The Trump administration has given notice that political appointees, rather than scientists, will ultimately decide who gets grant money from the world’s largest biomedical research funder — the federal government’s National Institutes of Health.

In an Aug. 7 executive order, President Donald Trump announced that political officers would ...Read more

The recent ouster of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez and the resignations of top officials mark not just an institutional crisis but the latest chapter in a political war on evidence-based public health. This purge is not reform. It is the culmination of a right-wing assault that began in President Donald Trump�...Read more

WASHINGTON — The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is planning to mark up legislation that would extend a slate of expiring health care provisions, subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith said Wednesday.

Griffith, R-Va., noted the bipartisan support for legislation as members look to prevent provisions from expiring as the end of ...Read more

Colorado’s top health official on Wednesday issued an order allowing pharmacists to provide COVID-19 vaccines without a prescription after two major chains announced they would limit the shots in their stores.

Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, issued a “standing order” ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California, Oregon and Washington are joining forces to insulate vaccine guidance and other public health recommendations from political interference, a direct response to turmoil at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Govs. Gavin ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A COVID wave is washing over California, with the state seeing continued increases in the number of newly confirmed cases and hospitalizations as some officials urged the public to take greater precautions.

The extent of the recent increases has prompted some county-level health officials to recommend that residents once again ...Read more

A higher-than-expected first Medicare bill can be a surprise for many people. This often happens because the bill covers more than just one month’s premium or includes additional surcharges or penalties.

It’s important to keep in mind that how much you pay for Medicare overall will depend on how much you earned two years before you sign up....Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have a family member taking a prescription weight-loss drug. She has been successful thus far, which I know is improving her health. She admitted, though, that she often eats less than 1,000 calories per day. How can I encourage her weight-loss journey, but also ensure she is getting adequate nutrition?

ANSWER: While weight-...Read more

Has this ever happened? You’re relaxing at home, walking outside, or doing yard work when suddenly it feels like your heart flutters or skips a beat, or beats at a faster rate or in an irregular rhythm. These sensations, commonly called heart palpitations, frequently last only seconds but can be unsettling in the moment.

For the most part, ...Read more

Energy slumps during the day can tell you many things — they might mean that your brain needs a mental break or that you’re reeling from a rough night of sleep. Unfortunately, these slumps could also be influenced by the foods you’re eating (or not eating).

Skipping meals or snacks because you’re busy — or because you don’t have the...Read more

A woman in her 70s has been infected with West Nile virus in Middlesex County, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Tuesday, marking the state’s first human case of the mosquito-borne disease this year.

“West Nile virus can be a very serious disease, and its presence in mosquitoes remains high right now in Massachusetts,�...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Liver specialist Maurizio Bonacini is in the race for a cure for hepatitis B, one of the world’s most widespread diseases and a top cause of liver cancer around the globe.

“It’s the last frontier,” said Dr. Bonacini, a San Francisco-based clinical researcher who has spent his career studying the chronic version of ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've always been active, but after being diagnosed with breast cancer and starting my treatment, I'm a little worried about getting back into my routine. Is it OK to exercise during cancer treatment?

ANSWER: Exercise decreases the risk of developing cancer. Studies have shown there is a 30%- 35% reduction in the risk of breast...Read more

For the most part, Keyanna Jones and her husband thought they knew what to expect when their daughter Chloë had eye surgery last fall.

Even Chloë, who was in kindergarten, had a good understanding of how things would go that day. Before the procedure, a hospital worker gave her a coloring book that explained the steps of the surgery — a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It's one of the most insidious diseases you've never heard of, but Chagas is here in California and 29 other states across the U.S.

It kills more people in Latin America than malaria each year, and researchers think roughly 300,000 people in the U.S. currently have it but are unaware.

That's because the illness tends to lie ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A week of fast-moving developments has left some with questions about access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

While experts and officials say the new federal guidance surrounding COVID vaccine authorization could make it more difficult for many people to be inoculated, there are still unresolved questions and wrinkles yet to emerge.

...Read more

AstraZeneca Plc said its experimental hypertension pill reduced blood pressure by more than twice as much as standard treatment in a large late-stage study, bolstering its chances of competing in a crowded field.

The highest dose of the daily baxdrostat pill cut blood pressure by an average 15.7 mm Hg, or millimeters of mercury, when added to ...Read more

The Trump administration’s cuts to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of a state, according to a KFF Health News analysis. Democratic-led states and select blue-leaning cities fought back in court and saw money for public health...Read more