Health

Stock photo of a sick child. (Natalia Lebedinskaia/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — New York is reporting the highest number of flu hospitalizations recorded in a single week, the state’s health department said on Friday. During the week ending Dec. 27, 4,546 people were hospitalized with flu, a 24% increase from the 3,666 who were […]

A child receives a standard immunization on September 15, 2025, in Coral Gables, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Children who miss early vaccinations are far more likely to miss the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine by age 2, a new study found. The findings come as the U.S. recently surpassed 2,000 measles cases […]

A box of biles for Measles Vaccinations offered by Harris Public Health is photographed on Saturday, April 5, 2025 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — The U.S. has surpassed 2,000 measles cases for the first time in more than 30 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control […]

ABC News (NEW YORK) — From robotic surgery performed 7,000 miles away to the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, 2025 has been a year full of medical breakthroughs. Scientists discovered a brain implant to give some patients back their independence, prevented others from needing to take opioids and made a discovery that […]

Stock photo of a sick child. Natalia Lebedinskaia/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Flu activity is increasing across the U.S. amid holiday travel and gatherings, according to the latest data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates there have been at least 4.6 million illnesses, 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths from flu this […]

A woman receives a flu vaccination, October 15, 2025. Alejandro Martinez Velez/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Flu activity is increasing across the country, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York City is seeing some of the highest levels of flu-like activity across the country. States including Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New […]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing his administration to move cannabis into a less restrictive federal […]

Stock photo of a sick child blowing their nose. Vera Livchak/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Concerns about the flu spreading in the U.S. are growing as the U.K. continues to see a spike in cases among children and young adults. The increased number of cases in the U.K., could be a predictor for the […]

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. Megan Varner/Bloomberg via Getty Images (ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted 8-3 on Friday to remove the universal recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices […]

The healthcare.gov website on a laptop arranged in Norfolk, Virginia, US, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — One in four Americans covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are considering going without health insurance if their monthly premiums double next year, a new KFF poll published Thursday finds. […]

Catherine Stein, far right, speaks during a meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on September 18, 2025 in Chamblee, Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee is set to meet Thursday and Friday to discuss the childhood vaccine schedule, adjuvants and contaminants, […]

Westend61/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Children who have smartphones by age 12 are at higher risk of lack of sleep, obesity and depression, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. What’s more, researchers found that the earlier a child received a smartphone, the greater their risk of developing these conditions. Dr. […]

Norovirus virus particles. STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Cases of norovirus are rising across the United States, doubling over the last few months, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 14% of tests came back positive for norovirus during the most recent week ending Nov. 15, compared to roughly 7% […]

DIGICOMPHOTO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — As measles continues to spread across the United States, questions have emerged about whether the country will retain its measles elimination status. The U.S. is currently experiencing the highest number of measles cases reported in more than three decades, in large part due to an outbreak in western […]

Tylenol is displayed for sale at a CVS Pharmacy on November 03, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — A federal appeals court is deciding whether to revive more than 500 lawsuits filed by parents who claimed their children’s autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was caused by prenatal exposure to […]

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a final version of its report on pediatric gender-affirming care on Wednesday, claiming it found “medical dangers posed to children,” which is receiving pushback from medical groups. The report alleged that gender-affirming care — including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and […]

Halfdark/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The global rise of ultra-processed foods in diets worldwide poses a major public health threat, according to experts who published a series of papers in medical journal The Lancet. The authors cite studies that show ultra-processed diets are linked to chronic health conditions like increased risk of becoming overweight and […]

Stock image of cigarette. krisanapong detraphiphat/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Just 100 cigarettes over the course of someone’s life may be enough to raise their risk of heart disease and death, a new study suggests. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, who looked at the smoking habits of more than 300,000 adults for almost 20 years, […]

