California Child Tests Positive for Bird Flu

A child in California has tested positive for bird flu, despite having no known contact with infected animals, state officials reported Tuesday.

"California has identified a possible bird flu case in a child in Alameda County who was tested for mild upper respiratory symptoms. The child, who&nbs...

About 1 in 10 U.S. Adults Have High Cholesterol

Nearly 1 in every 10 American adults is living with high levels of cholesterol in their arteries, according to the latest report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data, from 2021 through 2023, found that 11.3% of adults have high total cholesterol -- a number that's held relatively steady since the introduction ...

Four Million Americans Could Lose Health Coverage Once ACA Credits Expire

If Congress lets healthcare tax credits established during the pandemic expire, 4 million Americans will become uninsured, a new analysis warns.

The tax credits, which have significantly lowered out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans, are set to expire at the end of 2025.

"Allowing these credits to expire will force families t...

Child-Teacher Bond in Early Education Could Have Lasting Impact

Fostering good relationships with teachers in the early grades may have long-lasting benefits, new research suggests.

"These early connections significantly influence not only academic achievement, but also social and emotional development and executive functioning skills, which are critical for educational success," said researcher Arya A...

Surgeon General Says U.S. Smoking Rates Have Tumbled, But Not for Everyone

Although the United States has made significant headway in curbing cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, a new report finds deep divisions remain and they run along predictable fault lines.

Disparities in tobacco use continue to persist by income and occupation, geography, education, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and ge...

Earlier Type 2 Diabetes Diagnoses Bring Higher Odds for Dementia

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A type 2 diabetes diagnosis before age 50 comes with a health risk that patients might not expect.

Especially if they are obese, these folks are more likely to develop dementia later, new research warns.

"Our study suggests that there may be a cognitive consequences to earlier onset t...

Climate Change Is Pushing More People to Get X-rays, CT Scans

There's yet another downside to global warming: Higher health care expenditures for medical scans on hot days.

So report Canadian researchers who discovered that periods of heat and air pollution bumped up demand for X-rays and CT scans by about 5%. Over time, that could really add up, said lead researcher Dr. Kate Hanneman. She's an asso...

Judge Declares Wyoming's Abortion Bans Unconstitutional

Two Wyoming abortion bans, including the first state law to prohibit the use of abortion pills, violate the state's constitution, a judge ruled Monday.

In her decision, Judge Melissa Owens, of Teton County District Court, wrote that both a ban on medication abortion and a broader ban on all methods of abortion “impede the fundamental...

Why Alarm Is Easing Over a Rise in Pancreatic Cancer Among the Young

Experts have been concerned by rising rates of pancreatic cancer in young adults, but new research reveals the jump in cases has not been accompanied by any increase in deaths from the disease.

Why? According to the scientists behind the finding, today's more highly sensitive imaging scans may be catching early, nonlethal cases of pancrea...

More Than Half of U.S. Adults Could Be Candidates for Ozempic

More than half of all American adults, almost 137 million people, could be candidates for the blockbuster GLP-1 drug semaglutide, a new analysis finds.

Sold as Ozempic for treating diabetes and Wegovy to spur weight loss, the medication could be indicated for those two purposes or to help prevent heart disease, explained a team led by Dr. ...

U.S. Alcohol-Linked Deaths Doubled in 20 Years

Alcohol-related deaths have surged in the United States, nearly doubling over 20 years, and a growing number of victims are women, a new study warns.

"Our study found significant gender differences in alcohol-related [death rates]," said senior author Yiota Kitsantas, head of population health and social medicine at the Florida Atlantic Un...

There's Been a Big Improvement in Lung Cancer Survival

More people with lung cancer are living longer, but it remains America's deadliest cancer, a new state-by-state report shows.

"There is more work to do, but I am incredibly optimistic about the future of lung cancer care," said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association (ALA), which documents improved survival rates ...

Newer Blood Thinner Cuts Odds for Stroke After Heart Valve Surgery

Japanese researchers say they have found a pill that works as well as existing medication to prevent blood clots after heart valve surgery, with fewer trips to the doctor.

Unlike warfarin, the standard treatment, edoxaban does not require regular monitoring of blood clotting activity and doesn't interact with other meds.

"Edoxaban co...

Most of the World's Cities Lack Enough Trees to Cool, Calm Residents

As climate changes sends summer temperatures higher worldwide, new research finds most urban residents don't have a key source of cooling shade: trees.

A study of eight cities around the globe found that only two -- Seattle and Singapore -- reached even the minimum recommendation of 30% of their buildings having adequate tree canopy nearby...

Ablation Best Treatment for Rapid Heartbeat in Heart Attack Survivors

New research suggests that a procedure now regarded as Plan B when patients have episodes of rapid heartbeat after a heart attack should be the go-to treatment.

Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure to treat abnormal electrical short circuits caused by a heart attack. These episodes -- called ventricular tachycardia (VT) -- are the mo...

Want to Lower Chemical Exposures in Pregnancy? Quit Nail Polish, Makeup and Hair Dye

Women who won't leave the house without makeup or a spritz of hairspray may want to think twice about those habits when they're pregnant or breastfeeding.

New research links these and other personal care products, including hair dyes, fragrances, lotions, moisturizers and nail polishes to higher levels of so-called PFAS "forever chemicals"...

Adding Blood Thinners to A-fib Treatment Won't Prevent Strokes, Help Cognition

People using blood thinners to control their heart rhythm shouldn't expect the medications to head off thinking declines as well, new research suggests.

The study, presented Saturday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago, is the first large trial to investigate whether anti-clotting medication can lower the risk of ment...

Diabetes Meds Metformin, GLP-1s Can Also Curb Asthma

Drugs already taken by millions of diabetes patients appear to also help slash asthma attacks by up to 70%, new British research shows.

The two drugs are metformin, one of the most widely used diabetes medications, and the GLP-1 class of medications that include Ozempic, Mounjaro and Saxenda.

A study of nearly 13,000 people with di...

E. Coli Spurs Nationwide Organic Carrots Recall

An E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots has sickened 39 people in 18 states, U.S. health officials reported Sunday.

Supplied by California-based Grimmway Farms and sold under popular brand names such as Nature’s Promise, Wegmans and Trader Joe’s, the tainted carrots have left at least one person dead and 15 others hospita...

First U.S. Case of New Mpox Strain Spotted in Traveler

As Africa continues to battle an outbreak of the newer "clade Ib" strain of mpox, California officials have confirmed the first known U.S. case of this strain of the virus.

The subtype of clade I mpox virus has already caused widespread misery in Congo and other Africa nations.

"This case was confirmed in an individual who recently ...