Rural Pa. faces widening health services gap, but state officials think loan forgiveness could help
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — Health care professionals in rural Pennsylvania would be eligible for student debt relief under a bipartisan proposal aimed at addressing workforce gaps in...
Fentanyl vaccine heads for clinical trials, with goal of saving lives
A fentanyl vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Houston is expected to head to clinical trials sometime in the middle of next year, with the hope of being a groundbreaking solution to a deadly crisis. The vaccine, which has shown success in animal studies, is designed to stop...
Young girls are using anti-aging products they see on social media. The harm is more than skin deep
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When she was in fifth grade, Scarlett Goddard Strahan started to worry about getting wrinkles. By the time she turned 10, Scarlett and her friends were spending hours on TikTok and YouTube watching influencers tout products for achieving today’s beauty aesthetic: a dewy, “glowy,” flawless complexion. Scarlett...
Boar’s Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records showVideo
A Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia tied to a deadly food poisoning outbreak repeatedly violated federal regulations, including instances of mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment, newly released records show. Government inspectors logged 69 instances of “noncompliance” with...
Death toll now 9 in listeria outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meat, CDC saysVideo
At least nine people have died after being infected with listeria from Boar’s Head deli meats tied to a massive recall last month, federal health officials said Wednesday. The new food poisoning toll includes two deaths in South Carolina plus one each in Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee and New York,...
Donating a kidney is even safer now than long thought, U.S. study shows
WASHINGTON — People who volunteer to donate a kidney face an even lower risk of death from the operation than doctors have long thought, researchers reported Wednesday. The study tracked 30 years of living kidney donation and found that by 2022, fewer than 1 of every 10,000 donors died within...
IUP advances toward medical school opening, calls FAFSA mess ‘a debacle’
What would be this state’s first college of osteopathic medicine on a public university campus is advancing toward a possible fall 2027 opening, Indiana University of Pennsylvania President Michael Driscoll says. But as the 2024-25 academic year begins, a more immediate concern exists over IUP’s likely fall enrollment — uncertainty...
Ragweed allergy season nears peak in Western Pennsylvania
Summer’s end may have some unlucky Western Pennsylvania residents sneezing, battling congestion and squinting through itchy eyes. That’s because ragweed allergy season is about to hit its peak. This time of year is peak for weed pollen — primarily ragweed — according to Dr. Russell Traister, a pediatric allergy/immunology physician...
New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for mosquito-borne encephalitis virus
A New Hampshire resident who tested positive for the mosquito-borne infection eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, health authorities in the state said. The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The resident, whom...
EEE, West Nile, malaria: Know the difference between these mosquito-borne diseases
The world’s deadliest animal can be squashed flat with a quick slap: It’s the mosquito. The buzzing insects are more than annoying — they spread disease. When they bite and drink blood from a person or animal they can pick up viruses or germs too. If they can go on...
Ultraprocessed foods are everywhere. How bad are they?
Whether they know it or not, most Americans don’t go a day — or often a single meal — without eating ultraprocessed foods. From sugary cereals at breakfast to frozen pizzas at dinner, plus in-between snacks of potato chips, sodas and ice cream, ultraprocessed foods make up about 60% of...
How therapy dogs bring healing to Western Pa. funeral homes
Seeing a dog in a funeral home is not what most people might expect — but Judy Ryave McGuire, director of aftercare and community outreach for Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. in Shadyside, and Laney, a 6-year-old goldendoodle, are a therapy team who provide comfort at funerals. “Laney just knows how...
Mpox, formerly monkeypox, declared a global health emergency by World Health Organization
Mpox, which is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. The WHO said on Aug. 14 the emergency was declared due to the “ongoing upsurge” of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in a...
FDA approves updated covid-19 vaccines; shots should be available in days
U.S. regulators approved updated covid-19 vaccines Thursday, shots designed to more closely target recent virus strains — and hopefully whatever variants cause trouble this winter, too. With the Food and Drug Administration’s clearance, Pfizer and Moderna are set to begin shipping millions of doses. A third U.S. manufacturer, Novavax, expects...
U.S. government report says fluoride at twice the recommended limit is linked to lower IQ in kids
NEW YORK — A U.S. government report expected to stir debate concluded that fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children. The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, marks the first time a federal agency has determined — “with...
Got cold symptoms? Here’s when kids should take a sick day from school
PHOENIX — As schools reopen for another year, they are focused on improving student attendance. But back-to-school is hitting just as covid-19 cases are increasing, raising the question: When is a child too sick for school? School absences surged during the pandemic and have yet to recover. Nearly 1 in...
Inpatient rehabilitation center to close at Latrobe Hospital
An inpatient rehabilitation unit at Latrobe Hospital is set to close, prompting patients to look for other health care options in the area. The EPIC (Excela Physical Improvement Center) unit is set to close on Tuesday, according to a person who answered the phone at the center on Monday. But...
Pap smear alternative on the way for women
Women will have an alternative Pap smear option starting this fall, the New York Times reported. The new option is a swab to screen for cervical cancer, rather than the speculum, which has been the norm during Pap smear examinations. The Times said a Pap smear requires a patient’s legs...
Sweden reports 1st case of more infectious form of mpox first identified in Congo
LONDON — Swedish health officials said Thursday they have identified the first case of a person with the more infectious form of mpox first seen in eastern Congo, a day after the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks there and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency. The Swedish...
White House says prescription drug deals will produce billions in savings for taxpayers, seniors
WASHINGTON — Taxpayers are expected to save billions after the Biden administration inked deals with pharmaceutical companies to knock down the lists prices for 10 of Medicare’s costliest drugs. But how much older Americans can expect to save when they fill a prescription at their local pharmacy remains unclear, since...
WHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency as a new form of the virus spreads
LONDON — The World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency on Wednesday, with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the virus spreading. Few vaccine doses are available on the continent....
Biden announcing $150 million in research grants as part of his ‘moonshot’ push to fight cancerVideo
NEW ORLEANS — President Joe Biden is zeroing in on the policy goals closest to his heart now that he’s no longer seeking a second term, visiting New Orleans on Tuesday to promote his administration’s “moonshot” initiative aiming at dramatically reducing cancer deaths. The president and first lady Jill Biden...
Dozens of pregnant women, some bleeding or in labor, are turned away from ERs despite federal law
WASHINGTON — Bleeding and in pain, Kyleigh Thurman didn’t know her doomed pregnancy could kill her. Emergency room doctors at Ascension Seton Williamson in Texas handed her a pamphlet on miscarriage and told her to “let nature take its course” before discharging her without treatment for her ectopic pregnancy. When...
Needle-free EpiPen alternative approved by FDA
A needle-free nasal spray has been approved for serious allergic reactions to food, medications and insect stings — an alternative to the well-known EpiPen, the Washington Post reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the alternative 2-milligram spray, which is called Neffy, on Friday, and it’s the first needle-free...
FDA won’t approve psychedelic MDMA for PTSD, calling for additional study
WASHINGTON — Federal health regulators on Friday declined to approve the psychedelic drug MDMA as a therapy for PTSD, a major setback for groups seeking a breakthrough decision in favor of using mind-altering substances to treat serious mental health conditions. Drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics said the FDA notified the company that...
