CDC recommends RSV vaccine, monoclonal antibodies in official immunization schedule update
New parents, take note: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is including vaccinations and treatments to protect against respiratory syncytial virus — better known as RSV — in its recommended vaccination schedule for infants. The treatments — an RSV vaccine recommended during pregnancy to protect the baby before birth,...
IUP eyes potential location for medical school, state announces ‘investment’ in project
The state will invest $2 million in startup funds toward developing a College of Osteopathic Medicine at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, state Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman announced Wednesday night. Pittman, R-Indiana, delivered the news at a public reception welcoming the proposed college’s recently named founding dean, Miko Rose. It...
The U.S. hasn’t seen syphilis numbers this high since 1950. Other STD rates are down or flat
NEW YORK — The U.S. syphilis epidemic isn’t abating, with the rate of infectious cases rising 9% in 2022, according to a new federal government report on sexually transmitted diseases in adults. But there’s some unexpected good news: The rate of new gonorrhea cases fell for the first time in...
Viral ‘sleepy girl mocktail’ promises improved night’s rest. Does it work?
If you’re having trouble falling asleep, some TikTok users argue there’s an elixir called the “sleepy girl mocktail” that could provide a solution. The drink is a combination of tart cherry juice, magnesium powder and a fizzy drink like sparkling water or prebiotic soda that allegedly promises a better night’s...
Elon Musk says 1st human has received implant from Neuralink, but other details are scant
NEW YORK — According to Elon Musk, the first human to receive an implant from his computer-brain interface company Neuralink happened over the weekend. In a Monday post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Musk said that the patient received the implant the day prior and was “recovering...
Schools are using surveillance tech to catch students vaping, snaring some with harsh punishments
When Aaliyah Iglesias was caught vaping at a Texas high school, she didn’t realize how much could be taken from her. Suddenly, the rest of her high school experience was threatened: being student council president, her role as debate team captain and walking at graduation. Even her college scholarships were...
Ohio bans gender-affirming care and restricts transgender athletes despite GOP governor’s veto
COLUMBUS — Ohio has banned gender-affirming care for minors and restricted transgender women’s and girls’ participation on sports teams, a move that has families of transgender children scrambling over how best to care for them. The Republican-dominated Senate voted Wednesday to override GOP Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. The new law...
Western Pa. sets record for organ, tissue, cornea donations for 5th straight year
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education on Monday announced that the Western Pennsylvania area broke its record for the number of lives saved and healed through organ, tissue and cornea donations for a fifth consecutive year. There were 404 organ donors in 2023 in an area including Western Pennsylvania,...
Details about salmonella outbreak on meats sold at Costco, Sam’s Club
The salmonella outbreak previously linked to charcuterie meats sold at Sam’s Club also has been connected to meats from the same company sold at Costco. And, the CDC says, the outbreak’s reached 22 states. Here’s some facts you might want to know. What’s the Costco-sold meat product now involved? Costco...
AHN study explores treating opioid addiction with electrode implants in brain
An Allegheny Health Network research team is among the first to pioneer a treatment for opioid addiction that targets how addiction affects the brain. By using a technique called deep brain stimulation, or DBS, the team hopes to reduce the severe cravings that lead opioid addiction patients to relapse and...
IUP gets $500K donation for medical college project
Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s bid to open the state’s first college of osteopathic medicine on a public campus is getting a financial lift from IUP’s alumni association. The organization’s board of directors has authorized a $500,000 donation toward the endeavor that was first announced in December 2022, university officials said...
‘This will be a game-changer’: Duquesne University opens medical college
Students in the inaugural class of Duquesne University’s medical college will learn the intricacies of human anatomy through the time-tested method of dissecting cadavers. But they also will slip on a high-tech headset with eyewear and instantly see before them a hologram of the human body. They can walk around...
