Health News

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on December 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration announced new federal dietary guidelines on Wednesday, encouraging Americans to limit highly processed foods and to reduce refined carbohydrates.The guidelines also recommend eating whole foods like fruits and vegetables, incorporating healthy fats, prioritizing protein-rich meals and consuming full-fat dairy with […]

(NEW YORK) -- Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly changed the childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of recommended shots for all children from 18 down to only 11.According to the new schedule, shots will now be categorized in three groups: those recommended for all children, those recommended for only certain high-risk children and others left up to shared clinical decision making, meaning only given […]

(NEW YORK) --  Flu activity could continue to increase in the U.S. over the next few weeks, according to a top flu epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."There's a lot of influenza out there right now," Dr. Carrie Reed, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch of the CDC's influenza division, told ABC News."We often see activity continue into the spring ... I think the reality is […]

(NEW YORK) -- Children who have smartphones by age 12 are at higher risk of lack of sleep, obesity and depression, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.What's more, researchers found that the earlier a child received a smartphone, the greater their risk of developing these conditions.Dr. Ran Barzilay, lead author of the study and a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told […]

(NEW YORK) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Monday it is changing the childhood immunization schedule.The federal health agency is removing the universal recommendation for multiple shots, in what it calls an attempt to mirror the schedules of peer countries.Instead of being universally recommended for almost all children at certain age cut offs, vaccines are now split into three categories: vaccines for all children, vaccines […]

(NEW YORK) -- Flu activity is continuing to climb across the U.S. as hospitalizations rise, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The percent of outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses are now at the highest rate on record.About 8% of visits to a health care provider were labeled as flu-like illness, surpassing any levels seen since 1997, the earliest for which data is available. Flu-like […]

An Influenza Vaccine is prepared for a patient on September 12, 2025, in Coral Gables, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images (ATLANTA) -- Flu activity is continuing to climb across the U.S. as hospitalizations rise, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC estimates there have been 120,000 hospitalizations so far this season, a 38.8% increase from the prior week.Additionally, the CDC says there have been […]

(NEW YORK) -- A major update to federal women’s health preventive guidance will make it easier for women to get screened for cervical cancer, including a self-collection option that allows some women to test themselves at home instead of going to a doctor for a pelvic exam.The new option will be covered by private insurance beginning in January 2027.The updated Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) guidance now advises that […]

(NEW YORK) -- New York is reporting the highest number of flu hospitalizations recorded in a single week, the state's health department said on Friday.During the week ending Dec. 27, 4,546 people were hospitalized with flu, a 24% increase from the 3,666 who were hospitalized the previous week, according to data from the New York State Department of Health (NYSOH)It comes after the state reported a record-breaking number of flu […]