As hantavirus cases continue to climb, many Americans are wondering if the US is prepared for another pandemic. According to US News & World Report, we may not be. The publication ranked the US No. 18 for public health preparedness as part of its Best Country ratings released Thursday. Dead bodies of COVID-19 patients are … Read more
The most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) is also high-risk for several types of cancer, as one woman learned. Married for nearly 30 years, Eileen McGill Fox immediately went for an STI screening after learning of her husband’s infidelity in 2017, and was initially negative for syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV. A year later, though, Fox … Read more
Taking care of your health never gets old. As we age, it’s important to maintain healthy habits — including proper nutrition, regular exercise and quality sleep — and to follow recommended preventive care, such as cancer screenings and vaccines. Keeping it simple, here are the two key things women should do each decade to stay … Read more
A deadly vaccine-preventable disease is making a comeback. A highly contagious and fast-moving infection that primarily affects children under five years of age is back, as fewer babies get vaccinated year after year. And doctors who have been trained in the past 40 years have never seen a case before. As vaccinations rates among children … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am having a baby in five months. My doctor is recommending that anyone who visits the baby in the first three months be up to date on vaccines (Tdap, flu, COVID and RSV, if age 60-plus). We have decided to follow our doctor’s recommendations. Some of my family members are resistant to … Read more
The CDC announced on Monday that it has updated its recommended vaccine schedule for children, reducing the number of immunizations all kids should receive from 17 to only 11. Effective immediately, the new guidelines recommend that six shots, which had previously been given to all children, only be given to those who are high risk, … Read more
New York is getting slammed by the flu. The state logged 71,123 positive flu cases in the week ending on Dec. 20 — the highest single-week total since tracking began in 2004, according to the New York State Department of Health. The figure marks a 38% jump from the previous week and signals an early, … Read more
Parents of little boys have a responsibility — and it’s not just to raise good men. According to a new study published in Bulletin of Mathematical Biology this month, a single choice moms and dads make when their sons are tweens could have a major impact on women later. “We do not have to be … Read more
The flu had a glow-up. This year’s flu season is proving to be worse than normal, with hospitalizations up significantly compared to last year, and the CDC reporting 4.6 million cases of the flu so far. But with peak flu season still going on until at least February, signs of the unusual “super flu” variant … Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal vaccine advisory committee voted on Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. A loud chorus of medical and public health leaders decried the actions of the panel, whose current members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert … Read more
Worth a shot? Over 6 million Americans live with dementia, a progressive condition that affects memory, reasoning, judgment and language skills. There is no known cure for dementia, but new research suggests that a common vaccine may help prevent its onset and slow its progression. Dementia affects memory, reasoning, judgment and language skills. Rido – … Read more
There’s a new kid on the block this cold and flu season — and it could prove worse than your average winter sniffles. The flu strain known as subclade K is ringing alarm bells due to its potential severity and resistance to current vaccines, public health experts warn. The strain is rapidly spreading internationally, with … Read more
One of the many care requirements for pet owners is to get their beloved fur babies vaccinated to protect them from contagious diseases that could potentially be fatal. However, more recently, some owners are hesitating to do so because they believe the shots can potentially cause autism in their pooches. According to a 2023 survey … Read more
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Thursday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.1%, up from 3.7% the year before. It’s the third record-breaking year in a row for the exemption rate, and … Read more
Although it’s been more than five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting vaccine hesitancy still lingers to this day — something Professor Margie Danchin is committed to helping solve. A pediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, Danchin is also a vaccine expert at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), … Read more
Older adults are being warned against receiving the chikungunya vaccine before traveling. The Ixchiq vaccination, developed by Valneva to prevent the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2023 as the first of its kind. The approval applies to anyone aged 18 and older who has a risk of being … 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
In a rare sit-down interview with CBS News, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health secretary, recommended the measles vaccine and said he was “not familiar” with sweeping cuts to state and local public health programs. The conversation was taped shortly after his visit to West Texas, where he attended the funeral of an 8-year-old … Read more
A second child with measles in Texas has died, although the exact cause of death is unknown at this time, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. plans to attend the child’s funeral on Sunday, a spokesperson told NBC News. The pair of children and an adult … Read more
Bell-bottoms, tie-dye and crochet have all made major comebacks — but a New York City doctor is warning that one trend that originated in the groovy ’70s should stay firmly in the past. In Texas, where 198 cases of measles have been confirmed so far this year, parents are reportedly holding “measles parties” to expose … Read more