North Side woman advocates for more education and access to menstrual products
Tamara Abney recalled going into the restroom and realizing her period started. She searched her purse multiple times — nothing. She looked through bags she was carrying and pants and jacket pockets — still nothing. “If you don’t have a tampon or a pad (when your period starts), it can...
Recovery community adapts to help addicts kick fentanyl
Stephanie Taylor’s path to sobriety was more well-worn than winding. She was first arrested in 2015, at age 25, after selling cocaine to a police informant out of her mother’s Vandergrift home. Taylor went to jail, rehab and a halfway house — what she calls an “insane cycle” — three...
Fentanyl’s deadly rise: Pervasive opioid becomes symbol of America’s drug problem
Fentanyl arrived right on time for Stephanie Taylor. “My tolerance was so high, it was taking more and more (heroin) to get my fix, to get me to that feel-good feeling I was searching for,” she said. Taylor, 35, a Vandergrift native who today is more than four years into...
Fundraiser underway to help Brookline boy with special needs get new wheelchair
There is a beep outside. Tracey Mozeyko peers out the window. “Timmy’s home,” she said, referring to her 14-year-old son. An aide assists the boy out of his seat. Timmy gives the aide a hug and then turns toward his mother. He reaches for her hand and they walk into...
Doctors advise caution, watchfulness for Singulair side effects
Despite concerns about its possible side effects, Western Pennsylvania doctors say some patients can remain on Singulair to relieve asthma or allergy symptoms. But in most cases, the doctors say they aren’t prescribing the pill as a first-line, or first-time, medication. The asthma and allergy medicine, also known by its...
Ohio woman who miscarried at home won’t be charged with corpse abuse, grand jury decides
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio woman facing a criminal charge for her handling of a home miscarriage will not be charged, a grand jury decided Thursday. The Trumbull County prosecutor’s office said grand jurors declined to return an indictment for abuse of a corpse against Brittany Watts, 34, of Warren,...
NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan’s 19-year-old daughter is fighting cancerVideo
The 19-year-old daughter of NFL Hall of Famer and “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan is undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Isabella Strahan appeared on a prerecorded videotape segment sitting next to her father while discussing her diagnosis of medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor, with fellow GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts....
Efforts to restrict transgender health care endure in 2024, with more adults targeted
Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills restricting medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults — returning to the issue the year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits. As legislatures begin their work for the year, lawmakers in...
Do I really need supplemental insurance (Medigap) with Medicare?
About 41% of Original Medicare beneficiaries had Medicare Supplement Insurance, or Medigap, in 2021, according to a February 2023 report summarizing enrollment data from AHIP, a national health insurance trade association. For the other 59%, Medicare has some “gaps” that could be costly. “There are many gaps in Medicare that...
Pitt names Ken Gabriel as BioForge CEO
The University of Pittsburgh‘s expansive BioForge initiative has hired its inaugural chief executive officer. Kaigham (Ken) J. Gabriel was appointed to the job, Anantha Shekhar, Pitt senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and medical school dean, announced Monday. Gabriel who already has begun his duties also will serve as...
Looking to stay fit in 2024? Consider local rec departments, nonprofits
If you’re hoping to get fit and stay active in 2024, you’re not alone. A survey from Forbes Health/OnePoll from October found that “improved fitness” is the No. 1 New Year’s resolution, with just under half of the 1,000 U.S. survey respondents saying it is a priority. Finding ways to...
As more Pa. residents rack up medical debt, hope hinges on a state solution
An innovative plan to help Pennsylvanians with crippling medical debt is delayed but not dead, supporters say. The plan calls for using state funds to buy unpaid medical bills from hospitals and health care providers, which are commonly sold at a steep discount. A $10 to $15 million investment by...
Hospitals seeing ‘exponential’ rise in flu cases in Western Pa.
After a holiday season filled with travel, family gatherings and relatives breathing on each other, respiratory illnesses are on the rise in Western Pennsylvania — with flu cases spiking the fastest. Area hospitals are seeing an “exponential increase” in flu diagnoses, said Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director of infection prevention...
