Health

(ATU Images/Getty Images) (WASHINGTON) — During his confirmation hearings two weeks ago to lead the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeated several unfounded claims about autism. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has made money through books, speeches and lawsuits while sharing vaccine skepticism, refused to say that vaccines don’t […]

Photo by Roberto Pfeil/picture alliance via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Semaglutide, a medication widely used for diabetes and weight loss, may offer another unexpected benefit — it could help people drink less alcohol. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry enrolled 48 adults between ages 21 and 65 who had been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder but […]

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Measles cases are rising in the U.S. with infections confirmed in at least five states so far this year. Cases have been reported in Alaska, Georgia, New York City, Rhode Island and Texas, mostly among individuals not vaccinated for measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In […]

Scott J. Ferrell/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — The federal government has drastically lowered some of the funding that universities and research institutions receive from medical and scientific grants. News of the cuts rattled the scientific community with many scientific institutions set to lose millions of dollars in funding annually. The National Institutes […]

In this undated stock photo, signage for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is shown. (STOCK PHOTO/Adobe Stock) (WASHINGTON) — Medical groups are expressing deep concern about the sudden removal or alteration of government data sets and webpages from agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration […]

Guido Meith/Getty (NEW YORK) — Outpatient health care visits for flu illnesses are at their highest levels in 15 years, according to data updated Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 8% of outpatient health care visits for respiratory illnesses are due to flu-like illness, which is the highest seen since the 2009-10 flu […]

Herd of cows eating hay in a dairy farm. (STOCK PHOTO/Adobe Stock) (NEW YORK) — A second type of bird flu has been found in dairy cows for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday. Until recently, all dairy herd detections in the U.S. had involved a form of bird flu, […]

Apu Gomes/Getty Images (LOS ANGELES) — The percentage of emergency department (ED) visits related to fire and smoke inhalation rose dramatically in the days immediately after the Los Angeles wildfires last month, new data published Thursday shows. The wildfires broke out in the Pacific Palisades and in Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7. Although several destructive […]

Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — More than 1 million children may have been affected by long COVID in 2023, new federal data published Monday suggests. Long COVID, a condition that occurs when patients still have symptoms at least three months after clearing infection, has been well-documented in adults, but its impact on children has been less […]

Jessica McGowan/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Government agency webpages about HIV, LGBTQ+ people and multiple other public health topics were down as of Friday evening due to President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at gender ideology and diversity, equity and inclusion. Some of the terms being flagged for removal include pregnant people, chestfeeding, diversity, DEI and […]