The nerve! A type of herpes virus — the varicella-zoster virus — causes chickenpox in childhood and shingles later in life. Shingles travels along nerves, triggering a distinctive blistering rash and what some have described as the worst pain they have ever experienced. Shingles infections trigger a distinctive blistering rash and intense pain. ryanking999 – … Read more
More U.S. children have died this flu season than at any time since the swine flu pandemic 15 years ago, according to a federal report released Friday. The 216 pediatric deaths reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eclipse the 207 reported last year. It’s the most since the 2009-2010 H1N1 global flu pandemic. It’s … Read more
Whooping cough cases are rising, and doctors are bracing for yet another tough year. There have been 8,485 cases reported in 2025, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s twice as many cases as this time last year, based on the CDC’s final tally. Rates of whooping cough, or pertussis, … Read more
The teen pregnancy epidemic could be waning, data suggests. For the first time in US history, more women over the age of 40 are having kids compared to teen moms, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This reflects the trend of more Americans either opting not to have kids or … Read more
Fluoride has long been used as a dental health tool as a means of preventing cavities and fighting tooth decay — but now a new meta-analysis suggests it could have “detrimental effects” on the health of pregnant women and infants. Researchers analyzed various studies, concluding that exposure to fluoride “offers little benefit to the fetus and young infant.” … Read more
” player=”SPdDOYds” platform=”jw-player” playlist=”Toq2ZZoq” playlisttype=”recommendations” placement=”true” /] Sore throats and sour news. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the number of potentially life-threatening invasive group A strep infections more than doubled from 2013 to 2022. Most group A strep infections cause mild illnesses like strep throat — but … Read more
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is following through on his pledge to order the CDC to stop recommending that US communities add fluoride to their drinking water. The debate over fluoride’s potential benefits and risks continues to spark controversy, with Kennedy — an outspoken critic — announcing this week that he’s assembling a task … Read more
Hundreds of federal health workers, including doctors in senior leadership positions, began hearing early Tuesday morning that they are losing their jobs, part of a vast restructuring that will winnow down the agencies charged with regulating food and drugs, protecting Americans from disease and researching new treatments and cures. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. … Read more
A dangerous fungus spreading among US healthcare systems isn’t slowing down, reports claim. New research has revealed that Candida auris (C. auris) has spread rapidly in hospitals since it was first reported in 2016. In March 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 4,000 new clinical cases of C. auris, dubbing it … Read more
As spring breakers this season continue to head south into warmer territory, mosquitoes are posing a health risk that calls for extra attention. Global cases of dengue fever are on the rise, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — and it’s warning of an uptick in U.S. travelers. The agency released a Health Alert Network advisory … Read more
New cases of alpha-gal syndrome — a rare but potentially life-threatening illness that makes people violently allergic to red meat — suggest that more tick species may be to blame than initially thought. Neither of the two new female patients — one a 45-year-old in Maine and the other a 61-year-old in Washington — had … Read more
Measles has been spreading across America, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 220 cases nationwide as of March 7. The uptick in cases began with an outbreak in Texas, where there have been 223 cases identified since late January (as of March 11). A new case was confirmed in a … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to launch an expansive study into possible links between vaccines and autism — even in the face of thorough scientific research disproving their connection. It wasn’t clear what role Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 71, may have had in the CDC’s new plan — which was … Read more
This year marked the worst in over a decade for stomach bug outbreaks on cruise ships docking in the US, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With one day left, 2024 recorded the highest number of stomach virus outbreaks onboard cruises since 2012 — with both years tying … Read more
Cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data. The most recent numbers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69 outbreaks the last week of … Read more
The flu is surging in New York and across the US — and claimed the lives of five kids in the days before Christmas. Positive tests climbed a whopping 12% for the week ending Dec. 21, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — meaning more than 12,000 people … Read more
These ships are cruisin’ for a refusin’ — from customers who value their health and well-being. On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program review, scoring 85 out of 100 is considered a failure, per Business Insider. The CDC conducts random surprise sanitary inspections on cruise ships, scoring the ship on a … Read more
No one wants a blue Christmas, but a flu Christmas can be much, much worse. Colds, flus and other respiratory illnesses are more common in the winter. Flu viruses can survive longer in cold, dry air — and people spend lots of time indoors in chilly months, giving viruses more opportunity to spread. While respiratory … Read more
Obesity rates in the United States have finally started to show a decline, heading in the right direction for the first time in a decade likely due to the popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic. A new study published in JAMA Health Forum found that obesity numbers started to drop slightly from 46% in 2022 to … Read more
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday confirmed the country’s first case of H5N1 bird flu infection in a child, who experienced mild symptoms and is recovering from their illness. California’s public health department had reported the case on Tuesday, but said there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. … Read more