Covid-19 falls to No. 10 cause of death in U.S.
U.S. death rates fell last year for all age groups compared with 2022, federal health officials said Thursday. Here’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed: — Covid-19 fell to the 10th leading cause of death. Early in the pandemic, the coronavirus was the nation’s third leading...
The Wellness Collective has innovative approach to connect patients with therapists
Shanon Williams was joking with her husband and business partner Chris about how “speed dating” to connect with therapists and wellness practitioners would be interesting. The founders of The Wellness Collective made the hypothetical a reality with Mental Wellness Speed Dating. In a time when mental health is at the...
Infusion drugs to battle Alzheimer’s disease give hope to Western Pa. patients
At age 57, Christine Lieb of Scottdale has hope that the new treatments she is undergoing for early onset Alzheimer’s disease will give her more time to enjoy her life. “I feel 100% better when I’m done. I feel it when it is time to have another one,” Lieb said....
Multistate listeria outbreak leads to Boar’s Head recalls
The multistate listeria outbreak linked to deli meat has led to recalls of numerous Boar’s Head products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pennsylvania is one of the now 13 states affected by the outbreak, the CDC said. As of Thursday, there have been three deaths and...
U.S. abortion numbers have risen slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds
The number of women getting abortions in the U.S. actually went up in the first three months of 2024 compared with before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a report released Wednesday found, reflecting the lengths that Democratic-controlled states went to expand access. A major reason for the increase...
Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us?
NEW YORK — Microplastics have been found in the ocean and the air, in our food and water. They have been found in a wide range of body tissues, including the heart, liver, kidneys and even testicles. But are they actually harming you? Evidence suggests they might, but it’s limited...
TikTok agrees to withdraw rewards feature after EU raised concerns about potential online addiction
FRANKFURT, Germany — TikTok has agreed to withdraw a rewards feature that raised concerns about its potential to encourage excessive screen time, particularly among children, the European Union’s executive commission said Monday. It was the first resolution of an investigation under the 27-country EU’s sweeping Digital Services Act, which went...
New blood testing advancements can assist with Alzheimer’s, cancer detections
Advances in blood tests aimed at screening for ailments like Alzheimer’s disease and colon cancer can mean faster diagnosis and treatment for patients, said two Allegheny Health Network doctors. Problems can be found earlier in a way that’s easier on the patient than more invasive cancer screenings, such as a...
West Nile virus found in Westmoreland mosquitoes
West Nile virus has been detected in Westmoreland County for the first time this year. Mosquitoes tested positive for the disease after being captured in Latrobe and at the border of Greensburg and Hempfield, according to Chrissy Edwards-McCune, who conducts the county’s West Nile virus monitoring program for the Westmoreland...
North Huntingdon man among thousands waiting for kidney transplant as Pa. marks Donor Day
Tom Farino of North Huntingdon is eight months into what could be a seven-year wait for a kidney transplant. A transplant would give Farino, 72, a new lease on life. “They’re trying to find a living donor before I need dialysis,” Farino said. Farino said his doctor at Allegheny General...
Owner of skilled nursing facilities in Lower Burrell, Greensburg files for bankruptcy
Guardian Elder Care, the parent company of skilled nursing facilities including Belair in Lower Burrell and Oak Hill in Greensburg, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Johnstown-based health care company filed the petition for relief this week. Nineteen facilities — including locations in Lower Burrell, Greensburg, Bethel Park and...
Mpox cases have surged by 160% in Africa so far this year, but few treatments and vaccines available
BANGUI, Central African Republic — African health officials said mpox cases have spiked by 160% so far this year, warning the risk of further spread is high given the lack of effective treatments or vaccines on the continent. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report...
Federal protections of transgender students are launching where courts haven’t blocked them
New federal protections for transgender students at U.S. schools and colleges will take effect Thursday with muted impact because judges have temporarily blocked enforcement in 21 states and hundreds of individual colleges and schools across the country. The regulation also adds protections for pregnant students and students who are parents,...
Boar’s Head expands recall to include 7 million more pounds of deli meats tied to listeria outbreak
The popular deli meat company Boar’s Head is recalling an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a Virginia plant as an investigation into a deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning continues, U.S. Agriculture Department officials said Tuesday. The new recall includes 71 products made between May 10...
Wildfire smoke may be worse for your brain than other air pollution, study says
Wildfire smoke may be worse for brain health than other types of air pollution, according to new research linking it to an increased risk of dementia. The findings, reported Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia, come as millions spent the weekend under air quality warnings from wildfires...
Blood test for colon cancer screening is approved by U.S. regulators
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a first-of-its-kind blood test for colon cancer, offering a new way of screening for a leading cause of cancer deaths. Test manufacturer Guardant said the Food and Drug Administration approved its Shield test for screening in adults 45 and older who have...
Infants’ tongue-tie may be overdiagnosed and needlessly treated, American Academy of Pediatrics says
NEW YORK — Tongue-tie —a condition in infants that can affect breastfeeding — may be overdiagnosed in the U.S. and too often treated with unnecessary surgery, a prominent doctors’ group said Monday. The American Academy of Pediatrics is the latest, and largest, medical society to sound an alarm about the...
Franklin Regional grad takes over Independence concussion management programVideo
When Alex Fleming was helping the Franklin Regional Panthers football team win the PIAA’s 2005 AAA championship, he wasn’t thinking much about concussion protocol. But as the 2007 Franklin Regional graduate moved on to Davidson College — where he played football while pursuing a biology degree before earning his medical...
‘Black Therapy 101’ event addresses mental health stigma, promotes healing in Black community
According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress. Yet, according to the American Psychiatric Association, only one in three Black people receive mental health treatment. Mental health awareness, counseling...
Listeria outbreak linked to deli meat includes Pennsylvania
A listeria outbreak linked to deli meat has affected 12 states — including Pennsylvania, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two people have died, and there have been at least 28 people infected, the CDC said. No recalls have been issued. “Investigators are collecting information to determine...
Long covid risk has decreased but remains significant, study finds
LOS ANGELES — The risk of developing long covid — enduring, sometimes punishing symptoms that linger well after a coronavirus infection — has decreased since the start of the pandemic, a new study found, with the drop particularly evident among those who are vaccinated. But the dip does not mean...
UN says nearly 40 million people had HIV in 2023; lack of treatment means someone died every minute
UNITED NATIONS — Nearly 40 million people were living with the HIV virus that causes AIDS last year, over 9 million weren’t getting any treatment, and the result was that every minute someone died of AIDS-related causes, the U.N. said in a new report launched Monday. While advances are being...
More money could result in fewer trips to ER, study suggests
Giving cash to poor people could result in fewer emergency department visits, a new study suggests. The study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at almost 2,900 low-income people who applied for a lottery in the Boston suburb of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Nearly 1,750 of them...
2 deaths linked to listeria food poisoning from meat sliced at deli counters
At least two people have died and more than two dozen were hospitalized in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning linked to meat sliced at grocery store deli counters, federal health officials said Friday. At least 28 people in a dozen states have gotten sick, though the largest number, seven,...
Biden has covid-19 and didn’t wear a mask, but CDC’s guidelines say he doesn’t have to
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — President Joe Biden did not wear a face mask in public a couple of times after the White House announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. The White House said the Democratic incumbent was experiencing “mild” symptoms while the president’s physician said Biden would self-isolate “in...
