Health Headlines
Nearly 90,000 bottles of children’s ibuprofen voluntarily recalled
Bottles of children's ibuprofen, made for Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., are being recalled due to the potential presence of a foreign substance. (NIH)(NEW YORK) -- Nearly 90,000 bottles of children's ibuprofen are being voluntarily recalled due to the potential presence of a foreign substance.According to a notice from the Food and Drug Administration, Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. received complaints from customers who reported “a gel-like mass and black particles” in the drug products.Four-ounce (120 ml) bottles of Children's Ibuprofen Oral Suspension are impacted by the recall. The FDA said the children’s medications, intended for pain relief from the common cold, flu, sore throat, headache and toothache and a fever reducer, were manufactured in India for Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.Recalled children’s ibuprofen products ... Read More
1 in 10 ACA enrollees dropped their coverage due to rising health care costs: Poll
The healthcare.gov website on a laptop arranged in Norfolk, Virginia, US, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- When Jessica Chamberlain went to sign up for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2026, she not prepared for the sticker shock.Last year, Chamberlain was paying $59.67 in monthly premiums. This year, she would be paying nearly $100.The 43-year-old mother of two from Illinois said she was floored to see her monthly premiums were nearly doubling."I can't afford that as a single mom with two kids," she told ABC News.After carefully weighing her options, Chamberlain decide to forego health insurance and is currently uninsured."What do I sacrifice [to pay for health insurance]? I'm ... Read More
Judge temporarily blocks RFK Jr.’s efforts to reshape childhood vaccine policy
(MASSACHUSETTS) -- A Massachusetts judge ruled on Monday in favor of medical organizations in their litigation against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his changes to federal vaccine policy.The judge temporarily blocked changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that were made at the beginning of this year, in which Kennedy reduced the number of recommended shots from 17 to 11. The judge also suspended the appointments of the 13 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory committee, who were all appointed unilaterally by Kennedy after he fired all the preceding members. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. ... Read More
Many military members may get care at hospitals at risk of financial distress — partly due to Trump cuts
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Wyoming governor signs ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban into law
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon testifies during the House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Thursday, June 15, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill into law on Monday banning abortion in the state after a "fetal heartbeat" has been detected.HB 126, or the Human Heartbeat Act, prohibits abortion once cardiac activity is identified, which is around six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they're pregnant.If cardiac activity is detected, an abortion can only be performed in the case of a medical emergency, meaning if the life of the mother is in danger or if continuing the pregnancy would cause serious or irreversible impairment of a major bodily function, according to ... Read More
Acetaminophen use dropped among pregnant women in ERs after White House claim linked drug to autism
Tylenol (Acetaminophen) tablets are sold in a drugstore in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 17, 2026. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Acetaminophen orders in emergency rooms for pregnant patients fell in the weeks after a White House briefing last year linked its use during pregnancy to an increased risk of autism, a new analysis finds.Researchers at Harvard and Brown University looked at data from an electronic health records system with more than 294 million patient records from more than 1,600 hospitals and 37,000 clinics across the United States.They found that orders for acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, fell 10% between the briefing on Sept. 22, 2025 and Dec. 7, 2025, according to the analysis, published on ... Read More
As Iran war escalates, children may face physical, mental health impacts
A woman and child walk by a damaged building, struck days earlier, during the U.S.Israeli military campaign on March 4, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- As the U.S.-Israeli military escalation with Iran continues, children may be experiencing devastating consequences of being caught in a conflict zone. Dozens of children and adolescents have been killed, many of whom were attending school at the time, according to the Iranian education ministry.Doctors and humanitarian aid workers told ABC News that millions of children in the region are at risk of physical and mental health repercussions.They add that it's important children have as much structure as possible to keep a sense of stability in their lives.“Every war is a war ... Read More
Maternal mortality rate in the US declines to its lowest since 2018: CDC
LWA/Dann Tardif/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Maternal mortality rates in the United States have dropped to their lowest levels in recent years, according to new data published on Thursday.The report, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, compared maternal deaths in 2023 and 2024, with maternal deaths defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of pregnancy termination.In 2024, 649 women died of maternal causes in the U.S., with a rate of 17.9 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the report.By comparison, 669 women died in 2023 with a rate of 18.6 deaths per 100,000 births, the report found.This is also the lowest rate seen since 2018, which had a ... Read More
Possible person-to-person swine flu case reported in Spain. Should we be concerned?
