Florida Hospitals Brace for Hurricane Milton's Arrival

As Hurricane Milton barreled toward the west coast of Florida, hospitals in its path were making ready.

Milton is projected to make landfall a bit south of the Tampa area late Wednesday night. Long-term care facilities in counties where mandatory evacuations have been issued have taken their patients elsewhere, while some hospitals prepar...

Only 1 in 5 Large Companies' Health Plans Cover New Weight-Loss Meds for Employees

When it comes to coverage for the pricey GLP-1 weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, only a fifth of large U.S. companies cover the medications in their health insurance plans, a new survey shows.

In a report published Wednesday in the journal Health Affairs, researchers also found that a third of companies that do cover...

Be Alert to Carbon Monoxide Dangers During, After Hurricane Milton

High winds, torrential rain: All dangerous, but there's a silent killer lurking in the aftermath of hurricanes like Milton -- carbon monoxide.

Experts at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are warning of the potentially lethal effects of carbon monoxide (CO), emitted by the gas generators folks may use to power their homes ...

More Screen Time Tied to Mental Health Risks for Tweens

A study tracking almost 10,000 9- and 10-year olds for two years finds a link between time spent watching TV and other screens with a higher odds for ADHD and depression.

“Screen use may replace time spent engaging in physical activity, sleep, socializing in-person and other behaviors that reduce depression and anxiety,”&n...

Severe COVID Case Ups Heart Risks As Much as History of Heart Disease

A severe COVID infection can increase a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke as much as a history of heart disease, a new study says.

People hospitalized for COVID had about the same risk of a major cardiac event as people with heart disease who never had COVID, researchers found.

Results also showed that any type of COVID ...

Affordable Care Act Is Helping Young Americans With Cancer Beat the Disease

Cancer in young adults is rare, but the insurance coverage given them by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has greatly boosted the survival of people ages 19 to 25 who got the disease, a new study shows.

The findings were published Oct. 7 in the journal Cancer.

The ACA (also known as Obamacare) passed Congress in 2010 and allowe...

Here's Where Viruses Love to Lurk in Your Bathroom

The bad news first: shower heads and toothbrushes in an average bathroom are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses, most of which have never been seen before, a new study finds.

Now, the good news.

These viruses target bacteria, not people, and could provide a new means of confronting the rise in antibiotic-resistan...

Heat Stress in Pregnancy Might Affect a Babies' Development Later

Hot weather can be more than just uncomfortable and annoying: New research finds it can impact an infant’s development both before and after birth.

Babies are more likely to be delivered at low birth weight as an expecting mom’s average daily heat stress increases during the first trimester, researchers found.

What’...

Steady Rise in U.S. Cases of Tick-Borne Babesiosis Disease

Cases of a tick-borne parasitic disease have steadily increased in recent years, a new study shows.

Rates of babesiosis increased an average 9% a year in the United States between 2015 and 2022, researchers reported in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Further, four in 10 patients with babesiosis also were infecte...

Common Acne Drug Might Become Carcinogenic at Room Temperature

Widely-used acne creams can become contaminated with a known carcinogen even if kept at room temperature, a new study warns.

Creams containing benzoyl peroxide (BPO) can wind up containing high levels of benzene while sitting on a store shelf or in a medicine cabinet, researchers found after testing 111 products from major U.S. retailers.<...

Vendors of Synthetic Nicotine Vapes on Instagram Are Skirting FDA Rules

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently mandates strong health warnings when vapes containing synthetic nicotine are advertised on Instagram and other social media.

Trouble is, most vendors aren't adhering to those rules meant to protect kids, a new study finds.

It's a new phenomenon, said study co-author Traci Hong, profess...

3% of U.S. High School Students Identify as Transgender, First National Survey Finds

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2024 (HealthDay news) -- About 3% of U.S. high school students identify as transgender, according to the first federal attempt to gather national data on trans teens.

Another 2% question their gender identity, results from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed.

The survey also found that trans and gender-quest...

EPA Finalizes Rule to Require Removal of Lead Pipes in U.S. Water System

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday finalized a rule that will require the removal of all lead pipes from the country's water systems.

“We’ve known for decades that lead exposure has serious long-term impacts for children’s health. And yet, millions of lead service lines are still delivering drinking water...

CDC Will Test Travelers From Rwanda for Ebola-Like Marburg Virus

As health officials work furiously to stem the spread of Marburg virus in Rwanda, U.S. health officials announced Monday that all passengers flying from that country to the United States will soon be screened for the often deadly disease.

"Starting the week of October 14, CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] will begin pu...

Scientists Discover the Brain's Waste-Disposal System, With Clues to Alzheimer's Disease

The brain has a waste-disposal system that clears away junk proteins that contribute to the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds.

Advanced imaging scans have revealed a network of fluid-filled structures along arteries and veins within the brain, researchers reported Oct. 7 in the Proceedings of the ...