PHILADELPHIA — When Robert Barclay’s two daughters moved from Africa to live with him in Delaware County, getting them up-to-date on their vaccines was top of his list.

His daughters, 14-year-old Albertine and 20-year-old Ruth, were among the first clients at Delaware County Health Department’s new mobile clinic, which launched earlier ...Read more

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

What makes the cells of the muscles contract? – Samarth, age 13, India

Muscles are amazing. They’re what let you strum a guitar, kick a soccer ball and high-five your ...Read more

As long as there have been vaccines, there have been people who doubted their science and safety.

Back in 19th-century England, people rioted against a mandatory smallpox vaccine, claiming that it violated civil rights and was an affront to human bodily integrity. In the United States, organizations dedicated to resisting vaccines ...Read more

DETROIT — The number of cyclosporiasis cases reported in Michigan since the outbreak began in late June rose to 9,253 on Monday, a 13% increase over Friday's total.

Health officials continue to investigate the state's worst-ever outbreak of the parasitic illness, which usually only affects around 50 people each year. As of Thursday, 160 ...Read more

Sen. Mitch McConnell is not yet medically cleared to return to work or leave the rehabilitation facility where he’s receiving care following his fall at home last month, his office shared late Monday morning.

McConnell, who was hospitalized June 14, released a statement that said the 84-year-old Kentucky senator is still recovering and ...Read more

DETROIT — A Michigan couple is suing Taco Bell and Taylor Farms after the couple says they contracted cyclosporiasis from eating infected lettuce from the restaurant, which was sourced from Taylor Farms.

Karl and Gina Hercula, of Clinton Township, became ill in July after eating Taco Bell meals containing shredded lettuce in June, according ...Read more

Sen. Mitch McConnell is not yet medically cleared to return to work or leave the rehabilitation facility where he’s receiving care following his fall at home last month, his office shared late Monday morning.

McConnell, who was hospitalized June 14, released a statement that said the 84-year-old Republican Kentucky senator is still recovering...Read more

As teens grow more independent and begin to spend more time away from home, questions about curfews often come up. How late should your teen stay out, and how do you set limits without constant conflict?

Adolescents are programmed to hate curfews because they think they're about control or trust. But a curfew is a reflection of your concern for...Read more

Even if it wasn’t a real emergency, nurse Pam Johnson sensed the clock ticking as she tried to deliver a baby doll whose shoulder had lodged in the birth canal of a high-tech childbirth mannequin.

An instructor guided her on where to put her hands and how hard to press to get the baby unstuck.

“That’s a lot of pressure!” Johnson ...Read more

PHOENIX — You may have heard that colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting young adults. However, it is not the only gastrointestinal (GI) cancer that doctors are diagnosing in patients below the age of 50, explains Christina Wu, M.D., an oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona.

"People under 50 are not too young ...Read more

While sipping on pints of beer and eating soft pretzels at Guilford Hall Brewery, more than 100 people eagerly listened as professor Whitney Marris outlined new research in psychedelic medicine and how the drugs can be used to treat a range of conditions.

Marris, who works at the University at Buffalo’s School of Social Work, was the featured...Read more

Measles cases in California in 2026 have already more than doubled the total for all of 2025, state health officials reported.

In California, there have been 52 confirmed cases of measles in 2026, the California Department of Public Health said July 20.

The state had 25 confirmed cases in all of 2025.

Children ages 5 to 19 account for 52% of ...Read more

Public health officials and infectious disease experts are urging Bay Area residents to take added precautions against COVID-19 as wastewater testing shows high concentrations of the virus in parts of the region.

Measurements at wastewater treatment plants in Santa Clara County and San Francisco have shown high concentrations of the virus over ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — COVID-19 is on the upswing in California and across a swath of the West and the South, a sign that the virus may be starting its seasonal summer uptick.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that COVID is growing in California, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Hawaii...Read more

Companies accused of recklessly marketing and distributing prescription opioid painkillers are paying roughly $58 billion to settle lawsuits over their role in fueling the addiction crisis. It’s a pot of gold eyed by addiction treatment providers, companies creating the latest opioid-related products, and government officials struggling to ...Read more

A dangerous social media trend that started in 2020 has persisted into 2026, with heartbreaking consequences.

In May and June 2026, four American teens died participating in the “Benadryl Challenge.” This trend encourages adolescents and young adults to consume excessive amounts of diphenhydramine – the active ingredient in ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Federal health officials on Friday said they have linked cases of a diarrhea-causing parasite tied to shredded lettuce to an additional four states, expanding the scope of the largest U.S. outbreak of cyclospora.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak first tied to Taco Bell restaurants now includes ...Read more

Measles cases have hit a record in the United States not seen since 1991, nearly a decade before the viral disease was declared eliminated.

The grim milestone comes amid a generational setback in controlling the highly contagious disease, which prior to the vaccine era caused millions of infections a year, and annually left 400 to 500 people ...Read more

Identifying the source of a food-borne illness such as cyclosporiasis — a diarrhea-causing parasite that has sickened thousands of people in the United States — is almost as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

It's not impossible to narrow down the culprit but it is a challenge because public health investigators are analyzing ...Read more

DETROIT — The number of reported cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan rose to 8,176 on Friday, a 6.7% increase over the previous day's case count.

Health officials continue to investigate the state's worst outbreak of the parasitic illness that usually causes frequent, watery and explosive diarrhea. As of Thursday, 160 people have reportedly been...Read more