Despite bipartisan agreement on the need for testing and treatment for the life-threatening liver disease hepatitis C, potentially hundreds of thousands of Americans remain untreated or even unaware they’re infected as efforts to expand access to cures have stalled in Congress.

Legislation introduced last year has struggled to gain traction ...Read more

​It was hailed as a “triumph of 21st century medicine” — a daily pill that cures a life-threatening liver disease in a matter of weeks with minimal side effects and a success rate of more than 95 percent.

But more than a decade after direct-acting antivirals to cure hepatitis C hit the market, potentially hundreds of thousands of ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Mary Alice Glen was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. Years earlier, her mother died from ovarian cancer. One of her sisters had breast cancer. A brother had colorectal cancer.

In the early 2000s, when Glen was in remission, people in her community in Boise were having recurrences of breast cancer ...Read more

Montana officials said they are moving forward with plans to allow Medicaid to pay doulas, reversing a previous statement that budget problems had prompted them to pause the effort to reimburse the birth workers.

But officials warned that all optional Medicaid services are still under review as the state health department looks for cuts to ...Read more

A bipartisan pair of senators on Monday introduced legislation that would support research into the link between intimate partner violence and maternal deaths and illness.

The legislation by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, would direct the Health and Human Services Department to support research on how domestic ...Read more

All of the cells in our body depend on sugar in our blood -- primarily glucose as the main source of energy. This sugar comes from the foods that we eat. Certain organs in our body also make and store sugar.

The body functions best when it is in balance with the correct amount of glucose in the blood, a condition called euglycemia. In this ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- After months of living on the streets, Alexis DiBella felt she had finally turned a corner at the end of last year.

The 31-year-old had just gotten a bed in a women’s shelter. Excited to “dig into life again” after a frigid winter, she brushed off some lingering pain in her feet.

Over a few days, they grew red and swollen...Read more

Tufts Medical Center has received approval to perform living donor liver transplants effective immediately, the health care provider announced.

“By offering living donor liver transplantation, we are opening new pathways to life-saving care and providing hope to patients with end-stage liver disease who might otherwise face extended — and ...Read more

Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are weight loss and diabetes drugs that have made quite a splash in health news. They target regulatory pathways involved in both obesity and diabetes and are widely considered breakthroughs for weight loss and blood sugar control.

But do these drugs point toward a root cause of metabolic disease? What ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A close friend of mine recently received an organ transplant, and another acquaintance is considering becoming a living donor. What is life really like after an organ transplant or donation?

ANSWER: Organ transplantation is often described as a second chance at life, and for many people, that description is accurate. The ...Read more

BALTIMORE —Tuberculosis infected more than 8 million people in 2024 — surpassing COVID-19 and marking a record high since 1995 — as a new Johns Hopkins-developed vaccine emerges amid rising antibiotic resistance.

The nasal spray, DNA-based vaccine targets two genes to help the immune system fight drug-tolerant “persisters” that ...Read more

A highly mutated COVID-19 strain is circulating in California — raising concerns that disease activity could rise heading into the summer.

The emergence of the BA.3.2 strain, nicknamed "cicada," comes amid broader uneasiness about COVID vaccination rates among seniors — who are especially susceptible to the virus — and whether complacency...Read more

BALTIMORE — Updated for the first time in six years, clinical guidelines for screening and managing cholesterol now recommend earlier screenings — as young as nine years old — for those with a family history of heart disease, among other standards of care.

“Shifting the paradigm toward proactive prevention strategies earlier in life can...Read more

BOSTON — A person with measles traveled through Boston Logan Airport on April 13, the Boston Public Health Commission reported, warning exposed unvaccinated individuals to isolate and contact healthcare providers immediately.

“This case of measles underscores the continued importance of obtaining the MMR vaccine,” said Bisola Ojikutu, ...Read more

Using an in-home HEPA purifier for one month spurs a small but significant improvement in brain function in adults age 40 and older. That’s the result of a new study we co-authored in the journal Scientific Reports.

HEPA purifiers – HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air – remove particulate matter from the air. ...Read more

Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily and can make babies and young children very sick. This year, doctors have been seeing more cases earlier in the season than usual.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that almost 8 in 100 people tested for rotavirus have the virus. This is only a ...Read more

Among the S&P 500’s 11 major sectors, three are widely considered “defensive” thanks to the inelastic demand for the services and products they provide. “Elasticity” refers to how sensitive consumer demand is to changes in price.

For utilities, consumer staples and health care, demand remains fairly constant regardless of economic ...Read more

If you’re looking for a way to combine cardio with strength training, then hop on an elliptical. “Ellipticals are a great all-in-one machine,” says Corey Goldman, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation. “They offer a low-impact cardiovascular workout that simultaneously engages both the upper and lower body...Read more

Trying to eat more protein? The solution may lie in your fridge or pantry rather than the supplement aisle. Protein is a macronutrient that supports everything from muscle repair and growth to satiety and a strong immune system. “Prioritizing protein at each meal can also keep you feeling full longer, helping curb cravings and support healthy ...Read more