide are scrambling to acquire the opioid-reversing drug, train teachers and students how to use it, and combat stigma from openly acknowledging problems with addiction.

Last year, just two weeks after Hays County gave Nurse Baker six doses of Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, she was called to a classroom where a 16-year-old girl was unresponsive.

“She checked all the boxes of an overdose,” she said. I administered Narcan nasally.” The young woman, who was not breathing, survived but only because an overdose antidote was close at hand, Baker said.

“It’s not the answer to all, but it’s definitely going to help,” she said.

While illicit drug use among teens nationwide has been on the decline, overdose deaths – some of them on school property – have been soaring, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Around 500 U.S. teenagers died from a drug overdose each year between 2010 and 2019, CDC data shows. But in 2020, the number nearly doubled to 954 deaths; in 2021, more than 1140 teens died from a drug overdose.

“We’re seeing a significant number of kids getting access to highly lethal drugs that are ultimately leading to an increase in deaths,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News medical contributor.

“We know that there is plenty of fentanyl on the market that is tainting products that people really otherwise wouldn’t know is there. Even in a very small quantity – one tenth of a grain of rice – can lead to an overdose death,” Brownstein said.

The National Association of School Nurses has become so alarmed by the trend that the organization now advises schools nationwide to develop a Naloxone policy.

“I’m seeing more receptiveness,” said Kate King, president-elect of the nurses association.

Thirty states expressly authorize the possession and use of naloxone in K-12 schools, according to the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association. But only 1 state – Rhode Island – requires all schools to keep it on hand.

Recent FDA approval for over-the-counter sale of naloxone is expected to accelerate interest in the drug and ways to increase its production and availability.

King says unfamiliarity with Naloxone and “stigma” around it are primary barriers to more widespread adoption.

“The fear is that drug users will camp out on the doorstep so that when they use opioids, school personnel will have to run out and save them with naloxone. There’s a fear of danger after administration – that if you administer it, people are going to come up swinging and that you, yourself, are going to be in danger,” King said. “There’s also fear that schools don’t want to get the bad reputation.”

Officials at Hays County Public Schools, just outside Austin, have had to use Naloxone 6 times since the district began stocking the drug in nurses offices. Five students have died off campus in the past year.

“We are being impacted hard. I think what we’re doing differently is we’re hitting it head on,” said Jeri Skrocki, a former county sheriff’s deputy who now oversees safety and security at Hays Consolidated Independent School District’s 26 school campuses with over 22,000 students.

Administrators have produced videos of grieving parents to show students and released surveillance video of student overdose incidents on county campuses.

“Our goal was transparency and really making sure that we were communicating that this is out here, and we wanted them to see those faces,” Skrocki said.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, after a recent rash of student overdoses, administrators are holding community training sessions throughout the year where free doses of naloxone are distributed to parents and children.

“It’s becoming way closer to home,” said high school senior Isabella Juarez Galeas who attended.

Earl Stoddard, a father who joined the session with his daughter Ava, said the dangers need to be talked about openly.

“It’s just important to educate and be aware of what’s going on in your community. She’s going to high school next year. And so I want to have her prepared for that before she gets there,” he sa9id.

Added Ava, “We’ve had strong personal talks at home about drugs, like if you see someone and they’re like, Oh, here’s an Adderall. No, it may not just be Adderall.”

It’s a conversation being had across the country, from Los Angeles, where the nation’s second largest school district is putting naloxone in every K-12 school, to PTA meetings in Arlington, Virginia.

“As a medical professional, if we’re teaching kids to put condoms on bananas, we can teach kids to put Narcan up someone’s nose,” said Dr. Sulman Mirza, a pediatric psychiatrist, during the Arlington meeting last month.

King, who campaigned to get epinephrine and steroid inhalers into the school nurses’ office across Ohio, said the call for naloxone must come with funding for training and education to end stigma.

“Schools already have emergency preparedness plans. We prepare for tornadoes, we prepare for chemical exposures, we prepare for fires, and certainly we prepare for other kinds of health emergencies. This health emergency is no different,” she said.

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