SAN DIEGO — San Diego County announced its first locally acquired case of Chagas disease Monday. Left untreated, the parasitic illness can cause cardiovascular and digestive problems, even sudden death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While most infections occur in Latin America, Dr. Mark Beatty, an assistant...Read more

About 1 in 5 women will experience depression and anxiety during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth. If untreated, a mother who has these conditions has a higher risk of birth complications, overall poorer health, impaired bonding and nurturing of her infant, and a higher risk of death by suicide.

But a new treatment moving ...Read more

An insulin inhaler proved safe for treating children as young as 4 years old, improving satisfaction and reducing weight gain compared with those taking injected insulin, researchers from Johns Hopkins Hospital told The Baltimore Sun.

“Studies have shown that inhaled insulin works just as well as injectable insulin for mealtime glycemic ...Read more

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”

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QUINCY, Calif. — When Taletha Washburn and the staff at Plumas Charter School first heard that California wanted to help schools treat more kids struggling with mental health, it felt like a ...Read more

A professional in-home caregiver lost her coverage for Zepbound. She soon realized getting it back was not straightforward.

Deborah Finley, 50, of Lodi, California, said her weight started to worry her during the early days of COVID. That's when she noticed a lot of the people who were on ventilators or dying had something in common: obesity.

...Read more

When President Donald Trump signed an executive order this spring to speed up FDA approval of psychedelic treatments, he echoed a push for healing long championed in California. I know these benefits myself — but also devastation.

In 2023, my husband and I enrolled in a clinical trial using MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy). I found this ...Read more

One issue will decide Steven Cohen’s vote for Nevada governor this fall: Which candidate can best protect him from getting kicked off Medicaid?

Cohen is a 38-year-old Las Vegas resident with autism and has dual enrollment in Medicaid and Medicare. He said he’s very concerned that he could lose his Medicaid coverage once work requirements ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As West Nile virus cases across the country surge to the highest levels in years, officials said Monday that the first Yolo County mosquito sample of the season tested positive for the virus.

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District said in a news release that the mosquito sample was found Monday in Madison,...Read more

Nine in 10 Americans say they support organ donation. Far fewer sign up to become donors, while more than 100,000 people nationwide are waiting for lifesaving transplants.

Donor Network West and other organ donation organizations across the country have spent years trying to close that gap through outreach at hospitals, schools, DMV offices and...Read more

Imagine an ordinary Tuesday. You wash your hair, put on deodorant, drink coffee, pack lunch in a plastic container and commute through traffic to get to work. At work, the custodial staff wipes down a shared table with disinfectant. At home, you cook dinner, clean the kitchen and run the dishwasher.

Each of these ordinary moments can ...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.

Why are our fingers different lengths? – Betty, age 8, California

It was one of those rushed mornings when I was already running late for work. In my hurry to grab my keys ...Read more

Swollen glands or lymph nodes are a frequent concern for parents, since they're so common in children. Young children often have swollen glands because their bodies' defenses are constantly at work trying to protect them from new germs they encounter every day. In most cases, the swelling goes down once the body fights off the offending germ.

...Read more

LADUE, Mo. — Over four consecutive days in January, Margaret Hvatum ran a 5K, a 10K, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. The 70-year-old covered a combined distance that’s nearly equivalent to running the length of Manhattan four times.

By the end of the month, she was in a hospital bed.

Hvatum, a part-time computer science professor, ...Read more

It's tick season, possibly the worst in a decade.

More and more Americans are being exposed to these parasites as climate change expands the range where they can survive. That means more people are also exposed to the bevy of health conditions they can cause, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the alpha-gal-triggered red meat allergy, and, ...Read more

On a small Lancaster County farm last month, five of the eight King siblings sprawled on the living room floor, sucking on ice pops and listening to calming music, trying not to scratch their itchy skin.

The next county over, in Hershey, children were lying in hospital beds as their immune systems battled an infection damaging their organs.

...Read more

The number of New Yorkers diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease on the Upper East Side has jumped to 10, officials said Saturday.

Council Speaker Julie Menin and other city officials were alerted to the significant increase as the city continues to check cooling towers in the affected areas to see if the potentially deadly bacteria has spread....Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — Swimming is one of the best ways to cool off during a Texas summer.

But before you head to the pool, health officials are warning about a stomach illness that spreads in recreational water this time of year.

The illness is caused by a parasite called Cryptosporidium and can leave people sick for days or even weeks.

...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento County reported its first human infection of West Nile virus this year, county health officials announced Thursday.

According to Sacramento County Public Health officials, a woman in her 60s tested positive for the disease and is still recovering. The announcement marks the second case of the mosquito-...Read more

Sen. Mitch McConnell is continuing his recovery in the hospital and working closely with his staff, according to a new statement from a McConnell spokesperson.

“Sen. McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” the spokesperson said in a July 2 statement. “The Senator ...Read more