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Whooping cough cases on the rise, but public awareness of the disease still persists

Following a several-year lull during the pandemic, cases of whooping cough are increasing across the United States.

17 Dec 2024

Study reveals underuse of antivirals for children hospitalized with influenza

Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a recent study reports an underuse of the treatment.

17 Dec 2024

Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump's choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives.

17 Dec 2024

Raw milk may carry hidden risks of flu transmission

Raw milk, hailed by some as a natural and nutritious alternative to pasteurized dairy, may come with hidden dangers, according to a new Stanford University study.

14 Dec 2024

Skin-friendly bacteria could revolutionize vaccination

Imagine a world in which a vaccine is a cream you rub onto your skin instead of a needle a health care worker pushes into your one of your muscles.

11 Dec 2024

Public awareness and HPV vaccination rates remain low among American adults

The human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection, accounts for 70% of all throat cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.

10 Dec 2024

Rethinking public health measures based on game theory

With flu season upon us and coronavirus a persistent threat, Dartmouth researchers propose a new way of thinking about masking and social distancing rules that is more responsive to what people feel is necessary at a given time - and may help increase cooperation.

6 Dec 2024

How measles, whooping cough, and worse could roar back on RFK Jr.’s watch

The availability of safe, effective covid vaccines less than a year into the pandemic marked a high point in the 300-year history of vaccination, seemingly heralding an age of protection against infectious diseases.

6 Dec 2024

Phase one trial explores novel immunotherapy for breast cancer

A groundbreaking phase one clinical trial exploring a novel cell-based immunotherapy for breast cancer has been accepted for publication in JAMA Oncology.

5 Dec 2024

Pregnancy strengthens immune defense against flu, study finds

McGill University scientists have discovered that pregnancy may trigger a natural immunity to boost protection against severe flu infection.

2 Dec 2024

A toddler got a nasal swab test but left before seeing a doctor. The bill was $445.

Ryan Wettstein Nauman was inconsolable one evening last December. After being put down for bed, the 3-year-old from Peoria, Illinois, just kept crying and crying and crying, and nothing would calm her down.

27 Nov 2024

WHO and partners announce grants to boost pathogen genomic surveillance

The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners announced 10 projects that will receive almost US$ 2 million in grants to improve capacities in pathogen genomic surveillance.

26 Nov 2024

Study reveals how liver bile composition changes during enteric infections

Intestinal infections can change the composition of liver bile, leading to changes in immune function and gut bacteria, potentially helping fight off harmful bacteria .

26 Nov 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Public health and the dairy cow in the room

Public health, one of the more misunderstood concepts in the health world, is about the health of entire populations, rather than individuals.

26 Nov 2024

Many Americans unaware of alcohol's cancer risks, survey shows

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that you can "lower your risk for cancer by drinking less alcohol or not drinking at all," Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) data show that less than half of Americans know that regularly drinking alcohol increases the risk of later developing cancer.

22 Nov 2024

Cigarette smoke can induce disordered oropharyngeal microbiota that aggravates flu severity

New research has shown that cigarette smoke can induce disordered oropharyngeal microbiota that aggravates the severity of influenza A virus infection.

20 Nov 2024

New approach to stabilize RSV protein could lead to better vaccines

In most people, the lung-infecting pathogens known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) trigger mild cold-like symptoms. But in infants and seniors, these viruses can cause severe pneumonia and even death.

20 Nov 2024

Electronic nudges boost flu vaccination rates among heart attack survivors

An electronic letter, or nudge, highlighting the cardiovascular benefits of influenza vaccines improved vaccination rates among more than 2 million adults—with a greater impact on those who have had a heart attack—across three clinical trials spanning the most-recent, two consecutive influenza seasons in Denmark.

18 Nov 2024

New clinical trial offers hope for patients with rare immune disease IgG4-RD

A team led by Mass General Brigham researchers demonstrated that inebilizumab reduced the risk of symptoms by 87% in patients with the rare affliction known as immunoglobulin G4–related disease (IgG4-RD)

18 Nov 2024

New insights into how IFITM3 protein protects against severe flu

Researchers have identified new roles for a protein long known to protect against severe flu infection – among them, raising the minimum number of viral particles needed to cause sickness.

15 Nov 2024