Health News

(NEW YORK) -- Millions of American seniors are having a hard time affording their prescription medications, a new National Health Statistics report suggests.The study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that approximately 4% of those aged 65 and older can't afford their prescription at all, and more than 3% of them skipped doses, delayed filling a prescription or took less medication than prescribed to cut back […]

(NEW YORK) -- As two NASA astronauts gear up for a months-long unplanned stay on the International Space Station (ISS), they may also be increasing their risk of radiation exposure.Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, who performed the first crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner, took off on June 5 and were only supposed to be in space for about one week.However, several problems have arisen with the spacecraft, […]

(NEW YORK) -- As mosquito season continues, public health officials in the U.S. have been tracking several different illnesses caused by the pesky flying insect.Health officials are reporting at least eighteen deaths from West Nile virus in the U.S. this year, with three recent deaths recorded in Wisconsin and Illinois. There have been six cases of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), including one person who died after testing positive for the […]

(LONDON) -- A mass polio vaccination campaign is underway in Gaza to inoculate children after the first case in 25 years was recently detected in the strip.Several organizations -- including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health and other partners -- began the campaign on […]

(MADISON, Wis.) -- Health officials are warning of the dangers of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus after three recent deaths were recorded across Wisconsin and Illinois.The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed on Thursday that two people have died and another was hospitalized due to the effects of the virus.The cases were reported in Outagamie, Fond du Lac and Brown counties, according to the state's DHS. Wisconsin officials […]

(NEW YORK) -- Sara Anne Willette has spent more than 1,620 days in isolation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The New Jersey resident took health precautions in public before the pandemic because of her common variable immunodeficiency, which means she doesn't make enough antibodies to fight infections.Simple tasks like going for a walk down the street or taking a trip to the grocery store are laden with safety hurdles […]

(NEW YORK) -- Health officials are warning Americans about a rare insect-borne virus that has infected several travelers.As of Aug. 16, there have been 21 cases of Oropouche virus disease, sometimes called "sloth fever," detected among U.S. travelers returning from Cuba, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The CDC said it wants clinicians and public health offices to be aware of the virus and to test for […]

(NEW YORK) -- The U.S. surgeon general is calling for a "fundamental shift" in how the mental health and well-being of parents is supported and prioritized.In a health advisory released Wednesday, Dr. Vivek Murthy, himself a father of two, said parents and caregivers are struggling amid a youth mental health crisis, financial difficulties, social media issues and more."Parents typically don't talk about this all the time," Murthy said in an […]

(NEW YORK) -- Updated COVID-19 vaccines will soon be rolled out ahead of the fall and winter season, but some Americans may not easily be able to access them.In previous years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a Bridge Access Program, a public-private partnership that provided free COVID-19 vaccines to adults without health insurance and adults whose insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs.As a result of […]