Bibliophilia is good for your health: A new
study suggests that people who read books
regularly may add nearly two years to
their lives. Researchers at Yale University
examined the reading habits of 3,635
people over 50 and found that the ones
who buried their noses in a book for more
than 3.5 hours each week—or 30 minutes a
day—were 23 percent less likely to die over
the course of the 12-year study, reports The
Christian Science Monitor. Even after variables
such as health, education, and income
were taken into account, bookworms were
17 percent less likely to die over the same
period than their non-reading peers. It’s
unclear why reading is associated with this
“survival advantage,” but the researchers
suggest delving into novels promotes
cognitive processes, such as empathy and
emotional intelligence, which can boost
longevity. Unfortunately, reading magazines
and newspapers may not provide the same
benefit. “We uncovered that this effect is
likely because books engage the reader’s
mind more,” says researcher Avni Bavishi,
“providing more cognitive benefit, and
therefore increasing the life span.”
Yellow fever threatens globe
Health officials are scrambling to control
a deadly yellow fever outbreak in southern
and central Africa before the mosquitoborne
illness spreads to Europe, Asia, and
the Americas. Carried primarily by Aedes
aegypti, the same mosquito that spreads
Zika and dengue, yellow fever has already
killed more than 400 people in Angola
and the Democratic Republic of Congo,
the World Health Organization (WHO)
reports. (Most people with yellow fever
experience only mild muscle pain, jaundice,
and fever, but a small percentage of
patients develop a more severe form—and
about half of these die within several days.)
Efforts to immunize more than 14 million
people in the region have been complicated
by a global vaccine shortage as well
as humid conditions that provide fertile
breeding ground for mosquitoes. Since the
vaccine takes at least six months to produce,
those at risk will receive one-fifth of
the standard dose, which offers protection
against the illness for about one year. “This
outbreak response has been complex and
challenging,” WHO’s Tarik Jasarevic tells
CBSNews.com. “For the first time, WHO
and other partners are dealing with an
outbreak of yellow fever in a dense, urban
setting.” Urbanization, greater mobility,
and climate change, he notes, “mean an
increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases
spreading internationally.”
a deadly yellow fever outbreak in southern
and central Africa before the mosquitoborne
illness spreads to Europe, Asia, and
the Americas. Carried primarily by Aedes
aegypti, the same mosquito that spreads
Zika and dengue, yellow fever has already
killed more than 400 people in Angola
and the Democratic Republic of Congo,
the World Health Organization (WHO)
reports. (Most people with yellow fever
experience only mild muscle pain, jaundice,
and fever, but a small percentage of
patients develop a more severe form—and
about half of these die within several days.)
Efforts to immunize more than 14 million
people in the region have been complicated
by a global vaccine shortage as well
as humid conditions that provide fertile
breeding ground for mosquitoes. Since the
vaccine takes at least six months to produce,
those at risk will receive one-fifth of
the standard dose, which offers protection
against the illness for about one year. “This
outbreak response has been complex and
challenging,” WHO’s Tarik Jasarevic tells
CBSNews.com. “For the first time, WHO
and other partners are dealing with an
outbreak of yellow fever in a dense, urban
setting.” Urbanization, greater mobility,
and climate change, he notes, “mean an
increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases
spreading internationally.”
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