Health News

(WASHINGTON) -- On the heels of a new report showing that rates of autism diagnoses have again increased, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was determined to find the "environmental exposures" behind the rise and directed the National Institute of Health to launch new studies into "everything" -- from mold to obesity -- that could potentially be a factor.Kennedy, who prioritizes autism as one of […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Governors in several states have recently announced plans to eliminate some unhealthy foods from their food stamps programs, creating momentum for a key component of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.The governors of Arkansas, Idaho and Indiana on Tuesday all said they would submit a waiver to the United States Department of Agriculture requesting permission to prevent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program […]

Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images (AUSTIN, Texas) -- The measles outbreak in western Texas continues to grow, with 561 confirmed cases, according to new data published Tuesday.This is an increase of 20 new cases over the last five days.Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).Four of the cases are […]

Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images (NEW YORK) -- The U.S. has recorded the highest number of measles cases since 2019, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Friday.There are now 712 confirmed measles cases across 24 states, an increase of 105 cases from the prior week, the CDC said.There were 1,274 reported cases in all of 2019.This is a developing story. Please check back for […]

(AUSTIN, TX) -- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seemed to imply in recent days that the measles outbreak in western Texas was slowing down.In a post on X on Sunday, Kennedy remarked on the second death linked to the outbreak, which occurred in an unvaccinated school-aged child.About 10 minutes later, Kennedy edited the post to add that the curve has been flattening since early March, when […]

Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images (AUSTIN, Texas) -- The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow, with 24 new cases confirmed over the last five days, according to data published Tuesday.Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).Three of the 505 cases are among residents who have been vaccinated […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Monday he plans to assemble a task force and ultimately change the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance to stop recommending adding fluoride.His comments came during a press conference in Utah, which just became the first state to ban fluoride from drinking water systems.The Associated Press was the first to report Kennedy's intended changes to the […]

(LUBBOCK, TEXAS) -- A second child in Texas has died of measles, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services."The school-aged child who tested positive for measles was hospitalized in Lubbock and passed away on Thursday from what the child’s doctors described as measles pulmonary failure," the statement said, in part. "The child was not vaccinated and had no reported underlying conditions."The University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas, said […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Sixteen state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Friday over its cancellation of research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues the cancellation of the grants is "unlawful" and the attorneys general "seek relief for the unreasonable and intentional delays currently plaguing the grant-application process."The defendants named in the suit include the […]