Health Headlines
FDA approves Eli Lilly’s obesity medication for obstructive sleep apnea
Scott Olson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The FDA has expanded the approval of Eli Lilly’s obesity medication Zepbound to include treating moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea for people with obesity -- the first medication approved for the condition.The new, expanded Zepbound approval means that insurance providers, including Medicare, will likely cover the medication for people with sleep apnea and obesity. Some insurance providers, including Medicare, do not offer reimbursement to treat obesity alone.The new approval is for people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who are also living with obesity. Eli Lilly estimates that is about 15-20 million adults in the U.S.Obstructive sleep apnea isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a serious medical condition that impairs breathing and sleep quality. ... Read More
Woman paralyzed by fallen tree finds hope with newly FDA-cleared device
Jessie Owen was left paralyzed nearly 12 years ago when a tree fell on a car in which she was a passenger. Via ABC News.(NEW YORK) -- Nearly 12 years ago, Jessie Owen's life changed forever."My family was going over a mountain pass and a tree fell on our car. In that moment, my parents passed away, my siblings were severely injured, and I became quadriplegic," Owen said. "I lost my independence. I lost my job. I lost my apartment. I lost my autonomy and the life that I dreamed for myself."Like Owen, more than 300,000 people live with spinal cord injuries in the United States, with an estimated 18,000 new cases each year, data shows.Motor vehicle accidents account for ... Read More
Undiagnosed disease in Congo may be linked to malaria: Africa CDC
pawel.gaul/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A deadly, undiagnosed disease that has been spreading in one region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may be linked to malaria, health officials said Thursday.As of Dec. 14, the latest date for which data is available, 592 cases have been reported with 37 confirmed deaths and 44 deaths under investigation, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the public health agency of the African Union.Over the last week, 181 samples from 51 cases were tested in a laboratory, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC chief of staff, said during a Thursday press briefing.Laboratory testing showed 25 out of 29 tested were positive for malaria. Additionally, rapid testing showed 55 out ... Read More
CDC confirms 1st case of severe bird flu in US
(NEW YORK) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the first case of severe bird flu in the United States.The federal health agency said Wednesday that the patient has been hospitalized in Louisiana. State health officials said the patient is over the age of 65 with underlying medical conditions.The patient is experiencing severe respiratory illness related to bird flu infection and is currently in critical condition, a spokesperson from the Louisiana Department of Health told ABC News.Genomic data showed the Louisiana patient was infected with a version of the virus recently found to be spreading in wild birds and poultry in the U.S., as well as found in some human cases in Canada and Washington state, ... Read More
What to know about chronic pain after CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione appeared to detail health struggles
Stevica Mrdja /EyeEm/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Authorities are looking into online accounts believed to be those of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate charged with murder in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street, that have posted about health struggles and possible medical successes.Mangione appeared to operate a Reddit profile where he detailed health issues including back pain, brain fog and sciatica. The account made several posts on a subreddit dedicated to spondylolisthesis -- a condition where a vertebra slips out of alignment. Mangione also might have planned to read or already read multiple books on back pain based on a Goodreads account associated with him.Law enforcement sources have told ABC News that the ... Read More
California child suspected of getting bird flu after drinking raw milk
krisanapong detraphiphat/Getty Images(MARIN COUNTY, Calif.) -- Health officials in Marin County, California say a child with a suspected bird flu infection drank raw milk before getting sick.“[Marin County Public Health] is reporting a suspected case of bird flu in a child who experienced fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk," according to a statement. "The child has recovered, and no other family members became sick, indicating no person-to person transmission.”"MCPH is actively investigating this possible case of bird flu linked to raw milk consumption with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)," the statement continued, further noting that "raw milk, which hasn't been pasteurized, poses a risk of spreading diseases, including ... Read More
Late-stage breast cancer is rising, especially among Black women
Noam Galai/Getty Image(NEW YORK) -- The rates of late-stage breast cancer at diagnosis have risen among women in all racial and ethnic groups, but Black women have been hit the hardest, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology.The study, which looked at data from 2004 to 2021, found that advanced breast cancer rates have risen among women of all ages, with the sharpest increases in young women aged 20 to 39, and women over 75.Black women experience advanced diagnoses 55% more often than white women and are more likely to die from the disease, the study found.While mammography does save lives by catching cancer earlier, fewer than 70% of eligible women are up to date on their screenings, the study ... Read More
UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting opens up ‘volcanic’ anger toward health insurance agencies
