Health

LW, who asked not to show her face, is a 16-year-old transgender teenager challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical treatments that have improved her quality of life. (ABC News) (WASHINGTON) — Medical treatments for transgender children, endorsed by major American medical associations and safely used for decades, hang in the balance at the U.S. Supreme […]

Ekaterina Goncharova/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are ticking up across the United States even as overall respiratory virus activity remains low. Flu activity is increasing slightly among children while RSV activity is elevated in the southern, central and eastern U.S., according to data updated Monday from the Centers […]

Matt Cardy/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders was declared over on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In total, 104 people reported falling ill across 14 states with about one-third of them being hospitalized, according to the CDC. The true number of people who got […]

Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — With e-cigarettes and flavored vapes booming in popularity, the Supreme Court on Monday will examine whether the Food and Drug Administration unlawfully blocked the marketing and sale of more than a million new sweet and candy-flavored nicotine products in recent years. The case comes as kid-friendly […]

After more than two years of gender-affirming treatments, LW, the Tennessee teenager behind a landmark case at the U.S. Supreme Court, says, “I feel normal now.” (ABC News) (NASHVILLE) — The transgender Tennessee teenager behind a historic hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court this week doesn’t want to show her face on television but is […]

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump is nominating a critic of COVID-19 lockdown policies to serve as the head of the National Institutes of Health. In a statement, Trump said he has picked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to serve as NIH director to work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy […]

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — Named to lead the nation’s sprawling Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has big ideas for busting public health policy norms. His Senate confirmation hearings — should they happen — will come with lots of questions about what Kennedy’s ideas would look like in practice. His […]

Pierre Crom/Getty Images (FRESNO, CA) — After bird flu was detected in a retail sample of raw milk produced and packaged by Raw Farm, LLC, the California Department of Public Health warned consumers on Sunday to avoid consuming any from the same lot. At the state’s request, the Fresno County-based company also issued a voluntary […]

The label for a ready-to-eat product by Yu Shang Food, Inc. that is part of a recall. Image via U.S. Department of Agriculture (NEW YORK) — An infant has died in a listeria outbreak linked to a brand of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, federal authorities said Friday. As of Friday, 11 people have been […]

Three influenza A (H5N1/bird flu) virus particles (rod-shaped). Note: Layout incorporates two CDC transmission electron micrographs that have been inverted, repositioned, and colorized by NIAID. Scale has been modified. Image via CDC and NIAID. (NEW YORK) — As seasonal influenza ramps up, and with bird flu continuing to circulate, some public health experts are worried […]