America didn’t lose all its malls to the internet. It traded them in for Botox. Walk into any strip center worth its rent in 2025 and you’ll find the same thing: a med spa where the shoe store was and an IV drip lounge where the electronics store used to be. Now there’s data to … Read more
A hantavirus outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship that has left three people dead is veering into the fringe. Online, a growing number of social media users are floating ivermectin as a possible treatment for the rare infectious disease, which can cause life-threatening heart and lung complications. Yes, you read that right — the antiparasitic … Read more
A little sunburn and seasickness might be the least of your worries once you set sail on that dream cruise. More than 150 people, including 17 Americans, are currently confined to their cabins aboard a luxury cruise ship amid a suspected hantavirus outbreak that has left them stranded off the coast of West Africa. At … Read more
California gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra is riding a polling bump after the implosion of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign, but fresh scrutiny is now zeroing in on his record as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. The Democrat jumped to 10% support in new polling released Thursday, up from the low … Read more
The one demographic that’s especially susceptible to COVID-19 hospitalizations but is ineligible for the vaccine? Infants under 6 months old. Their mothers, however, could be the missing link: New research suggests that getting the COVID jab during pregnancy not only offers protection against the virus for pregnant women but also their babies. A sweeping study … Read more
A Covid-19 variant is buzzing back to life after years of flying under the radar. Nicknamed “Cicada” for its long hibernation period and noisy return, the strain is now fueling a steady rise in cases around the globe — including in the US. Early data suggests the highly mutated strain could be especially contagious, putting … Read more
One of humanity’s oldest and deadliest killers is staging a modern-day comeback. The so-called “white plague” reclaimed its title as the world’s deadliest infectious disease in 2023, after being briefly overtaken by COVID-19 during the first three years of the pandemic. And the US isn’t immune. While the country still has one of the lowest … Read more
Cold, flu and COVID may get the most attention, but a lesser-known, highly contagious virus is taking the West Coast by storm. Wastewater SCAN data show that human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, is rampant in Northern California — specifically San Francisco, Marin, Vallejo, Napa, Novato, Santa Rosa, Sacramento and Davis, per reports. The virus peaked sharply in January and … Read more
DEAR ABBY: A co-worker, “Erin,” has been allowed to work from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, while the rest of us came back to the office. We function alongside each other much like a small family. We have no drama, no office politics and an overall great atmosphere. Erin’s absence has caused a strain on … Read more
Get a breath of this not-so-fresh air. Japanese and US researchers have developed a groundbreaking treatment for people who can’t breathe through their lungs — by delivering oxygen where the sun doesn’t shine. Results from the first human clinical trial testing the so-called “butt breathing” technique suggest that it’s safe and well-tolerated, pushing the cheeky … Read more
Your cough and runny nose may have only lasted a few days — but COVID’s hidden effects on your little swimmers may impact your unborn children for years to come. Research published earlier this year linked COVID-19 infections to poor sperm quality, including lower sperm count, motility and percentage of “grade A sperms.” But a … Read more
From subway cars to office cubicles, New Yorkers are hoarse and hacking this fall — sidelined by stubborn symptoms that just won’t quit. While official data indicates that overall respiratory illness activity remains low across the city, experts say the effects of a late-summer surge caused by one particular virus are still being felt. “[It] … Read more
A top U.S. health official on Monday called for the combined measles-mumps-rubella shot to be broken up, drawing a quick rebuke from vaccine maker Merck, which said there is no scientific evidence that shows any benefit to doing so. The U.S. CDC earlier on Monday pulled broad support for COVID-19 shots, saying they should be … Read more
Being 14 is hard enough, let alone in the middle of a public health crisis. So when Liliana “Lili” Castaneda began experiencing strange symptoms in the spring of 2020, her local doctor chalked it up to “pandemic stress.” But things only got worse — and it wasn’t all in her head. Liliana “Lili” Castaneda began … Read more
Just in time for respiratory virus season, a highly transmissible COVID-19 strain is fueling a wave of infections across the US. The XFG variant, informally known as “Stratus,” has been driving up case numbers. Stratus’ ability to evade immune system defenses has propelled it past NB.1.8.1 (aka “Nimbus”) as the dominant Covid strain. The increased … Read more
Don’t sweat the fall stuff — including respiratory viruses. Cases of the common cold, flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) tend to increase in the autumn and winter as people spend more time indoors. Drier air also helps these viruses survive and spread more easily. Here are the best ways to protect yourself from … Read more
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hand-picked advisory panel declined to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for anyone on Friday — leaving it up to Americans to decide if they want the jap or not. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to move away from broad recommendations for the vaccine and instead suggested people make individual decisions, … Read more
It’s ah-choo much for the body to handle. Viral infections like the flu and COVID-19 can “awaken” dormant breast cancer cells hiding in the lungs, paving the way for deadly metastatic disease, a new study finds. “Our findings indicate that individuals with a history of cancer may benefit from taking precautions against respiratory viruses,” Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, … Read more
Your medicine cabinet could be packing more than just cold and flu relief. A groundbreaking new study found that a widely available over-the-counter nasal spray may help healthy adults fend off COVID-19. The news comes amid a late-summer surge driving up cases across the country — including in New York City. A widely available over-the-counter … Read more
COVID-19 could leave behind a hidden problem that lingers in women’s bodies for years, a new study has found. The research revealed the virus can prematurely age women’s blood vessels by around five years, raising their risk of heart attack and stroke later in life. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, followed nearly 2400 … Read more