Health Headlines
Weight loss drugs like Ozempic may help reduce overdose risks: Study
Iuliia Burmistrova/Getty(NEW YORK) -- A new study suggests that GLP-1 agonist medications like Ozempic, which are used for diabetes management and weight loss, may help reduce the risk of overdose and alcohol intoxication in people with substance use disorders."It helps to underline another significant benefit of this class of medication," Dr. Angela Fitch, the co-founder, and chief medical officer of knownwell, a company that provides weight-inclusive health care, told ABC News.The large study, published in the journal, Addiction, analyzed the health records of 1.3 million people from 136 U.S. hospitals for nearly nine years. That included the records of 500,000 people with opioid use and more than 800,000 with alcohol use disorder.Those who took Ozempic or a similar drug had ... Read More
Kellogg’s faces protests over food dyes in popular breakfast cereals
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images(BATTLE CREEK, Mich.) Hundreds of people gathered outside the WK Kellogg headquarters in Michigan on Tuesday calling for the company to hold up its promise to remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals sold in the U.S.Nearly 10 years ago, Kellogg's, the maker of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, committed to removing such additives from its products by 2018.While Kellogg's has done so in other countries including Canada, which now makes Froot Loops with natural fruit juice concentrates, the cereals sold in the U.S. still contain both food dyes and a chemical preservative.In the U.S., Froot Loops ingredients include Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 5, Yellow Dye No. 6 and Blue Dye No. 1.Food activist Vani Hari, also known as ... Read More
Indigenous women continue to face barriers to breast cancer care, report finds
Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Nicole Hallingstad credits her cat, Rudy, with finding her breast cancer.Despite an unremarkable mammogram screening just seven months earlier, the 42-year-old knew something was wrong when Rudy kept pawing at something on the right side of her chest.Hallingstad had another mammogram, which this time found a golf-ball-sized tumor in her breast that she said was from a fast-growing form of breast cancer.After surgery, she needed both radiation and chemotherapy – but neither were available where she lived.Hallingstad faced a difficult decision. Her options were to travel more than 1,000 miles once a month for chemotherapy and then relocate for six weeks of radiation treatment, or move to another state where she could get chemotherapy and ... Read More
COVID-19 infections during 1st wave linked to higher risk of heart attack and stroke: Study
Massimiliano Finzi/Getty Images/STOCK(NEW YORK) -- People who were diagnosed with severe COVID-19 infections from the first wave of the pandemic could face double the risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study has found.The study, published this week in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology and supported by the National Institutes of Health, found the elevated risk could last for up to three yearsResearchers focused on the long-term cardiovascular risks for unvaccinated people who were sick with the virus during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020.Compared to someone who never had COVID-19, the likelihood of heart attack, stroke and death doubled for anyone who was ever ill with the virus, and was four ... Read More
St. Petersburg officials turn off water after main breaks during Milton landfall. Here are the health risks
Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images(ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.) -- Residents of St. Petersburg -- on Florida's central-west coast -- were temporarily left without clean drinking water after a water main break occurred during Hurricane Milton.City officials said the break caused them to shut off potable water services at 12 a.m. ET on Thursday until repairs could be made."Residents and businesses should prepare for this temporary shutdown, which is expected to last until the necessary repairs can be completed," the city said in a release."Repairs to the water line will begin once it is safe for crews to be outside. Affected areas may already be experiencing low water pressure or service interruptions," the release continued.By Thursday afternoon, officials said potable water service ... Read More
FDA authorizes 1st over-the-counter combo flu and COVID test outside of emergency use
Healgen(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first over-the-counter combination COVID-19 and flu test outside of emergency use on Monday evening.This means the Healgen Rapid Check COVID-19/Flu A&B Antigen Test is available without a prescription. The FDA said the test is for those who are experiencing respiratory symptoms.While there are other over-the-counter combination tests currently available, this is the first to be marketed to consumers using the traditional approval pathway outside of a public health emergency.The new combination test uses a nasal swab sample to deliver at-home results for COVID-19 and influenza in approximately 15 minutes.Healgen's test detects proteins from both SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, and influenza A and B, which are the ... Read More
Georgia Supreme Court reinstates 6-week abortion ban, reversing lower court ruling
Jason Marz/Getty Images(ATLANTA) -- The Georgia state Supreme Court reinstated the state's six-week abortion ban on Monday after a lower court allowed abortions to resume in the state.The ruling goes into effect at 5 p.m. ET and will remain in place while the court hears the state's appeal, which was filed by Christopher Carr, the state's Republican attorney general.Justice John J. Ellington dissented in part, arguing against the ban being reinstated before the state's appeal is heard."Fundamentally, the State should not be in the business of enforcing laws that have been determined to violate fundamental rights guaranteed to millions of individuals under the Georgia Constitution," he wrote. "The 'status quo' that should be maintained is the state of the law ... Read More
Doctor discusses report detailing drop in breast cancer cases, deaths
