Health Headlines
Why are so many younger Americans getting and dying of colorectal cancer?
fstop123/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Colorectal cancer was once viewed as being mostly diagnosed among middle-age and older adults, but that's changing.Research shows more adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, with incidence increasing over the last three decades.Deaths are on the rise too, with a recent study finding colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men -- and second in women, under age 50."It's definitely incredibly concerning that these rates continue to rise and that we really don't know why this is happening," Dr. Andrea Cercek, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, told ABC News.Oncologists told ABC News that it's important to ... Read More
At least 588 US measles cases reported in January: CDC
Signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium on February 27, 2025 in Seminole, Texas. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- At least 588 measles cases have been confirmed so far this year across the U.S., according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.This means the U.S. has seen more cases in about one month than is typically recorded in an entire year.Only nine other years, including last year, have had higher case counts since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.The high case counts in 2026 are largely being driven by a measles outbreak in South Carolina.At least 17 states have also reported measles cases this year ... Read More
Everything to know about Nipah virus amid cases being detected in India
Airport health authorities wearing protective masks monitor passengers from international flights arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, January 25, 2026. Suvarnabhumi Airport Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Several countries, including Thailand and Nepal, have increased their surveillance after cases of the deadly Nipah virus were detected in India.So far, just two cases have been confirmed among 25-year-old nurses, a woman and a man, in West Bengal, according to the World Health Organization.A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News earlier this week that Indian health authorities have deployed an outbreak response team and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in contact with local officials. The CDC said it is "monitoring" the ... Read More
How NIH ending funding for human fetal tissue research could affect studies
Jayanta Bhattacharya, director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Last week, the Trump administration announced it was banning the use of human fetal tissue from some abortions in federally funded medical research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said the policy would go into effect immediately and advance "science by investing in breakthrough technologies more capable of modeling human health and disease," NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement.Scientists told ABC News that research using human fetal tissue has contributed to understanding diseases better, ... Read More
‘Night owl’ lifestyle may bring higher risk of heart disease: Study
In this photo illustration a girl looks at the screen of her smartphone on April 16, 2021 in Bonn, Germany. (Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- So-called "night owls" may face a higher risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study published Wednesday finds.Researchers found that "evening type" people had poorer cardiovascular health scores than those who were neither "morning type" or "evening type" people and had an associated 16% higher risk of heart attack and stroke.The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed survey and biometric data from more than 320,000 British adults aged 39 to 74.Participants were asked whether they considered themselves a "definite morning" person, a "definite evening" person or somewhere ... Read More
‘A very distressing thing to witness’: Experts explain psychological impact of seeing Minneapolis shootings
Demonstrators participate in a rally and march during an "ICE Out” day of protest on January 23, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community leaders, faith leaders and labor unions have urged Minnesotans to participate in what they are calling a "day of action" as hundreds of local businesses are expected to close during a statewide general strike held in protest against immigration enforcement operations in the region. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Over the last several days, many Americans have seen upsetting, and often violent, images and videos of protests in Minneapolis amid a flood of ICE agents entering the city for a federal immigration enforcement operation.Research has shown that images of extreme violence can impact mental health, increasing symptoms of ... Read More
More than 31,000 nurses, health care workers strike at Kaiser Permanente, arguing for safe staffing levels, fair wages
Striking Kaiser Permanente workers hold signs as they march in front of the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on October 14, 2025 in Oakland, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Tens of thousands of nurses and health care workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities across California and Hawaii went on strike on Monday morning.More than 31,000 workers across at least two dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics run by the non-profit health care system walked off the job at 7 a.m. PT, marking the largest strike of health care professionals so far this year.The striking workers, who are members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), said they are fighting for safe staffing levels and fair ... Read More
Lifetime alcohol use linked to higher risk of colorectal cancer, new study finds
Wine/Drinking/Alcohol (CREDIT: Makoto Honda / 500px/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Long-term alcohol use has been linked to higher risks of colorectal cancer, according to a study published Monday in the journal Cancer.Researchers found that those with heavy lifetime alcohol consumption have up to a 91% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with those who drank very little. That risk significantly increased with consistent heavy consumption, whereas those who quit drinking may have demonstrated decreased risk of precancerous tissue.“The longer someone drinks, the longer their colon and rectum are exposed damage and impaired repair, both major mechanisms of cancer,” Dr. Lynn M O’Connor, section chief of colon and rectal surgery at Mercy Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in New York, ... Read More
New study directly links higher BMI to increased risk of vascular dementia; blood pressure may help explain why
Woman weighing herself (Zave Smith/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- High blood pressure and body mass index, or BMI, may be directly linked to the increased risk of developing vascular dementia, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.This is the strongest evidence to date showing a direct relationship between BMI and the increased risk of developing vascular dementia, a risk heavily influenced by elevated blood pressure, according to the study.Researchers say these findings highlight how important reducing these risk factors are to help prevent this form of dementia and protect brain health.The study's findings show that being overweight and having high blood pressure "are direct causes of increased vascular dementia risk," said Dr. Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, study co-author, chief physician ... Read More
Heart disease fatalities drop but are still leading cause of death in the US: Report
fstop123/Getty Images(NEW YORK ) -- Fewer people are dying from heart disease, but the condition is still the leading cause of death in the U.S., a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA) finds.Although death rates from heart disease have dropped for the first time in the past five years, it still kills more Americans than any other condition, according to the report, published early Wednesday in the journal Circulation.Annual heart disease deaths decreased by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023 -- from 941,652 to 915,973, according to the report. However, cardiovascular disease still killed more people in the U.S. than cancer and accidents combined.Deaths related to blockages in the coronary arteries, which are blood vessels that wrap around the ... Read More
Red Cross announces severe emergency blood shortage, calls on Americans to donate
Ojos De Hojalata/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The American Red Cross declared a severe emergency blood shortage on Monday and called on people to donate.The humanitarian organization, which says it's the largest supplier of blood products for hospitals and for patient need in the U.S., said the demand from hospitals has outpaced the available supply of blood.Dr. Courtney Lawrence, divisional chief medical officer at American Red Cross, told ABC News that almost one-third of the organization's blood stores across the country have been depleted due to hospital need.Lawrence said inclement winter weather, which has forced more than 400 Red Cross blood drives around the U.S. to be canceled, is among the reasons that donations are down.Additionally, the U.S. is experiencing ... Read More
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