Health News

Measles cases in the United States have surpassed 4,000 this year, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).A total of 4,080 cases have been confirmed, with most reported by 45 states and Washington, D.C. Eighteen of this year's total have been among international visitors to the U.S., according to the CDC.Five measles-associated deaths have been confirmed so far in 2026, all of them […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has established measures to "identify and assess" any travelers from the Russian region where a possible plague case was reported.In a statement on Wednesday, the agency noted that roughly 200 travelers from the region arrive in the U.S. over the course of a year. These travelers enter the country through airports where CDC staff are already positioned. "CDC is closely monitoring […]

Pennsylvania is reporting 74 new measles cases since Monday, the state's health department said Wednesday.A total of 1,078 cases have been reported in the state so far this year. At least 207 people have been hospitalized and five people have died, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.Of the 74 cases added, more than 40 represent individuals who were sick more than two weeks ago and are no longer contagious, […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday it does not currently have enough information from Russian authorities to conduct a full risk assessment after the death of a plague laboratory worker in Siberia.Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said during a press conference that following media reports of the worker's death, the WHO asked the Russian Federation on Saturday for more information, in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR).The […]

As the weather turns colder, it also means respiratory virus season is upon the United States.In its annual outlook report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it expects the 2026-27 respiratory virus season to have a similar number of peak hospitalizations from influenza, COVID-19 and RSV compared to last season.Public health specialists told ABC News the best way for people to protect themselves against these viruses is […]

Cats live in nearly 80 million American households, but a new study suggests nearly one out of fifteen cats are infected with a common parasite, and one out of five infected cats can transmit it to humans. In the study, published in PLoS One, researchers tested over 150,000 samples from cats in 49 states and five Canadian provinces for Giardia duodenalis, a gastrointestinal parasite found in the United States that can cause frequent diarrhea in both animals and humans. "Because […]

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency on Monday as neighboring Pennsylvania battles its largest measles outbreak in three decades.As of Oct. 3, New York has recorded 108 measles cases so far this year, 92 of those since mid-July across 18 rural counties where communities are under-immunized, according to Hochul's order."After reviewing the latest data on measles cases in New York State, I am declaring a state […]

Measles cases in Pennsylvania have surpassed 1,000 so far this year as the state continues to battle an outbreak of the virus.Monday's update from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) brings the total number of 2026 measles cases in the state to 1,004 across 39 counties.At least 198 people have been hospitalized, and five measles-associated deaths have been reported, DOH data shows.Two of the deaths were among unvaccinated adults: an […]

The U.S. State Department is monitoring a reportedly fatal case of "pneumonia of an unknown etiology" linked to a plague research laboratory in Russia."We are aware of ​reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners," a spokesperson from the State Department said."Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to […]