Health A-Z News & Features

July 19, 2024 — A global IT outage caused by a CrowdStrike software bug disrupted major hospital systems, leading to the cancellation of nonemergency medical procedures and appointments.

June 26, 2024 — Dengue fever is reaching record levels this year across popular travel destinations worldwide.

June 20, 2024 — As antibiotic resistance threatens the world with pathogens like the dreadful A. baumannii, phage therapy has seen a relative renaissance, as it was once used a lot in the pre-antibiotic era.

June 17, 2024 — Study findings underscore the risk of drinking during long-term airline flights.

May 13, 2024 — Reusable water bottles are a hotbed for bacteria and could house even more germs than your kitchen sink. Here's what to know.

May 6, 2024 — He's the first patient outside of a clinical trial to start a new genetic treatment that was shown in clinical trials to cure 88% of people of the hallmark symptoms of sickle cell disease.

May 1, 2024 — Although nowhere near the tens of thousands of cases seen in a 2022-23 outbreak, Mpox cases are up the first few months of 2024, compared to the same time last year. Here's what to know.

Eliseo Pérez-Stable, MD, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, talks about health disparities and how his studies aim to improve interventions in clinical settings and across communities.

April 23, 2024 — The National Weather Service will now issue heat warnings in a new way using a system called HeatRisk. Here's what to know.

April 23, 2024 — If TikTok goes dark, it could render unavailable the work of those who have made the site a go-to for expert- and user-generated videos on topics that cover the spectrum of consumer health.

April 10, 2024 — More than 60,000 utility groups that supply much of the U.S. with its drinking water must ensure it’s free of six synthetic chemicals that the Environmental Protection Agency now says may lead to serious illnesses, such as cancer.

April 10, 2024 — S.A.R.A.H., which stands for Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health, uses Open AI’s GPT (generative pretrained transformer) large language model to answer a wide range of health questions.

March 21, 2024 — The risk of death due to COVID-19 has declined so much that life expectancy in the U.S. is once again on the rise.

March 18, 2024 — From detecting overdoses in real-time to assuring family members that their loved ones are taking their meds, the capabilities of imminent smart pills could be game-changing.

February 27, 2024 — When you message your health care provider about an appointment, a prescription refill, or to answer a question, is artificial intelligence or a person actually answering? In some cases, it’s hard to tell.

February 26, 2024 — Researchers examining human placentas for evidence of microplastics found measurable amounts in every single one.

February 13, 2024 — Did you know that your keyboard may contain more bacteria than your toilet seat? Here's what to know about keyboard hygiene in the digital age.

January 31, 2024 — Nurses are the most trusted professionals in America, new poll results show. For the 22nd year in a row, they are perceived more often as ethical, even compared to doctors, clergy, and pharmacists.

January 26, 2024 — Nearly two dozen cases of measles have occurred in the U.S. in the past two months. The count has prompted the CDC to issue an alert to health care providers to be on the lookout for people with symptoms such as a rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.

January 24, 2024 — Hearing loss is a cognitive conundrum with significant health consequences.

January 17, 2024 — Virginia health officials say travelers might have been exposed to measles at the two main airports in the Washington, D.C., area earlier this month.

January 16, 2024 — There is no shortage of reasons why getting health and life advice from TikTok is a bad idea. Here are eight examples.

January 10, 2024 — The American Red Cross says the country is in an emergency blood shortage and is appealing to people to donate now to improve supplies.

January 8, 2024 — Scientists say they’ve developed a new antibiotic that appears to work against a deadly bacteria -- acinetobacter baumannii -- resistant to most drugs.

January 2, 2024 — Drug companies are increasing prices on hundreds of drugs this month as the pharmaceutical industry gears up for the Biden Administration to seek significantly discounted prices for 10 high-cost drugs.

December 18, 2023 — The Quaker Oats Company on Friday announced the recall of dozens of granola bars and granola cereals because they have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.

December 14, 2023 — Injectable medicines for diabetes and weight loss have brought a sharp rise in the number of calls to poison control centers across the country, CNN reports.

December 12, 2023 — A new study links cannabis use during pregnancy to a greater risk of poor outcomes, particularly low birth weight.

December 6, 2023 — So-called “forever chemicals” found in countless consumer products are linked to lower bone mineral density over time in adolescents, according to new research published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Research.

November 10, 2023 — The U.S. government is charged with coming up with a plan to assure quality and safety in using AI chatbots in health care.

November 1, 2023 — A breakthrough genetic therapy that can potentially cure sickle cell disease is poised for approval by the FDA in December.

It can be a challenge to socialize with a physical disability, but it’s important to maintain relationships. Find out how to boost your social life while living with a disability.

October 24, 2023 — A limited supply of a drug to protect infants from the respiratory disease RSV has led the CDC to advise pediatricians to use certain doses of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody sold by the brand name Beyfortus, for infants with the greatest danger of developing severe respiratory syncytial virus.

October 24, 2023 — The heart-healthy DASH diet has been linked with a lower risk of cognitive decline among women over 40 in a new study.

October 23, 2023 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Pfizer’s application for Penbraya, a vaccine for people 10 through 25 that will offer protection against the five main kinds of bacteria that cause meningitis and blood poisoning.

October 19, 2023 — Medical experts are worried that yellow fever and its feared “black vomit” may re-emerge in the American South in the near future.

October 16, 2023 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering banning chemicals that have been linked to cancer from use in hair straightening products.

October 11, 2023 — Heading to work after the sun sets has become very common in the U.S. – but what does that mean for the health of night shift workers?

October 6, 2023 — Heart disease and cancer have been at the top of the list for more than a decade and caused more than 37% of U.S. deaths in 2021, the most recent data available. COVID-19 has climbed into the top rankings since the pandemic began in 2020.

October 2, 2023 — A new study helps address a longstanding question: What’s more important for our health, physical fitness or body weight?

Learn more about how racial disparities in health care affect Black people and other people of color with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

September 26, 2023 — Driving the technology forward are advances in materials science and AI, plus patient benefits like shorter recovery times and less pain.

September 26, 2023 — Non-menstruating women were more likely to experience unexpected vaginal bleeding after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a new study.

September 18, 2023 — The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria says it may not reach its goal of ending those three diseases by 2030 because of climate change, conflict, deepening inequalities, and growing threats to human rights.

September 14, 2023 — Common household cleaning and air freshening products may emit hundreds of dangerous chemicals, but those with “green” features that are fragrance-free are potentially less harmful than their conventional counterparts, according to a new study.

Climate change helps drive the spread of deadly new organisms.

A growing number see organized labor as a path to improved working conditions – and better care for their patients.

September 1, 2023 — Popular smartwatches and other wearable devices are giving research an upgrade.

Get information on DNA ancestry tests and other genealogy tips.