States are seeing an alarming surge in cases of congenital syphilis, a preventable infection that can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, newborn death — or lifelong complications such as blindness or deafness.

Congenital syphilis, which occurs when a pregnant mother infected with the sexually transmitted infection syphilis passes it on to her ...Read more

As Medicare Advantage continues to gain popularity among seniors, three Southern California companies are pioneering new types of plans that target cultural and ethnic communities with special offerings and native-language practitioners.

Clever Care Health Plan, based in Huntington Beach, and Alignment Health, based in nearby Orange, both have ...Read more

Emily Gebel was trying to figure out why she was having trouble breastfeeding. That’s when she felt a lump.

Gebel, a mother of two, went to her primary care doctor in Juneau, Alaska, who referred her for testing, she said.

Her 9-month-old was asleep in her arms when she got the results.

“I got the call from my primary care nurse telling ...Read more

Telling people who have donated blood when and where the blood was used makes them more likely to do it again, according to our new study. Donors who got details like the date and the hospital were 10% more likely to donate again than people who were just thanked.

Together with University of Hamburg marketing scholars Besarta Veseli ...Read more

Travis Barker has been through the wringer recently, health-wise, and now he’s sharing the details.

In an X post Friday, the Blink-182 drummer listed the things he’s been dealing with.

“(L)ast week I had covid, an episode of trigeminal neuralgia, and a root canal,” he wrote. “Which means I can pretty much handle anything god throws ...Read more

HIV self-test kits were developed to make it easier for people to access HIV testing. However, our research team has found that many people who use self-test kits do not go on to receive needed HIV treatment or start preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to prevent future infection.

In 2016, the World Health Organization recommended HIV ...Read more

Nearly 44,000 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, and more than 2,000 people will die of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Thyroid cancer occurs in the cells of the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood...Read more

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Don't worry about your hips or knees as you age. Arthritis in those joints isn't inevitable. Keep doing the activities you enjoy. Those hopeful words come from Rafael Sierra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic specializing in hip and knee reconstruction. Dr. Sierra says there is no need to curtail your activities out...Read more

With Halloween around the corner, it’s a good time to consider ways to improve the safety of trick-or-treaters planning to roam neighborhoods and communities. The holiday brings delight to many but also heightens the risk of pedestrian injuries, as costumed characters dart from house to house or are distracted by scary sights and sounds, ...Read more

Editor’s note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, help is available. You can call or text 988 to be connected to the suicide & crisis helpline . Additional resources are listed at the bottom of this story.

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TAMPA, Fla. — Arthur Schnurpel’s daughter heard it in his voice. ...Read more

Darrell Lee has lost almost all control over his body as he grapples with the relentless grip of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Lying in his daughter Ashley Lee’s Winter Garden home, the 72-year-old is kept alive by a series of medical marvels: a ventilator, feeding tube and a catheter. ...Read more

Epilepsy is one of the more common neurologic disorders in children. About 1 in 26 people have epilepsy, and 1 in 10 people will have at least one seizure in their lifetime.

Dr. Anthony Fine, a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist at Mayo Clinic, says even though it's fairly common in children, there are a few misconceptions when it comes ...Read more

Autumn is the season of change, with green leaves turning color and temperatures cooling. It's also the season of hay fever, or allergic rhinitis.

So how can people with fall allergies get relief? Dr. James Li, a Mayo Clinic allergist has more in this Mayo Clinic Minute.

"Fall is a very common season for seasonal allergies to kick in," says Dr...Read more

The powerful anti-seizure drug the 5-year-old boy had been taking for more than a year made him “almost catatonic,” his new foster mom from Florida’s Pinellas County worried.

And there was no paperwork showing that the boy’s biological mother or a judge had authorized the psychotropic medication, Keppra, as required by state law.

“I ...Read more

UPS announced it is acquiring Long Beach, California-based MNX Global Logistics as it seeks to grow its health care logistics unit and other specialized lines of business.

UPS has been increasingly focused on growing specialized and lucrative types of shipments and logistics services, especially with its UPS Healthcare unit.

Kate Gutman, ...Read more

From the start of the second Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 campaign, the seven candidates on stage were boisterous and unruly.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris ...Read more

Over the last decade, smartphones have become ubiquitous not just for sending texts and staying abreast of news, but also for monitoring daily activity levels.

Among the most common, and arguably the most meaningful, tracking method for daily physical activity is step counting.

Counting steps is far more than a fad: The U.S. ...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cicely Wilson’s work doesn’t end when she leaves her day job as a lactation consultant, doula and child care expert.

Wilson founded a nonprofit called Sunnyside Up Youth Pregnancy Services, which connects girls ages 13 to 19 with resources they need to care for their babies. After-hours, she looks for affordable ...Read more

Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 are all part of the seasonal respiratory virus lineup. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the upcoming fall and winter are expected to have a similar number of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases as last year. However, they say it's important to note...Read more

You might need supplemental screenings if you've been diagnosed with dense breast tissue. Women with dense breast tissue have less fat and more glandular and connective tissue. They are also at a higher risk of developing cancer.

Dense breast tissue refers to the way breast tissue appears on a mammogram. According to the Centers for Disease ...Read more