CNN – Health

By Amanda McClelland and Dr. Tom Frieden (CNN) — A pandemic emerges. It spreads around the world, claims lives and devastates economies for decades. Climate change makes it even deadlier. It infects hundreds of millions of people and kills millions, especially in areas with limited resources. Is this a future scenario? A tabletop exercise? No.

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — A part of the brain connected to memory shrank in people with severe sleep-disordered breathing — which can include heavy snoring and sleep apnea — according to a new study. People with sleep apnea stop breathing for 10 seconds or more at a time multiple times a night. “It

By Chloe Melas, CNN (CNN) — For decades after returning home from World War II, my grandfather did not talk about his wartime experiences. Frank Murphy flew 21 perilous missions as a navigator of a B-17 for the Eighth Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, nicknamed “the Bloody Hundredth.” The day his plane was shot down

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — Millions of children and teens live with obesity in the United States, and weight-loss surgery is becoming a more common way to treat it, new research shows. The number of metabolic and bariatric surgeries completed among youth ages 10 to 19 has been on the rise since 2016, according

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder that leads to loss of memory and other intellectual abilities. Facts Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, which is a general term for the loss of memory and intellectual abilities. Alzheimer’s disease is fatal and there

By Jessica DuLong, CNN (CNN) — Poet Maggie Smith was watching the clouds through an airplane window on a flight between book tour events when it occurred to her what her new memoir is truly about: “not letting myself stay small anymore.” The bestseller “You Could Make This Place Beautiful” chronicles her divorce but also

By Sandee LaMotte and Raenu Charles, CNN (CNN) — Complications from stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological condition that causes spasms and muscle rigidity, have caused singer Celine Dion to cancel her “Courage World Tour” dates through 2024, according to a statement posted Friday on the star’s social media account. Dion postponed several performances in

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — The US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, created a fractured abortion landscape in the United States. Nearly a year later, a new KFF survey shows that it has left widespread confusion about the legal status of abortion, along with little trust in the high court

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — Using artificial intelligence, researchers say, they’ve found a new type of antibiotic that works against a particularly menacing drug-resistant bacteria. When they tested the antibiotic on the skin of mice that were experimentally infected with the superbug, it controlled the growth of the bacteria, suggesting that the method could

By Katherine Dillinger, CNN (CNN) — A second death in the US has been attributed to a suspected fungal meningitis outbreak among people who had surgery under epidural anesthesia in Matamoros, Mexico, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Hundreds more people could be at risk, the agency warns. The CDC and the

By Elizabeth Cohen and Amanda Sealy, CNN (CNN) — Depending on the outcome of a federal lawsuit, more women having early miscarriages could end up like Melissa Novak: septic, in the hospital and needing emergency surgery to survive. “We didn’t know if she was going to live or die,” said Novak’s husband, Stewart Day. Novak

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the 2001 anthrax attacks, also referred to as Amerithrax. Facts about anthrax There are four types of anthrax infection: cutaneous (through the skin), inhalation (through the lungs; the most deadly), gastrointestinal (through digestion) and injection anthrax. Injection anthrax is common in heroin-injecting users in northern Europe.

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — The White House has launched a first-of-its-kind national action plan to end gender-based violence, such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The US National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, released Thursday, includes seven pillars under which the Biden administration aims to focus its efforts, including providing support

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here is a look at autism. Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) incorporates a group of neurodevelopmental disorders causing impaired communication skills and social skills. ASD generally starts before three years of age and lasts a lifetime, but early intervention plays a role in treatment and progress. ASD is about

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the origins, treatments and global response to HIV and AIDS. Facts HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. HIV/AIDS is spread through sexual contact with an infected person, sharing needles with an infected person, through transfusions of infected blood or through

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at Tuberculosis (also known as TB), an infection, caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that usually affects the lungs. It can also infect other parts of the body including the kidneys, spine and brain. About TB Two types of TB exist – Latent TB infection (non-infectious)

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at Zika virus, an illness spread through mosquito bites that can cause birth defects and other neurological defects. Facts Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and CNN Zika virus is a flavivirus, part of the same family as yellow fever, West

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at avian flu. Avian influenza, also called avian flu or bird flu, is an illness that usually affects only birds. There are many different strains of avian flu: 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes. Only those labeled H5, H7 and H10 have caused deaths in humans.

