Health Headlines
Personal vaccine may reduce risk of pancreatic cancer returning after surgery, small study finds
ER Productions Limited/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A personalized mRNA vaccine may reduce the risks of pancreatic cancer returning after surgery, according to a preliminary study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers, with a typical survival rate of only about a year after the diagnosis according to the study.While the findings are encouraging, the vaccine is still in early testing and will likely take years before it becomes widely available -- assuming ongoing trials continue to show success, according to Dr. Vinod P. Balachandran, lead investigator of the trial and senior author of the study.In this small, preliminary trial of 16 patients, half had a strong immune response to the vaccine. Most of ... Read More
States with abortion bans see more births but also more infant deaths, studies show
Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- New research shows the far-reaching effects of the abortion bans that have proliferated the United States since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022.Three new studies have provided some of the first nationwide data on the effects of those bans in the states where they are currently active -- revealing more births but also a rise in infant deaths.The impact of those bans have even spread to states where abortion is still legal, the studies showed.In the first study, Johns Hopkins researchers found that birth rates rose 1.7% in states with abortion bans. It showed that the bans primarily affect racial minorities, younger individuals and those with lower income or education, ... Read More
RFK Jr. has questioned rising autism rates. Here’s what experts say he gets wrong about the disorder
(ATU Images/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- During his confirmation hearings two weeks ago to lead the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeated several unfounded claims about autism.Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has made money through books, speeches and lawsuits while sharing vaccine skepticism, refused to say that vaccines don't cause autism despite many high-quality studies finding no such link.He stated during the hearing that autism rates have "have gone from 1 in 10,000 … and today in our children, it's one in 34." His claims have been repeated by President Donald Trump on Truth Social.It's unclear where Kennedy got his 1 in 10,000 statistic. In 2000, approximately 1 in 150 children in the U.S. born in ... Read More
Weight loss drug Semaglutide may reduce alcohol cravings, heavy drinking and smoking, new study finds
Photo by Roberto Pfeil/picture alliance via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Semaglutide, a medication widely used for diabetes and weight loss, may offer another unexpected benefit -- it could help people drink less alcohol.A study published in JAMA Psychiatry enrolled 48 adults between ages 21 and 65 who had been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder but were not actively seeking treatment.Half received semaglutide, a type of GLP-1 receptor agonist, while the other half received no treatment. Over the nine-week trial, participants taking semaglutide started at a dose of 0.25 mg per week, which gradually increased to 1.0 mg in the final week -- a much lower dose than what’s typically prescribed for weight loss.''We found the largest effects for outcomes related to drinking ... Read More
Measles cases are rising in the US, mainly among those who are unvaccinated: Health officials
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Measles cases are rising in the U.S. with infections confirmed in at least five states so far this year.Cases have been reported in Alaska, Georgia, New York City, Rhode Island and Texas, mostly among individuals not vaccinated for measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).In western Texas, an outbreak has grown to at least 24 cases according to an update published Tuesday from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).All of the cases are in unvaccinated people who live in Gaines County, which borders New Mexico, and at least nine of the patients have been hospitalized. Two cases are in adults aged 18 and older, while the remaining cases are among children and adolescents."Due ... Read More
Billions of NIH scientific research dollars set to be cut by federal government
Scott J. Ferrell/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The federal government has drastically lowered some of the funding that universities and research institutions receive from medical and scientific grants.News of the cuts rattled the scientific community with many scientific institutions set to lose millions of dollars in funding annually.The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the country’s primary agency responsible for conducting and supporting medical research, provides federal research grants to universities and research institutions in two separate buckets – direct and indirect costs.Direct costs are expenses related to conducting research, such as paying for researchers' salaries or travel as well as funding the equipment and supplies necessary for experiments. Indirect costs, also known as facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, ... Read More
Cancer research group calls on Trump administration to restore data access
In this undated stock photo, signage for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is shown. (STOCK PHOTO/Adobe Stock)(WASHINGTON) -- Medical groups are expressing deep concern about the sudden removal or alteration of government data sets and webpages from agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the behest of President Donald Trump's administration.The American Cancer Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the disease, called on the administration to "restore access to comprehensive data, refrain from changes that would lead to incomplete future data collection and commit to ensure evidence-based science can proceed without additional bureaucracy or red tape" in a statement published on its website on Thursday."Any restriction to ... Read More
Doctors’ visits for flu highest in 15 years, most since swine flu pandemic: CDC