Isaac Lane Koval/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Dr. Lisa Newman, the chief of the section of breast surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, sat down with ABC News to discuss breast cancer prevention, early screenings and diagnosis discrepancies.A new American Cancer Society report, released in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, finds that breast cancer mortality rates overall have dropped by 44% since 1989, averting about 517,900 breast cancer deaths. However, not all women have benefited from this progress.ABC News discussed the issue with Newman, who provided more context.ABC NEWS: Dr. Lisa Newman, chief of the section of breast surgery at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Newman, thank you so much for joining us. So overall, are ... Read More
Supply chain issues hit hospitals, dialysis centers after Hurricane Helene
Getty Images - STOCK/David Sacks(DURHAM, N.C.) -- As hospitals and health care facilities work to get back up and running after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida's Big Bend, affecting several states, the medical supply chain could be at risk.Baxter International, a health care and medical technology company, announced this week that it must close its largest plant in North Carolina due to flooding and destruction caused by the hurricane.The plant, located in North Cove, 60 miles northeast of Asheville, primarily manufactures IV fluids and peritoneal dialysis solutions, according to Baxter. It is the largest manufacturer of such solutions in the U.S., employing more than 2,500 people, the company said."Our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected by Hurricane Helene," ... Read More
Breast cancer deaths decrease as cases among Asian Americans and younger adults rise, new report finds
Isaac Lane Koval/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Breast cancer deaths have fallen by 44% compared to 35 years ago, saving nearly 520,000 lives, according to a new report by the American Cancer Society.The dramatic decrease is a major milestone in the fight against breast cancer, according to Dr. Lisa Newman, a co-author of the report, released on Tuesday, the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month."This decline is evidence of our success in better treatments for breast cancer, especially with targeted treatments," Newman, chief of the section of breast surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, told ABC News.Beyond advances in care, Newman noted that mammography has also played a crucial role in detecting cancer earlier.In April, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ... Read More
California sues hospital for denying patient an emergency abortion
pablohart/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state is suing a hospital in Eureka for allegedly refusing emergency abortion care to women whose lives are in danger.The lawsuit, filed Monday in Humboldt County Superior Court, alleges Providence St. Joseph Hospital violated multiple California laws due to its refusal to provide urgent abortion care to people experiencing obstetric emergencies.Providence St. Joseph's is a Catholic hospital and the primary hospital services provider in Eureka, the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Oregon in northern California.The lawsuit names one particular patient, Anna Nusslock, who had her water break when she was 15 weeks pregnant with twins in Feb. 2024.Nusslock, a 35-year-old healthcare professional, claimed in the lawsuit that ... Read More
A public health emergency was declared in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Here’s what that means
Feldhaar Christian / EyeEm/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- North Carolina became the latest state to have a public health emergency declared by U.S. health officials in response to Hurricane Helene.In a press release on Sunday evening, the Department of Health and Human Services said its Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) was moving equipment and personnel to North Carolina to help address the "potential health impacts" of Hurricane Helene.It comes after PHEs were previously declared for Florida and Georgia. On Thursday, major disaster declarations were approved by President Joe Biden, which unlocked federal funds for disaster assistance and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts."We will do all we can to help North Carolina officials ... Read More
Flu deaths in children hit new record as vaccination rates decrease: CDC
Peter Dazeley/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The number of kids dying from influenza in the 2023-2024 season has set a new record for a regular flu season, after one new death was reported last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).There were 200 pediatric flu-related deaths in the 2023-2024 season, compared to the previous high of 199 during the 2019-2022 season.About 80% of the kids that died from flu this season were not fully vaccinated against influenza, CDC data shows. Nearly half of the children had at least one pre-existing medical condition.Everyone over the age of six months is recommended to get their annual flu vaccine before the end of October, according to the CDC.Children up to ... Read More
Why progress against HIV/AIDS has stalled among Hispanic and Latino Americans
CDCWhile the United States has made considerable progress fighting the HIV/AIDS crisis since its peak in the 1980s, headway has not been equal among racial/ethnic groups.Overall, HIV rates have declined in the U.S. and the number of new infections over the last five years has dropped among Black Americans and white Americans. However, Hispanic and Latino Americans have not seen the same gains.Between 2018 and 2022, estimated HIV infections among gay and bisexual men fell 16% for Black Americans and 20% for white Americans, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, Hispanic Americans saw rates held steady, the CDC said.There may be several reasons for the lack of decline, including Hispanic Americans facing health care ... Read More
FDA approves first new drug for schizophrenia in more than 30 years
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images, FILE(SILVER SPRING, Md.) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved the first new drug to treat people with schizophrenia in more than 30 years.Cobenfy, manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb, combines two drugs, xanomeline and trospium chloride, and is taken as a twice-daily pill. In clinical trials, this combination helped manage symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, which are common in schizophrenia.“Schizophrenia is a leading cause of disability worldwide. It is a severe, chronic mental illness that is often damaging to a person’s quality of life,” Tiffany Farchione, M.D., director of the Division of Psychiatry, Office of Neuroscience in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in the approval announcement.“This ... Read More
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