Health

wsfurlan/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was considering issuing a proposed rule to ban hair straighteners with formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a chemical and a known carcinogen which has been found to cause an increased risk of endometrial cancers when used in chemical hair straighteners, often marketed […]

Grace Cary/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — A new study has found a link between eating red meat, especially processed red meat, and an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton explained the findings of the study, which was led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of […]

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — People with HIV are at increased risk of being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new federal data. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Chicago Department of Public Health followed adult residents in Chicago from their first reported […]

Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Decreased levels of serotonin in the body may be a contributing factor in the development and persistence of so-called ‘long COVID’ symptoms, according to a new study. Researchers suggest that, even after acute COVID symptoms subside, traces of the virus remain in the gastrointestinal tract, which is where the majority […]

pawel.gaul/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues — with food, water and fuel running out in Gaza — pregnant people and those who have just given birth are facing a crisis, experts and humanitarian organizations said. About 50,000 people are estimated to be pregnant in Gaza with about 160 estimated to give […]

lambada/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice suggesting it may consider a proposal to ban the use of formaldehyde in hair straightening and hair smoothing products. The FDA’s consideration of the proposal was entered in the Unified Agenda, a government registry of actions that administrative agencies plan […]

Mario Tama/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — High-profile cases of unhoused people committing violent acts in U.S. cities like New York and San Francisco may have ignited fear and frustration around the homeless population of these areas, experts say. But while those incidents tend to draw attention, they may create a false impression that homeless people […]

Mario Tama/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — There has not been a significant overall rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness over the past decade, according to a new ABC News analysis, though there has been a steady increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness with severe mental illness. However, people experiencing homelessness may […]

ATU Images/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Influenza and other respiratory viruses are starting to circulate but so far remain lower than this time last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Oct. 7, CDC’s FluView weekly report showed that the percent of flu cases were relatively unchanged, rising about 1% […]

Maskot/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — When Carolina Pino was pregnant, she discovered she lived in a so-called maternal care desert, a county with limited or no access to maternity care services. Pino said the closest hospital where she could deliver her baby was more than 20 miles away, and the town where she lives in […]