CNN – Health

By Brenda Goodman, CNN It’s not your imagination: As the rapidly spreading BA.5 coronavirus subvariant causes a surge in infections across the United States, more people are catching Covid-19 for the second or third time. But on average, these reinfections do not seem to be happening more rapidly, according to a new analysis from the

By Deblina Chakraborty, CNN Covid-19 cases are increasing across the United States once again, driven by the most contagious strain of the coronavirus yet, BA.5. Federal health officials are urging Americans to stay up to date on their vaccines by getting additional boosters if they are due for them, but many people are confused. Who

By Elizabeth Cohen, Danielle Herman and John Bonifield, CNN When Marlena Stell had a miscarriage, she says she begged her doctor for help but instead was forced to walk around for at least two weeks with fetal remains inside her because of strict anti-abortion laws. Stell, who was 9½ weeks pregnant at the time, said

By Jacqueline Howard and Katherine Dillinger, CNN Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday that she has endorsed the recommendation of the agency’s vaccine advisers to use the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine as a two-dose primary series in adults. It’s the fourth coronavirus vaccine available in the United

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN In light of last month’s Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and revoked the constitutional right to abortion, much of the Biden administration’s response has been focused on protecting access to medication abortion. Mifepristone — a pill used to medically induce abortion in combination with another drug, misoprostol —

By Naomi Thomas, CNN New York City’s monkeypox case numbers don’t show the full picture of how bad the outbreak is, and demand for vaccines in the city is outstripping supply, city Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said Tuesday. When asked on CNN whether he thought the current numbers reflect the full picture, Vasan replied,

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Heat-related sickness is top of mind today for many people around the world not used to coping with extreme heat. When the body’s temperature rises faster than it can cool itself, damage to the brain and other vital organs can occur — even death. Here are the key signs of heatstroke

By Katherine Dillinger, CNN Former US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb’s interview in which he criticized the federal response to the ongoing monkeypox outbreak was “misinformed and off base,” says Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gottlieb said Sunday that it may be too late

By Brenda Goodman, CNN Injected vaccines against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 have been hugely successful, saving nearly 20 million lives globally in their first year of use and slashing the pandemic’s death toll by an estimated 63%, according to a recent study. Yet good as these shots are, they have not stopped the virus

By Carma Hassan, Aya Elamroussi and Hannah Sarisohn, CNN As cases of monkeypox continue to rise in the US, a top health official is stressing that the outbreak needs to be handled in a more rigorous manner. “This is something we definitely need to take seriously. We don’t know the scope and the potential of

By Jacqueline Howard and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for mental health crises, it now takes only three digits: 988. On Saturday, Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit that operates the lifeline on behalf of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA),

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN Saquaya Ruffin didn’t know what an abortion doula was until the clinic staff asked if she wanted one. Her mother came with her to the appointment at Planned Parenthood in New York, but she wasn’t going to be allowed in the procedure room. Ruffin agreed to the doula, figuring it would

By Jen Christensen, CNN Wednesday was the deadline for the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products to take action on popular synthetic nicotine products, but the agency stopped short of the drastic moves demanded by lawmakers and anti-tobacco advocates. Synthetic nicotine is the industry’s attempt to sidestep FDA oversight with lab-made nicotine,

By Katia Hetter, CNN The highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.5 represents at least 65% of new Covid-19 infections in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections are rising in most parts of the country, and these numbers are almost certainly an undercount, given how many people are determining

By Jen Christensen, CNN In clarifying guidance announced Wednesday, the Biden administration says federal law does not allow pharmacies to turn away people who have a prescription for a drug that may end a pregnancy. The US Health and Human Services Department Office for Civil Rights sent guidance to more than 60,000 pharmacies across the

By Naomi Thomas, CNN After a US Supreme Court draft decision on Roe v. Wade was leaked in May, Dr. Joshua Trebach noticed a disturbing turn in the online conversation around abortion. “I started seeing things on social media, things like TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, people saying ‘oh, if Roe v. Wade does get overturned,

By Neeraj G. Patel and Virginia Langmaid, CNN A surgical team transplanted a heart from a genetically modified pig into a deceased human as part of a research study, researchers with NYU Langone Health announced Tuesday. The procedure was the first of its kind and represents an advance in efforts to determine whether organs in

By Jelena Kecmanovic, CNN Even as we look forward to enjoying this summer, the youth mental health crisis, mass shootings and political polarization have plunged many into distress and despair. Anxiety and depression remain significantly higher than before the pandemic, surveys show, and both of those have been linked to anger. As a psychologist, I

