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Health

Critical news and views to stay healthy, sharp and safe.

More health news

Many young women and girls have low levels of this essential mineral. Why symptoms are often missed.

Doctors don't typically screen for it, but almost 40% of teenage girls and young women had low levels of the important mineral needed to make red blood cells, new research shows.
Spinach. Fresh spinach leaves
Spinach. Fresh spinach leaves

EXCLUSIVE

4d ago

EXCLUSIVE

A National Guard member was told he likely had a virus. He actually had malaria.

The CDC recently announced it had identified five cases of locally transmitted malaria in the United States, the first such cases in 20 years.
Christopher Shingler.
Christopher Shingler.

Tranq increasingly found in opioid overdose deaths, CDC warns

The powerful animal tranquilizer, xylazine, is being detected more often in the illegal drug supply, but it's fentanyl that's killing opioid users, experts warn.
A field researcher with the New York City Department of Health tests a heroin sample for xylazine on May 25, 2023.
A field researcher with the New York City Department of Health tests a heroin sample for xylazine on May 25, 2023.
6d ago

Medical schools will be even less diverse after affirmative action ruling, experts say

Experts fear medical and nursing schools will no longer be able to foster diversity by considering race as a factor in their admissions processes.
Photo illustration of a Black doctor checking a patients blood pressure; the Supreme Court in Washington; and a poster for EKG's for women, featuring white women and a Black woman.
Photo illustration of a Black doctor checking a patients blood pressure; the Supreme Court in Washington; and a poster for EKG's for women, featuring white women and a Black woman.

Record nighttime heat in Texas poses a sneaky risk to people's health

Heat at night disrupts sleep and prevents the body from recovering and cooling down, making minimum temperatures a critical indicator of a heat wave’s severity, experts said.
A guard pours water to stay hydrated while working security outside in Arlington, Texas, Monday, June 26, 2023.
A guard pours water to stay hydrated while working security outside in Arlington, Texas, Monday, June 26, 2023.

Pedestrian deaths hit a 41-year high. Reckless driving and bigger cars may be to blame.

The U.S. last year had the most pedestrian fatalities since 1981. Experts highlight several factors driving the trend.
crowds of people crossing a city street
picture with motion blur of crowds of people who crossing a city street
crowds of people crossing a city street
picture with motion blur of crowds of people who crossing a city street

CDC recommends RSV shots for older adults, clearing the way for vaccinations to begin this fall

The two vaccines will be the first for RSV to become publicly available in the U.S. after CDC Director Rochelle Walensky endorsed them Thursday.
Transmission electron micrograph  of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Transmission electron micrograph  of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Crisis pregnancy center failed to spot ectopic pregnancy, threatening patient's life, lawsuit alleges

The suit claims an anti-abortion center in Massachusetts engages in deceptive advertising and incorrectly told a patient her pregnancy was viable.
Windows are boarded up at Clearway Clinic, where vandals smashed windows with a hammer on July 7, 2022.
Windows are boarded up at Clearway Clinic, where vandals smashed windows with a hammer on July 7, 2022.
6d ago

Biden has started using a CPAP machine at night to deal with sleep apnea

Since 2008, the president has disclosed a history with sleep apnea, a potentially serious but common condition in which breathing can stop and start in the night.
US President Joe Biden speaks about the economy at the Old Post Office in Chicago, Illinois, on June 28, 2023. Biden is gambling his 2024 re-election on a continued strong US economy and manufacturing resurgence with the speech launching his newly branded "Bidenomics."
US President Joe Biden speaks about the economy at the Old Post Office in Chicago, Illinois, on June 28, 2023. Biden is gambling his 2024 re-election on a continued strong US economy and manufacturing resurgence with the speech launching his newly branded "Bidenomics."

Tick and mosquito season is already shaping up to be severe this year

With the CDC warning about the first locally acquired cases of malaria in 20 years, experts say ticks and mosquitoes may pose a particularly acute threat this summer.
A mosquito.
A mosquito.

Have a summer cold? Common viruses are back from a pandemic hiatus

Common cold viruses appear to be returning to pre-pandemic levels of circulation. Adenovirus in particular is more common this summer than last.
Ill woman sneezing covering mouth with a wipe in a park
Ill woman sneezing covering mouth with a wipe in a park

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