An exterior view of the South Carolina State House. Epics/Getty Images (COLUMBIA, S.C.) — A few South Carolina lawmakers are holding a hearing on Tuesday to discuss a near-total abortion ban that removes exceptions and could send anyone involved with termination of a pregnancy to prison for decades. Currently, the state has a six-week abortion […]

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Just as SNAP benefits were reinstated for millions of Americans following the reopening of the federal government, many are now set to permanently lose them. Nearly 42 million Americans, including low-income families and vulnerable households, rely on SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to help pay for groceries or […]

Stock photo of a Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma Americanum. (Joesboy/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — A New Jersey man is believed to be the first documented death from alpha-gal syndrome, a meat allergy triggered by tick bites. The man, a 47-year-old airline pilot, was otherwise healthy, according to a case study from researchers at the […]

Natalie Behring/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Food banks and pantries have been experiencing historic demand since SNAP benefits halted on Nov. 1 for many Americans due to the federal government shutdown. That halt affected nearly 42 million Americans, many of whom are older or low-income, and use benefits to help pay for groceries and other […]

A sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland is seen on April 8, 2025. Maansi Srivastava/For The Washington Post via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it will remove the “black box” warning from hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products for menopause. […]

(DIGICOMPHOTO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — Canada has lost its measles elimination status after struggling to contain a year-long outbreak, the country’s public health agency announced on Monday. The Public Health Agency of Canada said it was informed of the loss by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) after more than 12 months of […]

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration announced deals on Thursday with pharmaceutical giants Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly that would lower the cost of GLP-1 drugs for many Americans, including those on Medicare. The administration negotiated how much both the government and consumers would pay for the drugs, which are used to treat […]

Cheng Xin/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Eli Lilly’s next generation of weight loss drugs appear to show promise, possibly leading to even faster weight loss and added health benefits, early trial results suggest. The pharmaceutical company presented the results for its newer drug at the annual ObesityWeek conference on Thursday. Known as amylin analogs, these […]

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Over the last week, Martina Santos said she feels like she’s been living a nightmare. The 67-year-old from the Bronx, New York, is one of the nearly 42 million Americans who saw their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits lapse on Nov. 1. Although the U.S. Department of […]

Pink ribbon flag in support of breast cancer awareness. Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — When it comes to early detection, mammograms remain the only screening test proven to reduce deaths from breast cancer in average-risk women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, only about 75% of eligible […]

Lourdes Balduque/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Tens of thousands of children and families could be affected by dozens of Head Start programs potentially closing if the federal government shutdown extends past Nov. 1. About 134 programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico will see their operational funding cease on Saturday, affecting nearly 65,000 kids, or […]

Tylenol caplets are displayed on September 22, 2025 in San Anselmo, California. The Trump administration will reportedly link use of the painkiller acetaminophen during pregnancy to autism during a White House press conference today. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (NEW YORK) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson […]

A woman runs along a palm tree-lined street in La Jolla as the sun sets on the horizon of the Pacific Ocean on October 23, 2025 in San Diego, California. Kevin Carter/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Women may need less exercise than men to gain similar protection against coronary heart disease, according to a new study published […]

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks at a press conference with other House Republicans on the 15th day of the government shutdown in Washington, DC on October 15, 2025. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, some Americans are worried about the future of the […]

NIH-NIAID/Image Point FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Health officials in Los Angeles County said on Friday they are investigating a possible local spread of a more severe strain of mpox. Two cases of the strain were identified among Los Angeles County residents with no recent travel history. It comes after the […]

NIH-NIAID/Image Point FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The first U.S. case of a more severe strain of mpox without any recent travel history has been identified in California. Health officials said this week that the case was confirmed in a Long Beach resident. The patient required hospitalization and is now isolating […]

VCG/VCG via Getty Images (NASSUA COUNTY, N.Y.) — The New York State Department of Health has confirmed a case of locally acquired chikungunya on Long Island, marking the first case of the virus reported to be locally acquired in New York and the first locally acquired case to be reported in the United States since […]