Derek Crowe, a spokesman for the nonprofit People's Action Institute, speaks with ABC News. (ABC News)(NEW YORK) -- Fury, anger and resentment toward the health care industry have exploded in the public rhetoric in the wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killing and one activist said that "volcanic" eruption of emotion has been boiling up for years.People have been flooding social media posts with statements chastising UHC for its policies, bringing up times they were personally denied coverage or hit with huge bills for services.In some instances, some users have even praised Thompson's murder and the shooter, who is still on the lam and not been publicly identified as of Friday evening. UHC's Facebook post memorializing Thompson was filled with ... Read More
USDA issues order for raw milk samples nationwide to be tested for bird flu
Natalie Behring/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Raw samples nationwide will now be collected and shared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in order to test for bird flu, according to a new federal order issued by the agency on Friday.The new federal order by the USDA includes three new requirements. Raw milk samples must now be shared upon request by dairy farms, bulk milk transporters or dairy processing facilities.Herd owners with cattle that test positive for bird flu have to provide information that allows health officials to perform contact tracing and disease surveillance. Private laboratories and state veterinarians must now report positive bird flu test results to the USDA.The decision comes after bird flu virus was found in samples of raw ... Read More
Landmark Supreme Court case weighs gender-affirming care for trans kids
LW, who asked not to show her face, is a 16-year-old transgender teenager challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical treatments that have improved her quality of life. (ABC News)(WASHINGTON) -- Medical treatments for transgender children, endorsed by major American medical associations and safely used for decades, hang in the balance at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday as the Biden administration and three families with transgender teenagers ask the justices to strike down a state law banning some gender-affirming care for kids.The landmark case -- U.S. v. Skrmetti -- comes from Tennessee, which is among 26 states that have moved to prohibit administration of puberty-blocking medication and hormone therapy to minors who seek to identify with, or live as, a ... Read More
These women work to kick colon cancer in ‘Worldclass’ style
GMA(NEW YORK) -- A growing number of people under 50 are being diagnosed with more advanced stages of colon cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.The 2020 death of 43-year-old actor Chadwick Boseman due to colon cancer drew attention to the shift, and "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek, 47, announced his Stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis in November.A diagnosis at a younger age was also the case for Brooks Bell, a Raleigh, North Carolina, entrepreneur who ran a data analytics company. At 38, she was alarmed to discover blood after using the rest room.She said she called a telehealth doctor, who told her it may be hemorrhoids. She decided to get second and third opinions, which led to ... Read More
E coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders declared over: CDC
Matt Cardy/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders was declared over on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In total, 104 people reported falling ill across 14 states with about one-third of them being hospitalized, according to the CDC.The true number of people who got sick was likely much higher because many people recover from E. coli without medical care and are never tested, the CDC noted.Americans between ages 1 and 88 were affected in the outbreak, according to he CDC. Colorado had the greatest number of cases with at least 30 people falling ill. The state also reported one death.An outbreak notice was first released by the CDC in late October. Evidence ... Read More
Cases of RSV, flu ticking up among young children in US as respiratory virus season begins
Ekaterina Goncharova/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are ticking up across the United States even as overall respiratory virus activity remains low.Flu activity is increasing slightly among children while RSV activity is elevated in the southern, central and eastern U.S., according to data updated Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.As of the week ending Nov. 23, the latest date for which data is available, 0.6% of emergency department visits were for flu and 0.4% were for RSV. While the overall percentages are low, they are higher than the percentages at the beginning of October, CDC data shows.Meanwhile, about 5.6% of weekly tests are coming back positive for RSV and 2.5% are coming back positive for flu, ... Read More
Transgender teen implores Supreme Court to strike Tennessee gender-affirming care ban
After more than two years of gender-affirming treatments, LW, the Tennessee teenager behind a landmark case at the U.S. Supreme Court, says, “I feel normal now.” (ABC News)(NASHVILLE) -- The transgender Tennessee teenager behind a historic hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court this week doesn't want to show her face on television but is eager to speak about a case she says has the potential to make thousands of American kids feel "seen" for who they are."The court has definitely ruled in ways that would make me think that they don't exactly value bodily autonomy, but I have heard that they've been a little bit better about trans cases than people would think," said 16-year-old LW in an exclusive interview ... Read More
Supreme Court weighs FDA block on kid-friendly flavored vapes
Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- With e-cigarettes and flavored vapes booming in popularity, the Supreme Court on Monday will examine whether the Food and Drug Administration unlawfully blocked the marketing and sale of more than a million new sweet and candy-flavored nicotine products in recent years.The case comes as kid-friendly flavors, such as fruit, candy, mint, menthol and desserts, which are not approved by the FDA and are on the market illegally, have been fueling an explosion in retail sales of e-cigarettes.While vaping among youth is declining, more than 1.6 million children use the products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 90% of them consume illicit flavored brands.Two manufacturers of flavored nicotine-laced e-liquids ... Read More
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