Guido Meith/Getty(NEW YORK) -- Outpatient health care visits for flu illnesses are at their highest levels in 15 years, according to data updated Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Nearly 8% of outpatient health care visits for respiratory illnesses are due to flu-like illness, which is the highest seen since the 2009-10 flu season, during the swine flu pandemic, data shows.During the week ending Feb. 1, 8% of emergency department visits were due to flu compared with 3.2% the same time last year, according to the CDC data.Additionally, 31.6% of tests came back positive for flu during the week ending Feb. 1 compared to a peak of 18.2% last season, CDC data shows."Given the sharp rise [of flu illnesses] particularly among young children and ... Read More
Dairy cows infected with 2nd form of bird flu for the 1st time: USDA
Herd of cows eating hay in a dairy farm. (STOCK PHOTO/Adobe Stock)(NEW YORK) -- A second type of bird flu has been found in dairy cows for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday.Until recently, all dairy herd detections in the U.S. had involved a form of bird flu, or avian influenza, known as B3.13.This strain of bird flu, known as D1.1, has only ever previously been detected in wild birds and poultry, indicating that it has only recently spread to cows.The detection, found in dairy cattle in Nevada, was a result of the USDA's national milk testing program that launched in early December, according to the agency's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service."USDA APHIS continues ... Read More
Percentage of emergency visits related to fire, smoke inhalation rose eightfold after LA wildfires: Report
Apu Gomes/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- The percentage of emergency department (ED) visits related to fire and smoke inhalation rose dramatically in the days immediately after the Los Angeles wildfires last month, new data published Thursday shows.The wildfires broke out in the Pacific Palisades and in Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7. Although several destructive wildfires emerged, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire caused the most damage.Fueled by strong winds and dry weather, the fires burned more than 57,000 acres, destroyed about 16,000 structures, and killed at least 29 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.A team from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed data from ... Read More
Long COVID impacting more than 1 million children: CDC study suggests
Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- More than 1 million children may have been affected by long COVID in 2023, new federal data published Monday suggests.Long COVID, a condition that occurs when patients still have symptoms at least three months after clearing infection, has been well-documented in adults, but its impact on children has been less clear.Researchers from two divisions within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at results from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey, a nationwide survey that monitors the health of the U.S. population.One child aged 17 or under was randomly selected from each sample household within the survey, and parents responded to questions about whether their child had previous COVID-19 illness, if the child had symptoms lasting ... Read More
Multiple health agency websites on HIV, contraception taken down to comply with executive orders
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Government agency webpages about HIV, LGBTQ+ people and multiple other public health topics were down as of Friday evening due to President Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at gender ideology and diversity, equity and inclusion.Some of the terms being flagged for removal include pregnant people, chestfeeding, diversity, DEI and references to vaccines, health and gender equity, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity.Entire databases have also been temporarily removed.Researchers confirmed to ABC News they were scrambling to collect and archive as much data as possible from the sites before they were taken down.Some pages might be returned to public view after the ... Read More
5 years since COVID declared public health emergency in US, still killing thousands
UIG via Getty Images, FILE(NEW YORK) -- Friday marks five years since the COVID-19 virus was declared a public health emergency by the United States. But five years later, the virus is still killing thousands, according to experts."One of the things we have learned is that COVID came to us new, and now is integrated into our way of life," said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "COVID is not going away, and it still causes a substantial amount of illness each year."While the world might not be in a global pandemic anymore, Sean Clarke, a professor of nursing leadership at New York University, said COVID is still a constant presence."The virus is still persistent and ... Read More
Patients who allegedly got fake Botox or Botox from unlicensed injectors speak out
Henry Callander says his forehead blew up like "a giant bee sting" after a Botox treatment. Via ABC News.(NEW YORK) -- JGL Aesthetics' Instagram profile promised its clients radiant skin, friendly service and a machine they said could give people toned abs. However, some clients allege that the New York medical spa's owner injected them with fake Botox that caused negative side effects.Aesthetician Joey Luther was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly buying counterfeit Botox from China and injecting it into patients, without the required New York medical license, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York.The 54-year-old was charged with wire fraud, smuggling and other crimes related to the purchase and import of misbranded and ... Read More
FDA approves new type of non-opioid pain medication, 1st of its kind in more than 20 years
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved a new type of prescription pain medication for adults to treat moderate to severe acute pain.The drug, called Journavx (suzetrigine) and manufactured by biotech company Vertex Pharmaceuticals, is a non-opioid painkiller, which doesn’t have addictive properties, unlike opioids often used for this type of pain.This is the first class of non-opioid pain medication approved to treat moderate to severe acute pain approved by the FDA in more than 20 years.“Today’s approval is an important public health milestone in acute pain management,” said Dr. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a press release. “A new non-opioid analgesic therapeutic ... Read More
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