Health News

(NEW YORK) -- COVID-19 cases are ticking up in the U.S. as children head back to school and the country prepares to enter the colder weather months.For the week ending Aug. 9, the COVID hospitalization rate was 1.7 per 100,000, double the rate from two months ago, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Additionally, for the week ending Aug. 23, 11.2% of weekly tests came back positive […]

(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expanding its warning about radioactive shrimp, recalling more brands due to possible contamination.The federal health agency said earlier this week nearly 18,000 bags of frozen Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and 26,460 packages of cocktail shrimp, both from Seattle-based Aquastar Corp, were recalled because of potential contamination with the radioactive isotope Cesium-137 (Cs-137).Earlier alerts had warned about contamination among Walmart's Great Value shrimp and […]

(NEW YORK) -- The first oral pill for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could be around the corner after pharmaceutical company Apnimed Inc. reported positive results from its stage III clinical trial.Currently, many people diagnosed with OSA patients require a machine that covers their nose or both the nose and mouth during sleep and delivers air through a mask to help keep their airways open.Apnimed's lead candidate AD109 showed "clinically meaningful […]

(NEW YORK) -- Measles cases in the United States are continuing to rise after breaking a decades-long record just two weeks ago.There are now 1,319 confirmed measles cases across 39 states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated Wednesday. This is the highest nationwide measles figure seen since 1992.National cases are more than 4.5 times higher than the entirety of last year, which had an estimated 285 cases […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Lawyers for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez said Wednesday evening that she would not leave her post as a top public health official, despite attempts by White House officials and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oust her for "protecting the public" over "a political agenda.""When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated […]

Joe Raedle/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for some Americans.The vaccines were approved for use in adults aged 65 and older and for those between ages 5 and 64 with at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe COVID.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(VALENCIA COUNTY, N.M.) -- A New Mexico man has been diagnosed with plague, marking the state's first human case this year, according to local health officials.The patient, a 43-year-old man from Valencia County -- located just southwest of Albuquerque -- was hospitalized with the condition but has since been discharged, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) said on Monday.Recently, the patient had been camping in Rio Arriba County, which borders […]

Lidya Elfa Sari via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. has confirmed the first case of a flesh-eating parasite in a human, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Monday.New World screwworm (NWS) is a species of parasitic flies that feed on live tissue. The name refers to the way in which maggots screw themselves into the tissue of animals with their sharp mouth hooks, causing extensive […]

(NEW YORK) -- Two U.S. hospitals are the latest to announce they will be ending some, or all, of their pediatric gender-affirming care services at the end of the month.Kaiser Permanente, a health care company that manages 40 hospitals across several states -- including California, Oregon and Virginia -- said it is pausing gender-related surgeries for patients under age 18 on Aug. 29. It noted that other gender-related care will […]