Illinois is now at “very high” levels for flu activity – a designation that coincides with the federal government’s decision Monday to no longer recommend many vaccines for children, including the flu vaccine.

Flu activity has been increasing in Illinois and across the country in recent weeks. The “very high” designation for the ...Read more

Three kids in the Bay State have died from the flu in recent weeks as influenza cases spike, according to health officials who are pleading with residents to get vaccinated.

The flu has already been tied to the deaths of three pediatric patients in Massachusetts, the Department of Public Health reported on Monday.

Also, 29 adult influenza ...Read more

Federal health care officials on Monday cut the number of vaccines recommended for every child, reaffirming the need to immunize children against 11 infectious diseases such as measles but leaving families to decide whether to pursue flu shots and others.

Physician groups reacted negatively, calling the change a scientifically unsupported ...Read more

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed six vaccines from the recommended list for American children on Monday, a sweeping decision that could have widespread consequences for U.S. public health.

Before Monday, the CDC had recommended vaccines against 17 different diseases for ...Read more

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced sweeping changes to the pediatric vaccine schedule on Monday, sharply cutting the number of diseases U.S. children will be regularly immunized against.

Under the new guidelines, the U.S. still recommends that all children be vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, ...Read more

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced sweeping changes to the pediatric vaccine schedule on Monday, sharply cutting the number of diseases U.S. children will be regularly immunized against.

Under the new guidelines, the U.S. still recommends that all children be vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, ...Read more

Blocking a protein linked to aging helped older mice regrow knee cartilage without using stem cells, research from Stanford University in California shows.

Blocking the protein 15-PGDH also increased older animals’ muscle mass and endurance, they reported.

“This is a new way of regenerating adult tissue, and it has significant clinical ...Read more

Lisa Farris worried that a nasty infection from recent liposuction and a tummy tuck was rapidly getting worse. So she phoned the cosmetic surgery center to ask if she should head to the emergency room, she alleges in a lawsuit.

The nurse who took the call at the Sono Bello center in Addison, Texas, told her she “absolutely should not” go to...Read more

Hepatitis B is a virus that can damage the liver and lead to lifelong health problems. The hepatitis B vaccine prevents short-term illness (acute hepatitis) and a life-threatening infection called chronic hepatitis B.

The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that a federal advisory panel's decision to weaken hepatitis B vaccine ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m confused about prebiotics and probiotics. Could you help me understand what they are and how they could benefit my health?

ANSWER: You're not alone in wondering about the health benefits of prebiotics and probiotics. Even the names can be confusing.

The human gastrointestinal tract houses roughly 100 trillion ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Several Eastern Shore hospitals have reinstated masking mandates this week, joining a growing number of health care centers in Maryland reporting unusually high numbers of influenza cases.

On Friday, TidalHealth announced that protective masking is required at its locations, which include TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Irene Blair was expected to have another six to eight months to live in June, after her pancreatic cancer rapidly advanced to stage 4 less than a year after her initial diagnosis.

A new drug being tested in clinical trials around the world, including at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, was the 59-year-old grandmother ...Read more

Flu cases in Boston and across Massachusetts are continuing to tick up as a new variant circulates, with public health officials reminding residents its not too late to get vaccinated.

“This flu season, we’re concerned about this new variant that is circulating,” state public health commissioner Robbie Goldstein on a WCVB segment aired ...Read more

In recent years, a handful of deep-blue states have aggressively tried to offer “free” health care to those in the country illegally only to develop alligator arms when the check arrived. Go figure.

In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed ending the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (notice the word “illegal” is nowhere to be ...Read more

Janine Hauck doesn't know which tick gave her anaplasmosis and Lyme disease. She just remembers the fatigue, weakness and nausea.

The Mt. Lebanon, Pa., resident was an avid hiker, backpacker, dancer, biker and swimmer until she got sick in 2019, at age 57. After throwing up at work and becoming dizzy from walking down the block, she visited her...Read more

With health care subsidies expiring in the new year, Cook County Health officials and political leaders on Wednesday warned the impact will not only hurt millions of Americans but also affect the county’s bottom line and hospitals around the state.

Congress remains at a stalemate over the future of subsidies for certain households that buy ...Read more

After a year of major shifts in the federal government’s policy toward vaccines, Americans are now more likely to trust the American Medical Association than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when the two conflict on vaccine guidance, a new survey shows.

The survey, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public...Read more

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania's plan to stabilize its struggling rural health care systems will get a $193 million infusion as President Donald Trump's administration implements a new five-year program that some say will not offset future Medicaid cuts.

The federal funding — which the state plans to first spend on the most pressing rural care ...Read more

Q: How long can I safely freeze certain foods?

A: Freezing food is a smart way to cut waste and save time, but even frozen food has limits on quality. While frozen items kept at 0 F (-18 C) remain safe indefinitely, their taste and texture can suffer over time.

Meats like beef steaks or whole chicken maintain best quality for up to 12 months. ...Read more

Eating fruit can help you lose weight, particularly if you choose fruit rather than processed foods that are high in added sugar and fat. Making fruit a daily staple in your diet can offer many health and nutritional benefits. The high fiber content can help you feel full, and the natural sweetness can help stave off cravings.

Fruit often gets ...Read more