Health Highlights: Sept. 15, 2017

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Post-Harvey Mosquito Spraying Begins in Texas

The U.S. Air Force is helping with aerial spraying against mosquitoes in areas of Texas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. The effort was scheduled to begin Thursday evening for 600,000 acres in Harris County, Texas, with most of the spraying outside the City of Houston limits.

Rain and flooding from Harvey left behind large amounts of water where mosquitoes can lay their eggs, according to Harris County Public Health, CBS News reported.

“The goal is to reduce the effects mosquitoes are having on recovery efforts and the possibility of a future increase in mosquito-borne disease,” Dr. Umair A. Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, explained.

The spraying by the U.S. Air Force Reserve with the insecticide Dibrom may take more than a day, and the public should not be concerned about the EPA-approved spray, county health officials said, CBS News reported.

Residents are also urged to empty standing water around their homes.

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Women More Likely Than Men to Lose Sex Spark in Long-Term Relationships: Study

In long-term relationships, women are more likely than men to lose interest in sex, a new study finds.

Researchers surveyed more than 4,800 men and nearly 6,700 women in Britain, ages 16-74, and found that 15 percent of men and 34 percent of women said they lacked interest in sex for three months or more in the previous year, USA Today reported.

Reasons for lack of interest in sex included age, health and depression, according to the study in the journal BMJ Open.

It also found that women were more likely than men to lose interest in sex when living with a partner or while in a relationship for longer than a year.

Communication was crucial in maintaining an active sex life. Women and men who said it was “always easy to talk about sex” were more likely to maintain sexual interest.

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Selena Gomez Had Kidney Transplant Earlier This Year

Pop star Selena Gomez has revealed that she received a new kidney from her best friend earlier this year.

The transplant was necessary due to the 25-year-old singer’s lupus. In October 2015, she disclosed her lupus diagnosis and said she was undergoing chemotherapy to treat it, People reported.

In an interview with the magazine, Gomez said the reason she stepped back from her career over the summer was because she was recovering from the kidney transplant.

The kidney was donated by longtime friend Francia Raisa, an actress best known for her role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, People reported.

In August 2016, Gomez took a career break because she was experiencing “anxiety, panic attacks and depression” associated with her lupus diagnosis.

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