Health

LONDON (AP) — British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine that includes protection against the omicron variant, which the government said would be offered to people aged 50... Read More

WASHINGTON — A hit in the early 1970s featured children in its final refrain singing, “no more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks.” If the song were updated this year, Alice Cooper might be tempted to have... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — The polio virus has been found in New York City’s wastewater in another sign that the disease, which hadn’t been seen in the U.S. in a decade, is quietly spreading among unvaccinated people, health officials said... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats pushed their flagship climate change and health care bill toward House passage Friday, placing President Joe Biden on the brink of a back-from-the-dead triumph on his leading domestic goals that could energize his party going into November’s elections. Democrats were poised... Read More

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping its recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. Instead it is urging those who know they’ve been... Read More

WASHINGTON — The White House is rearranging its monkeypox response with a strategy for stretching the supply of vaccines and with new leadership on its task force. The new strategy announced Tuesday calls for two injections of the vaccine but... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed the roughly $740 billion tax, climate and health care package known as the Inflation Reduction Act on Aug. 7, by a vote of 51-50. The massive package includes provisions to reduce drug costs for patients... Read More

Less than a month after the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine was granted emergency use authorization, demand has dwindled. The Food and Drug Administration on July 13 authorized the vaccine for use in people aged 18 and older.  As of Tuesday, the... Read More

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic children across the U.S. experienced high levels of anxiety and depression. A report released on Aug. 8 from the Annie E. Casey Foundation highlights the issue. According to the report, the number of children across... Read More

The World Health Organization has been studying the gap in patient care exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A report published Aug. 5 highlights patient safety issues across all sectors of the health care system. According to the report, an estimated 134 million... Read More

The World Health Organization is exploring ways to quantify the burden associated with brain diseases. In a position paper published Aug. 9, the organization shows how brain health can be optimized throughout life to reduce the prevalence and burden of neurological disorders.  According... Read More

New research shows that when adults enroll in Medicaid they are also likely to enroll their eligible children. The additional enrollment, known as the “woodwork effect,” was shown in a paper published Aug. 9 in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. The... Read More

A recent survey led by researchers from Embark, a dog DNA company, examined where in the United States dogs are the healthiest.  The survey found that the top three states with the highest overall score for dog health were Massachusetts, New York... Read More

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working to increase awareness about blood and plasma donations after the supply dropped to historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department launched a campaign on Aug. 4 to address the shortage. According... Read More

WASHINGTON — A proposed $35 monthly cap on the price of insulin failed to win approval in the huge economic tax and spending package the Senate passed Sunday. Republicans succeeded in removing the cap by inserting an amendment into the... Read More

Pfizer will spend about $5.4 billion to buy Global Blood Therapeutics as the pharmaceutical giant continues to invest some of the cash influx reaped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pfizer said Monday that the acquisition will boost its capabilities in rare... Read More

WASHINGTON — For 36 years, the United Network for Organ Sharing has provided a system for sick patients to get donated vital organs but members from the Senate Committee on Finance are finding continued issues with the technology, and the... Read More

A new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University shows that an AI algorithm was able to detect early illness and prevent sepsis deaths by 20%.  To conduct the research, provider interactions with a sepsis early detection tool were developed at five... Read More

One of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, known as City of Hope, announced on July 27 that a fourth patient, who has the longest diagnosis of HIV yet, has gone into remission after receiving a blood... Read More

U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., are attempting to preserve access to home health services for seniors and Americans with disabilities by preventing proposed cuts to home health payment rates from taking effect. The representatives introduced H.R. 8581,... Read More

The National Institutes of Health has entered into a collaboration with Google and the University of Arkansas as of Aug. 1, to help educate biomedical researchers on the ways that artificial intelligence and machine learning can help enhance and streamline... Read More

Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are striving to undo the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and create a federal law that preserves the right to reproductive freedom.  The... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday that directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to work with states to use Medicaid waivers to pay the expenses of women who have to cross state lines... Read More

Governors in California, Illinois and New York have declared a state of emergency due to monkeypox outbreaks. As of Wednesday, 826 cases have been identified in California, 533 in Illinois, and 1,617 cases in New York.  California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a... Read More

A 3-year-old from Pennsylvania named Jonny Simoson recently contracted what is known as a rare Powassan virus from a tick bite. The rare virus causes infection to the brain and tissue that surrounds it.  The number of reported cases of... Read More

U.S. Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., are working to affirm the Food and Drug Administration’s authority over state law for all FDA-approved reproductive health products, such as drugs used for medication abortions. The senators introduced the Protecting National Access... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate, in a broadly bipartisan 86-11 vote on Tuesday night, approved a measure to provide health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins, from Agent Orange in Vietnam to burn pits... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department sued the state of Idaho on Tuesday to block its new and highly restrictive abortion law claiming it violates a federal law requiring a majority of hospitals to provide medical care to those who need... Read More

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, is taking new actions to hold Michigan polluters accountable for contaminating the environment with per- and polyfluoroalkyl... Read More

WASHINGTON — The phone was quiet as Danny Fouts, a 48-year-old retired coal miner with a thick Kentucky accent, tried to take another breath. The ventilator gushed out more oxygen into his body, helping his lungs to function. His lungs... Read More