Measles case detected in eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s first measles case of 2025 has been reported in Montgomery County — outside of Philadelphia. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health said March 2 that it was investigating a confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated child in the county. As of...
Inside the government study trying to understand the health effects of ultraprocessed foods
BETHESDA, Md. — Sam Srisatta, a 20-year-old Florida college student, spent a month living inside a government hospital here last fall, playing video games and allowing scientists to document every morsel of food that went into his mouth. From big bowls of salad to platters of meatballs and spaghetti sauce,...
New Pa. bill would relieve debt from childbirth, other medical care
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Medical debt harms people in different ways. It can lead them to seek payday loans, take money out of...
Utah will be the 1st state to ban fluoride in drinking water
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite widespread opposition from dentists and national health organizations. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said he would sign legislation that bars cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water...
Top health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employees
WASHINGTON — Most of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment as part of President Donald Trump’s...
5 years after covid struck, Pennsylvanians assess pandemic’s impact
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5 years after covid struck, Pennsylvanians assess the pandemic’s impact
Five years ago this month, Pennsylvania’s chief executive scrambled to manage a global health crisis for which no one in the world was prepared. As leader of the nation’s fifth most-populous state, then-Gov. Tom Wolf found himself winging it like everyone else. He had no playbook for covid-19. “It looked...
Measles is popping up in the U.S. Here’s how to avoid one of the world’s most contagious viruses
Measles is not often seen in the United States, but Americans are growing more concerned about the preventable virus as cases continue to rise in rural West Texas. Last week, an unvaccinated child died in the outbreak, which involves nearly 200 cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Kennedy and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists
Until recently, most Americans had never heard the term “seed oils,” even though they’ve likely cooked with and consumed them for decades. It’s the catchy description coined by internet influencers, wellness gurus and some politicians to refer to common cooking oils — think canola, soybean and corn oil — that...
Nearly 100 people died of cholera in less than a month in Sudan’s White Nile State
CAIRO — Nearly 100 people died of cholera in two weeks since the waterborne disease outbreak began in Sudan’s White Nile State, said Doctors Without Borders. The international medical aid group, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, said Thursday that 2,700 people have contracted the disease since Feb. 20, including...
New Mexico adult dies with measles, though cause of death isn’t yet confirmed
An adult who was infected with measles has died in New Mexico, state health officials announced Thursday, though the virus has not been confirmed as the cause. The person who died was unvaccinated and did not seek medical care, a state health department spokesperson said in a statement. The person’s...
2.3M birds culled in Pa. this year as flu spreads in commercial, backyard flocks
Ken Pounds has a coop full of turkeys, and with justifiable concerns about bird flu, that’s all he wants in there. No flies if he can help it. Definitely no people who don’t need to be there. And certainly no other birds. “The biggest thing you can do is have...
‘Read this e-mail immediately’: CDC tells about 180 fired employees to come back to work
NEW YORK — The nation’s top public health agency says about 180 employees who were laid off two weeks ago can come back to work. Emails went out Tuesday to some Centers for Disease Control and Prevention probationary employees who got termination notices last month, according to current and former...
Federal judge blocks NIH funding cuts to medical research, including at CMU
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from drastically cutting medical research funding that many scientists say will endanger patients and cost jobs. The new National Institutes of Health policy would strip research groups of hundreds of millions of dollars to cover so-called indirect expenses of studying Alzheimer’s,...
Can recent breakthroughs improve life with sickle cell disease?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 out of every 365 Black people has sickle cell disease and the sickle cell trait affects 10% of Black people, compared to .3% of white people. Although the disease disproportionately affects Black people, it also has been seen in...
Trump administration moves to drop Idaho emergency abortion case with national implications
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday moved to drop an emergency abortion case in Idaho in one of its first moves on the issue since President Donald Trump began his second term. The Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was originally filed by the Biden...
Do you need fluoride treatment after a teeth cleaning? Dental experts weigh in
When Tristen Boyer recently had a couple of cavities filled, her dentist suggested she get fluoride treatment afterward. She has Crohn’s disease, which puts her at increased risk for tooth decay. “It’s something I felt like I should get done,” the 22-year-old University of Kentucky student said. “It’s something I’m...
Are Pa. residents at risk of a measles outbreak? Here’s what the experts say
Measles, a highly contagious disease that was at one point believed to be largely eradicated in the United States, has seen an increase in cases over the past year. Among the most recently diagnosed cases of measles are several instances in New Jersey in mid-February and a confirmed case in...
Texas measles outbreak fueled by distrust in public health and personal choice
SEMINOLE, Texas — Measles had struck this West Texas town, sickening dozens of children, but at the Community Church of Seminole, more than 350 worshippers gathered for a Sunday service. Sitting elbow-to-elbow, they filled the pews, siblings in matching button-down shirts and dresses, little girls’ hair tied neatly into pink...
Penn State reports chicken pox outbreak at State College
Penn State University has confirmed three cases of chicken pox on its main campus in State College. Students and staff who were in Mifflin Hall between Feb. 17 and 24 or in the Thomas Building on Feb. 20 between 1 and 3 p.m. may have been exposed, the university said...
Vaccine critic RFK Jr. backs measles shot amid deadly Texas outbreak
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly backed the measles vaccine amid an outbreak of the disease in Texas that has already killed one child. The 71-year-old vaccine skeptic had previously criticized the immunization and called the outbreak “not unusual” last week, even though the child was the first person...
In wake of York shooting, security experts see no perfect cure for hospital violence
When Andy Armenta learned of the hostage situation unfolding at UPMC Memorial hospital in York County, he immediately thought of his brush with hospital violence 25 years ago in California. Armenta, a biomedical engineer, was on the first floor of West Anaheim Medical Center the morning of Sept. 15, 1999,...
CDC estimates flu vaccine effectiveness as cases slam the region
This year’s flu vaccine has been effective overall against the current strains of the virus, despite cases and hospitalizations surging in the region, according to the latest federal data. About 54.9% of the influenza A H3N2 strains — which is causing about half of all cases this season — is...
Breakthrough treatments offer some sickle cell sufferers a cure, barriers remain
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Breakthrough treatments offer some sickle cell sufferers a cure, but barriers remainVideo
Esther Nkemakolam runs her fingers through kinetic sand and sings a “Moana” song as UPMC Children’s Hospital nurse Taylor Brennan gets to work drawing blood. Esther is back for her monthly blood transfusion. It’s a frigid February morning, but the routine is familiar for Esther, a bubbly 7-year-old first grader...
