DENVER — A public health study found that Colorado children living within eight miles of an oil and gas well had an increased risk of developing leukemia, and the study’s authors determined current setbacks between well sites and houses may not be enough to protect kids.

The study, published in May 2025, sounded an alarm for communities ...Read more

This isn’t just a bad year for measles. It looks to be the start of a bad era. Confirmed measles cases just hit a 35-year high, and it’s only July. Together with last year, the number of cases has exceeded the combined total over the previous 25 years. The vast majority of cases stem from domestic outbreaks fueled by low rates of vaccination...Read more

BALTIMORE — A warming Chesapeake Bay may mean more days of swimming, but it brings a greater threat from a flesh-eating bacterium that thrives as the mercury rises.

Last year, the health department reported 11 deaths from Vibrio fulnificus — the so-called flesh-eating strain — including an outbreak tied to a Wicomico County crab feast. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — As Pennsylvania grapples with a measles outbreak that has sickened 130 residents, state health officials are recommending some parents vaccinate young children early to provide extra protection against the highly contagious disease.

Children as young as 6 months who live in or whose parents plan travel to affected counties ...Read more

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is urging Sen. Mitch McConnell to either release more details on his health condition or resign from office.

In a letter sent to McConnell’s office Monday and obtained by the Herald-Leader, Beshear called for McConnell to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to ...Read more

DETROIT — The number of cyclosporiasis cases reported in Michigan since the outbreak began in late June rose to 9,680 on Tuesday, a 5% increase over Monday'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

As you may have seen in news headlines or social media memes, there’s explosive diarrhea going around. Understanding how the immune system responds to the parasite that causes the unfortunate disease called cyclosporiasis can help explain why the infection is mild in some people but can cause severe or long-lasting illness in others.

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A tiny federal agency tasked with protecting the public from injuries caused by lawn mowers and coffeemakers is demanding that some of the nation’s biggest health systems turn over detailed, personally identifiable medical records of all patients who seek help at their emergency rooms.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, responsible for ...Read more

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — As Earl Williams drove through a historic Black neighborhood known as Dewey City in his hometown, he hardly recognized what he saw.

Homes that once belonged to friends, family, and neighbors had siding covered in mold. Some were boarded up. Others had holes in their roofs.

Black churches once used Oquina Creek, which runs ...Read more

Pennsylvania tallied more than two dozen new cases of measles in the last week, including several in the Philadelphia region.

In Chester County, health officials confirmed 13 cases in the suburban Philadelphia county since April, with seven identified since Monday.

The rising counts come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ...Read more

California House Republicans are asking the Trump administration to prevent Democratic state leaders from implementing a new tax on health insurers.

Six House members, including Reps. Kevin Kiley, I-Rocklin, and James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, sent a letter Friday to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ...Read more

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