Health News

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images (AUSTIN, Texas) -- The measles outbreak in western Texas has hit 481 cases, with 59 newly identified infections confirmed over the last three days, according to new data published Friday.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 cases are among people […]

(NEW YORIK) -- About 10,000 people across the United States Department of Health and Human Services were laid off this week as part of a massive restructuring plan.In a post on X on Tuesday afternoon, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the layoffs represented "a difficult moment for all of us" but that "we must shift course" because Americans are "getting sicker every year."An official at the National Institutes […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Researchers who had millions of dollars' worth of grants terminated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are suing the federal government in the hopes of stopping any further research cancellations.The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday evening against the NIH and its director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.Among the plaintiffs are Dr. […]

(NEW YORK) -- More cities and counties across the U.S. are moving to ban fluoride in public drinking water after Utah became the first state in the country to do so.The Miami-Dade County commissioners voted 8-2 on Tuesday to stop adding fluoride to the public water supply.Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the legislation, referred to fluoride as a "neurotoxin" and that studies show it "should not be in the water."Florida surgeon general Dr. Joseph […]

(WASHINGTON) -- The battle over taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood takes center stage at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday in a dispute over South Carolina's exclusion of the group from the state Medicaid program because it provides abortions.On the line is the ability of Medicaid beneficiaries to freely choose a healthcare provider, including physicians at Planned Parenthood who provide services other than abortion, like contraception treatments and cancer screenings.South […]

(NEW YORK) -- One year ago, the first bird flu infection in a human in the United States was reported in a Texas dairy worker, just weeks after the virus had been found in cattle for the first time ever.While the virus has spread in birds for decades, in recent years it has started to infect more and more mammals including cows, bears and racoons -- and even house cats […]

(NEW YORK) -- Cutting back on calories three days a week may lead to more weight loss than daily dieting and may be more effective than other types of so-called "intermittent fasting," a new study suggests.In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers asked participants to reduce their calorie intake by 80% of what their body needed to maintain weight on three non-consecutive days each week. […]

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images (SALT LAKE CITY) -- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill making the state the first in the nation to ban fluoride in drinking water.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LUBBOCK, Texas) -- When the first measles cases were confirmed in western Texas, health officials said the infections primarily affected the Mennonite community.Mennonites, who are part of the Anabaptist Christian church, have a small presence in the United States -- and Texas in general -- but they have a large presence in the South Plains region the state, and in Gaines County, which is the epicenter of the outbreak.Many Mennonite […]