Only a Third of U.S. Kids Have Gotten Flu Shots

• India Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• December 12, 2024
• Full Page

Despite a record number of American children dying from the flu last year, the percentage of kids getting their flu shots keeps falling.

In new data posted this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 37% of kids had received the vaccine as of N...

Mystery Illness Outbreak in Congo May Be Malaria

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• December 12, 2024
• Full Page

There's early evidence that a mysterious flu-like illness that has sickened 416 people and left 75 dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo over recent weeks may be malaria.

Laboratory samples taken from infected people are suggestive of malaria, although more research i...

FDA Asks Biden Administration to Limit Nicotine in Tobacco Products

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• December 12, 2024
• Full Page

In what appears to be a last-ditch effort to limit the harms of smoking before its term ends, the Biden administration has proposed a rule that would significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products.

The agency's efforts to counter the dangers of the addict...

Blood Test Might Help Doctors Spot Multiple Diseases

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 12, 2024
• Full Page

A blood draw is a typical part of a person's regular check-up.

But that blood sample might hold a lot more useful information about a person’s health than doctors are currently getting.

A new study shows that a routine part of a blood test called the complete...

Blood Pressure Ups & Downs May Harm Seniors' Thinking

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 12, 2024
• Full Page

Keeping your blood pressure in check is important for more than just heart health -- it can also keep your brain sharp as you age.

A new study published Dec. 11 in the journal Neurology shows that seniors whose blood pressure spikes and drops over time might be ...

Jamie Foxx Reveals He Had Brain Bleed in 2023

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Actor Jamie Foxx has shared the details of a life-threatening medical emergency he experienced last year after doctors discovered he had suffered a brain bleed.

In his new Netflix comedy special, “What Had Happened Was,” Jamie Foxx finally described what left...

Bird Flu in California Child Similar to Strain Seen in Livestock

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

As an outbreak of bird flu among dairy cows continues, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday that the strain of bird flu detected in a California child is similar to the strain spreading through livestock, though the patient had no known exposure to infected animals.

Wh...

Genital Herpes Affects 1 in 5 Younger Adults Worldwide

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Genital herpes is widespread the world round among younger adults, with more than 846 million people living with the lifelong sexually transmitted infection, a new review finds.

About 1 in 5 people younger than 50 live with a genital herpes infection, researchers report...

'Brain Boost' From Today's Exercise May Linger Through Tomorrow

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Want to give your brain a boost for tomorrow?

Get in a little pulse-pounding exercise today, a new study shows.

In a finding that suggests the benefits of exercise may linger longer than believed, researchers discovered that middle-aged adults and seniors perform b...

What Works Best to Help Young Vapers Quit?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Many young adults can kick their vaping habit with a little coaching and support.

New research published Dec. 10 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that nearly half of a group of 18- to 24-year-olds were no longer vaping three months after comp...

Parents' Smoking Could Raise Risk for MS in Kids

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

For children genetically predisposed to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), exposure to cigarette smoke in the family home could raise that risk even higher, new research shows.

"A higher genetic MS risk is associated with an increased vulnerability to the negative effects ...

Car Height, Not Just Speed, Matters When Pedestrians Are Hit

• Denise Maher HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Watch out for tall, fast-moving cars. The height of a vehicle, not only its speed, determines its potential danger to a pedestrian, new research shows.

“Multiple factors — in this case speed and vehicle height—converge to create negative outcomes on th...

Are You a 'Late Gift-Giver'? Study Finds Folks Mostly Don't Mind

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

It can feel like a shameful moment, bracing yourself to hand over a Christmas or birthday gift that’s days or months overdue for one reason or another.

But slackers take heart -- a new study has found that your friend or loved one likely won’t be as upset abo...

'Ableism' Prevents Many Americans From Getting Mental Health Care

• Denise Maher HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Ableism, or prejudice against people with disabilities, is an established problem in general healthcare. Now, a small study shows those same issues persist in mental healthcare.

Sometimes, the barriers to care are physical, such as inaccessible entrances or a lack of rel...

Removing, Storing Patient's Blood Before Liver Surgery Helps Avoid Transfusions

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Canadian Rowan Ladd scratched her head when doctors said they might bank a blood donation from her at the start of her 2022 liver surgery, but she figured it couldn’t hurt.

“You’re told before surgery that the liver is so full of blood vessels that ther...

Women With Cancer Can Safely Use Rogaine to Curb Hair Loss

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 11, 2024
• Full Page

Women worried about losing their locks during chemotherapy can safely take hair-loss drugs during breast cancer care, a new study says.

Minoxidil - the active ingredient in the over-the-counter Rogaine -- is commonly prescribed for hair loss, but is also used to dilate b...

Task Force Supports Women Over 30 Collecting Samples for Cervical Cancer Screening

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• December 10, 2024
• Full Page

In guidelines that may encourage more women to get screened for cervical cancer, a leading health task force has backed giving women over 30 the option to collect their own vaginal samples for testing.

Instead of needing to have a complete pelvic exam, these women can no...

More Women Are Being Diagnosed With Breast Cancer at Later Stages

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 10, 2024
• Full Page

More breast cancers are being detected later in women, giving the tumors a chance to spread and become life-threatening, a new study finds.

This increase in late-stage breast cancer affects women at all ages and ethnicities, according to results published Dec. 10 in the ...

Opioid Abuse Can Change the Brain

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 10, 2024
• Full Page

“This is your brain on drugs,” the old anti-drug admonition says, and now a new study has found there’s something to that chestnut.

Opioid addicts experienced structural and functional changes in specific regions of their brains, MRI scans show.

T...

Ultra-processed Foods May Raise Colon Cancer Risk

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 10, 2024
• Full Page

Fatty, salty and sugary ultra-processed foods could be increasing people’s risk of colon cancer by spurring chronic inflammation in the gut.

In a new study, colon tumors taken from people with poor diets had higher levels of pro-inflammatory biochemicals, as well a...