By Jen Christensen, CNN In new clarifying guidance announced Monday, the Biden administration said that federal law preempts state abortion bans when emergency care is needed and that the federal government can penalize institutions or providers that fail to provide abortions as needed to treat medical emergencies. “Under the law, no matter where you live,

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN Official Covid-19 case metrics severely undercount the true number of infections, leaving the United States with a critical blind spot as the most transmissible coronavirus variant yet takes hold. The Omicron offshoot BA.5 became the dominant variant in the US last week, according to data from the US Centers for Disease

By Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Before I had my baby, I thought I would be a relaxed mom. I remember watching other mothers sweating the small stuff and thinking to myself — no sir, not me, never me. I thought that in part because I’m a pediatrician. I had treated lots of children for seven years

By Allison Hope, CNN When the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, rolling back nearly 50 years of abortion rights, the threat of more to come cast a shadow on many, particularly those in the LGBTQ community. Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion made clear the threat may be substantive. “In future cases, we should

By Amanda Sealy and Carma Hassan, CNN The Abbott formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan, resumed production of EleCare formula on July 1 after a three-week shutdown caused by flooding from severe storms, a company spokesperson said on Saturday. A previous months-long closure of the plant had helped to drive a nationwide baby formula shortage. At

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN Weekend warriors can still stave off disease even if they are packing their workouts into a couple of days, according to a new study. Adults should get 150 minutes of physical activity and two days of muscle strengthening activity a week, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. If you

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN In one corner: the medically renowned Mediterranean diet, a perennial favorite among nutritionists. The contender: the popular keto diet, known for restricting carbohydrates to a precious few per day. Keto proponents claim the diet reduces appetite, melts abdominal fat and boosts mental sharpness, once a person is over the first few

By Katia Hetter, CNN The much-awaited summer lull in coronavirus cases doesn’t appear to be happening as Covid-19 infections continue to increase in much of the United States. An earlier rise in cases this year was driven by the BA.2 Omicron subvariant. Now, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that two other

By Carma Hassan and Virginia Langmaid, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration announced plans Wednesday to work with foreign formula manufacturers to allow them to permanently sell their products in the United States. “The need to diversify and strengthen the U.S. infant formula supply is more important than ever. The recent shutdown of a

By David Allan, CNN The effervescent Academy Award-winning actor Goldie Hawn wasn’t always so joy-fuelled. The superhero origin story of becoming the Goldie Hawn of today has roots in a pair of global threats of violence. The first triggered childhood anxiety for Hawn, and the second inspired her to address anxiety as an advocate for

By Virginia Langmaid, CNN In the days since the US Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and overturned Roe v. Wade, reproductive health care has needed to operate in a new landscape. Doctors and prescribers are now seeing an increase in demand for different forms of contraception, including emergency

By Brenda Goodman, CNN Repeatedly catching Covid-19 appears to increase the chances that a person will face new and sometimes lasting health problems after their infection, according to the first study on the health risks of reinfection. The study, which is based on the health records of more than 5.6 million people treated in the

By Megan Marples, CNN Drivers swerve erratically while on their phones or dart dangerously around other cars. The blare of horns keeps you on edge as traffic backs up. It’s enough to test anyone’s patience. In some cases, these feelings may lead to road rage, aggressive driving that’s caused from stress or anger behind the

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN All Sharon McRae and her husband wanted were to be parents, but it took terminating embryos to get there, she said. The Columbia, Maryland, couple were thrilled when she quickly became pregnant, but about nine and a half weeks in, she miscarried. It was devastating, but the doctor said it happens.

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN It’s an unfounded message experts say is repeated again and again: Having an abortion may damage a woman’s mental health, perhaps for years. “There’s so much misinformation, so many myths about abortion. Abortion will lead to substance abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts; abortion is bad for your health; every woman is going

By Kristen Rogers, CNN After Robin Williams died by suicide in August 2014, his widow, Susan Schneider Williams, would soon learn about a disease she had never heard of, but one that had haunted both of their lives. That disease is Lewy body dementia, with which the actor was diagnosed in October 2014 following an

By Katia Hetter, CNN Parents of children under age 5 can finally get their kids the coronavirus vaccine. The US Food and Drug Administration and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given the green light for both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for young kids. Now, everyone ages 6 months and older is

By Jen Christensen, CNN Your Covid-19 booster in the fall will likely look a little different going forward. The US Food and Drug Administration decided Thursday to advise manufacturers that when they update the Covid-19 vaccine booster they should add an Omicron BA.4/5 component to the current vaccine mix. This would create what’s known as