Feds Announce New Measures to Monitor, Prevent Bird Flu

H5N1 avian flu is now infecting U.S. dairy cows and the federal government on Friday announced a myriad of initiatives aimed at preventing the virus' mutation and spread in humans.

The illness is typically not fatal in bovines, but monitoring and prevention on the nation's farms is costly, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the ai...

His Cancer Journey Shows Health Dangers Firefighters Face

For 14 years, David Perez fought fires in South Florida, thinking he was in peak physical shape. Then a routine physical turned up anomalies in his blood work that turned his life upside down.

"The labs came back irregular. Everything was off," Perez, 44, recalled. “I went to a hematologist and it wasn’t until I saw the word cancer on ...

Baby Girl Born Deaf Gains Hearing After Gene Therapy

Opal Sandy was born into a world she could not hear. 

The British baby girl, now 18 months old, had a rare genetic condition called auditory neuropathy that interrupted nerve impulses that travel from the inner ear to the brain. She'd been fitted with a cochlear implant, but it could only help so much.

Then came a breakthrough g...

Cyberattack Cripples Major U.S. Health Care Network

Ascension, a major U.S. health care system with 140 hospitals in 19 states, announced late Thursday that a cyberattack has caused disruptions at some of its hospitals.

"Systems that are currently unavailable include our electronic health records system, MyChart (which enables patients to view their medical records and communicate with thei...

Cancer Patients Often Face Medical Debt, Even With Insurance

When cancer strikes, you could easily go into debt, even with health insurance in place, according to a new survey from the American Cancer Society.

The survey, based on responses from nearly 1,300 cancer patients and survivors from March 18 through April 14, found that 47% had medical debt. Half of those respondents said that debt exceede...

One in 8 U.S. Adults Have Now Used Blockbuster Meds Like Ozempic

About 1 in 8 U.S. adults (12%) have tried a weight-loss drug like Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound or Mounjaro, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll says.

About 6% are taking one right now, the poll found.

Most patients say they use the drugs (61%) to treat a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease, which can make it easier to obtain a p...