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at information and statistics concerning vaccines in the United States. For vaccines related to coronavirus, see Coronavirus Outbreak Timeline Fast Facts. Facts The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides vaccine recommendations by age, as well as by disease. For more than 100 years, there has

By Jamie Gumbrecht and Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — New research reveals how a medical device helped one man with paralysis walk naturally again, more than a decade after an injury. Dr. Grégoire Courtine and colleagues from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne developed and implanted a “brain-spine interface” that creates a direct neurological link between the brain and spinal

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — A growing supply of illicit ketamine is making its way to the United States, new research suggests, fueling concerns about an increase in nonmedical use. According to the new research published Tuesday in JAMA Psychiatry, law enforcement agencies seized more than 1,500 pounds of ketamine in 2022 – about

By Katherine Dillinger, CNN (CNN) — A salmonella outbreak that’s sickened 18 people in six states is linked to Papa Murphy’s raw chocolate chip cookie and S’mores bar dough, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Two people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Health officials are speaking with ill

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — New HIV infections in the United States have dropped in recent years, driven largely by decreases among young gay and bisexual men, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates that there were about 32,000 new HIV infections in 2021,

By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — There’s not enough evidence to determine whether social media is safe enough for children and adolescents when it comes to their mental health, according to a new advisory from the US surgeon general. Tuesday’s advisory notes that although there are some benefits, social media use presents “a profound risk

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent (CNN) — A growing number of states are turning the screws on Big Tech, the internet and social media. On Wednesday, Montana became the first state to completely ban TikTok, although many are skeptical that the controversial new legislation will be enforceable. Other moves include laws that

By Carma Hassan, CNN (CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting an additional death and six more cases of vision loss linked to infections from eye drops recalled due to bacterial contamination. Four deaths and 14 cases of vision loss in total have now been reported among more than 80 infections

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at cholera, an acute diarrheal infection that has killed thousands of people worldwide. Facts Cholera is contracted by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria is usually found in water contaminated with feces. Dehydration from rapid loss of body fluids is the

By Jen Christensen, CNN (CNN) — Signs urging everyone to mask up have largely disappeared from places like grocery stores and schools in the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic. But they remain in many medical offices, and a study published Monday says they might still be a good idea. Even after the expiration of

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — The office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the 89-year-old California Democrat who was diagnosed with shingles in February, confirmed Thursday she “continues to have complications” from a viral infection called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The syndrome is caused by the same virus, varicella-zoster, that causes chickenpox and shingles. In June, 2022, pop star Justin

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — Nearly 110,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2022, according to early estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overdose deaths surged during the first two years of the pandemic, exacerbating a years-long steady increase. Monthly updates to the provisional data suggest

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s some background information about sarin, a man-made nerve agent developed for chemical warfare. Facts Sarin is a liquid that is clear, colorless, tasteless and odorless. Sarin is an extremely volatile nerve agent because of its ability to change from liquid to gas. If it evaporates into a gas, it

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — Amid growing concern that the United States could face a rise in mpox cases this summer, three new studies show that two doses of the Jynneos mpox vaccine are much more effective than just one. “Vaccine effectiveness estimates from these studies ranged from 36% to 75% for one dose

Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, for adults 60 and older. This vaccine, called Arexvy, is made by the drug company GSK. A recommendation for its use could come from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as

By David G. Allan, CNN (CNN) — To some degree or other, most spouses are vaguely aware of an inequity in household work and responsibilities that often falls along gender fault lines. In heterosexual marriages, even when wives earn about the same as their husbands or more, they are likely to spend more time on

By Jen Christensen, CNN (CNN) — The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, known as APHIS, said it is taking steps toward vaccinating endangered California condors against a highly infectious bird flu that has led to the death of millions of birds in the United States. For years, wildlife conservationists have been working to save