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Biden rule cleared hurdles to lifesaving HIV drug, but in Georgia barriers remain
ATLANTA — Latonia Wilkins knows she needs to be on PrEP due to her non-monogamous lifestyle. But the 52-year-old Atlanta mother has faced repeated challenges getting the lifesaving drug that can prevent new HIV infections.
Years ago, Wilkins was dating a man newly diagnosed with HIV and went to get tested, she said, but was not offered PrEP. ...Read more

Baltimore Legionella samples sent late to lab, documents say
BALTIMORE — A public health expert said the city of Baltimore should commit to additional Legionella testing after documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun show that Legionella retest results from several city buildings, including City Hall, might be less reliable than previously thought.
Legionella is a naturally occurring bacteria found in ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q and A: Cholesterol -- know your numbers
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am in my 30s and overweight, but I thought I was too young to worry about cholesterol. I just learned my cholesterol is high. I know diet and exercise are important. Do I need medication?
ANSWER: Cholesterol is a type of fat in our blood. Our bodies need a small amount of cholesterol to build the structure of cell membranes,...Read more

First human case of bird flu confirmed in Nevada
Nevada health officials confirmed the first human case of avian influenza (H5N1) in the state on Monday.
The infected person was exposed to dairy cattle while working on a dairy farm in Churchill County, according to a news release from the Central Nevada Health District.
The dairy farm worker had pink eye with no other reported symptoms and ...Read more

Why Galentine's Day is good for your health. (No, really!)
While Galentine’s Day may have started as a storyline for Leslie Knope on “Parks and Recreation” (which also gave us “Treat Yo’ Self Day”), this Feb. 13 celebration has evolved into something more meaningful: a day to connect with friends which, as it turns out, contributes to our mental and physical well-being.
Numerous studies ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: Suffering from cold feet?
Do your feet always feel cold, even when it's not chilly outside? While cold weather can be a common cause, persistent cold feet might point to something more — like circulatory issues, immune problems or nerve disorders.
Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, says it's important to seek medical advice if the condition...Read more

On the front lines against bird flu, egg farmers say they're losing the battle
Greg Herbruck knew 6.5 million of his birds needed to die, and fast.
But the CEO of Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch wasn’t sure how the family egg producer (one of the largest in the U.S., in business for over three generations) was going to get through it, financially or emotionally. One staffer broke down in Herbruck’s office in tears.
“The...Read more

Ask the Pediatrician: Teen sleep troubles
Many teens have a hard time winding down at bedtime. This can prevent them from getting the recommended amount of sleep they need every night. Not surprisingly, many teens I talk with report difficulty concentrating at school, daytime sleepiness and fatigue.
There are numerous reasons why teens struggle with sleep, as well as several strategies...Read more

Is your heart in the game? Doctors says the Super Bowl can break it
It’s Super Bowl Sunday — a time for football and fun. Health experts, however, are warning that being too invested in 2025’s big game could hurt the heart.
“There are behaviors that can be associated with the Super Bowl that are not heart-healthy,” cardiologist Dr. Tamara Horwich told the American Heart Association. “You might think...Read more
Wash, dry, enroll: Finding Medicaid help at the laundromat
SUITLAND, Md. — At a SuperSuds Laundromat just south of Washington, D.C., a steady stream of customers loaded clothes into washers and dryers on a recent Sunday morning, passing the time on their phones or watching television.
Amid the low hum of spinning clothes, Adrienne Jones made the rounds in a bright yellow sweatshirt, asking customers ...Read more

Outcry as NIH plans $4 billion cut to reimburse scientists
WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health plans to cut billions of dollars in reimbursements to medical researchers, a move scientists warn could jeopardize their work in advancing cures for diseases.
The agency, the world’s largest funder of biomedical research, announced late Friday it was lowering the maximum “indirect cost rate�...Read more

During fires, LA burn centers braced for crisis that never came
LOS ANGELES — When the fires erupted Jan. 7, burn centers across the Los Angeles region braced for an influx of patients, updating one another on the beds and staff available for critically injured people.
The Eaton and Palisades fires would ultimately claim at least 29 lives. Dozens of people would visit hospitals to seek care for minor ...Read more

Research points to potential solutions to reduce scratching-related inflammation
PITTSBURGH — If you were to accidentally dip your thumb into boiling water, the searing pain would instantly trigger a response in your brain, urging you to pull away immediately. Not only would this reflex protect you in the moment, but it would also create a lasting memory — one that warns, "Don't do that again!"
So why doesn't our brain ...Read more

Editorial: Managing health records shouldn't be this maddening
The U.S. health-care system exchanges tens of millions of patient records a day. Thanks to recent technological advances, the ability to analyze such large amounts of data has improved markedly.
Why, then, are patients still filling out clipboards of redundant information, or juggling multiple passwords and portals to make a doctor’s ...Read more

CDC reports more than 90 sick on board Royal Caribbean ship out of Tampa
More than 90 people have been reported ill on board a Royal Caribbean ship sailing out of Tampa, Florida, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
An outbreak of an unknown illness with primary symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting has stricken 89 of 2,164 passengers as well as 2 of 910 crew on board the Radiance of the Seas, according to a ...Read more

Measles outbreak mounts among children in one of Texas' least vaccinated counties
A measles outbreak is growing in a Texas county with dangerously low vaccination rates.
In late January, two school-age children from Gaines County were hospitalized with measles. Since an estimated 1 in 5 people with the disease end up in the hospital, the two cases suggested a larger outbreak.
As of Feb. 7, there were nine confirmed and ...Read more

Maryland lawmakers want limits on pricey prescriptions, say health care system is 'failing us'
BALTIMORE — For most of her life, Erica Miller suffered from a medical condition she didn’t know she had.
When she finally got a diagnosis and treatment, the cost of her medication varied wildly month-to-month from as low as $45 to as high as $600 — even with insurance. She couldn’t afford the care she needed.
Maryland lawmakers want ...Read more

Seed oils are toxic, says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – but it’s not so simple
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is expected to clear the final hurdles in his confirmation as President Donald Trump’s health secretary, and a host of health influencers have proclaimed that widely used cooking oils such as canola oil and soybean oil are toxic.
T-shirts sold by his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign now include ...Read more

Community health centers caught up in funding freeze
WASHINGTON — Funding delays have pushed several community health centers nationwide to close or cut back on staff, citing issues accessing federal funding.
The financial problems, the centers say, appear to stem from last week’s temporary domestic funding grant freeze and the implementation of new executive orders.
“We will do everything...Read more

Trump executive orders aimed at health equity, DEI worry Philadelphia health researchers
At Bryn Mawr College, Cindy Sousa researches how trauma, violence, and climate change affect low-income communities, immigrants, and refugees, with the goal of improving health care and social supports in underserved communities.
But Sousa is worried about the future of her work following a flurry of executive orders that she and many of her ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Why Galentine's Day is good for your health. (No, really!)
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Suffering from cold feet?
- What's it like to use Elon Musk's brain chip? How does it work? 'Like using the Force'
- On the front lines against bird flu, egg farmers say they're losing the battle
- Ask the Pediatrician: Teen sleep troubles