Pigs are raised by farmers in a rural area of Linquan County, Fuyang City, Anhui Province, China, July 11, 2022. (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Over the weekend, health officials in Spain reportedly informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of a possible human case of swine flu that may have been caused by person-to-person transmission.The WHO's reference laboratory for influenza in Britain is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis, according to Reuters. The patient in Spain did not have direct contact with pigs, according to the wire agency.Even though health officials reported that the risk to the general public is low, public health experts noted that some people may be concerned about spread after the U.S. experienced ... Read More
Florida Department of Health cuts to HIV, AIDS program enacted as thousands risk losing access
Health officials blamed rising health care costs and lack of federal funding. (Elisa Schu/picture alliance via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- An emergency rule from the Florida Department of Health went into effect on Sunday that could restrict tens of thousands of people from accessing HIV medication.The state issued cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a federal-state partnership that provides free FDA-approved HIV medication for low-income, uninsured or underinsured people.Under the emergency rule, eligibility for ADAP was lowered to include those at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, which equals about $20,345 per year for a one-person household, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.Previous eligibility was at or below 400% of the poverty level, ... Read More
US surpasses 1,000 measles cases for the 3rd time in 26 years: CDC
A sign outside a mobile clinic offering measles and flu vaccinations on February 6, 2026 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Measles cases have topped 1,000 in the United States for the third time in 26 years.At least 154 new measles cases have been confirmed in the last week for a total of 1,136, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. ... Read More
Nearly 6 in 10 women could have at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor by 2050, AHA warns
Red Carpet logos and atmosphere at The American Heart Association's Red Dress Collection 2024 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on January 31, 2024 in New York City. Randy Brooke/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The number of women with risk factors for cardiovascular disease could significantly increase over the next 25 years, the American Heart Association (AHA) warned on Wednesday.Without improving prevention and early detection tools, about six in 10 women could be diagnosed with hypertension or obesity by 2050, and risk factors could appear in children and teenagers as well, according to the AHA's scientific statement."Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, and fewer than half of women know that fact," Dr. Stacey Rosen, executive director of Katz Institute for ... Read More
Surgeon general nominee Casey Means indicates support of vaccines, but stops short of recommending certain shots during Senate hearing
Dr. Casey Means, nominee for the medical director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and U.S. surgeon general, testifies at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's surgeon general nominee, Dr. Casey Means, indicated she supports vaccines but stopped short of recommending certain shots during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee on Wednesday.Means, who has a medical degree but does not hold an active medical license, appeared hesitant to say that some vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, prevent serious disease.When asked by HELP committee chair Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., if ... Read More
US child, teen obesity rates reach record high while adult trends appear to slow, CDC report finds
Person on scale (bymuratdeniz/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- U.S. childhood and teen obesity rates have reached record-highs while adult obesity rates may be slowing, according to two new reports published early Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Researchers used measured heights and weights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) -- run by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics -- to track trends over more than six decades.In the first report, the team found that, in the most recent survey conducted between August 2021 and August 2023, 40.3% of adults aged 20 and older were found to be obese, including 9.7% with severe obesity and another 31.7% classified as overweight. By comparison, for the survey conducted between 1988 and ... Read More
US nears 1,000 measles cases with infections confirmed in 26 states: CDC
A sign outside a mobile clinic offering measles and flu vaccinations on February 6, 2026 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Sean Rayford/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The U.S. is close to reaching at least 1,000 measles cases for the third time in eight years.At least 72 new measles cases have been confirmed in the last week, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.So far this year, there have been total of 982 cases in 26 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.Just six measles cases were reported among international travelers so ... Read More
Wyoming abortion bills, including ‘heartbeat ban,’ advancing through legislature
Abortion rights protesters chant slogans during a gathering to protest the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case on June 24, 2022 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. (Natalie Behring/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Two bills having to do with abortion are making their way through the Wyoming legislature.The first bill, HB0126, dubbed the Human Heartbeat Act, prohibits abortion if cardiac activity is detected in the fetus, which is around six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they're pregnant.If cardiac activity is detected, an abortion can only be performed in the case of a medical emergency, meaning if the life of the mother is in danger or if continuing the pregnancy would cause serious or irreversible impairment of a ... Read More
Texas court to hear appeal in case of midwife accused of violating state abortion ban
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends the executive order signing ceremony to reduce the size and scope of the Education Department in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- A Texas appeals court will hear arguments on Thursday in a civil lawsuit brought against a woman accused by the state of illegally providing abortions in the Houston area.Maria Margarita Rojas allegedly provided abortions in violation of the state's abortion ban and was practicing medicine without a license at a network of clinics in northwestern Houston, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.Last year, a lower court in Waller County issued an injunction against Rojas and the three clinics ... Read More
NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to take over as acting head of CDC
(WASHINGTON) -- Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will take over as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a White House official and sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.Bhattacharya will continue in his current duties as NIH director until a permanent CDC director is nominated and confirmed, according to the White House official.He replaces Jim O'Neill, who served as acting director of the CDC from late August 2025 until he stepped down last week.O’Neill will be nominated as the next head of the National Science Foundation, according to the White House official.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. ... Read More
‘Very concerning’: How EPA rolling back greenhouse gas emissions endangerment finding could impact health
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters is seen on February 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration walked back an Obama-era environmental decision that has been the legal basis for establishing federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday it was rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding, which determined that six key greenhouse gases threaten human health and welfare.The regulations that resulted cover everything from vehicle tailpipe emissions to the release of greenhouse gases from power plants and other significant emission sources.President Donald Trump called the move "the single largest deregulatory action in American history" and said the repealed finding had "no basis in fact" and "no basis in law."The ... Read More
Measles cases surpass 900 in US with infections in 24 states: CDC
Vaccine Measles Mumps Rubella (DIGICOMPHOTO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- At least 177 new measles cases have been reported in the U.S., according to newly updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.A total of 910 infections have been confirmed in 24 states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. ... Read More
4 times as many measles cases in a few weeks than US typically averages in a whole year: 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) --There have been at least 733 confirmed measles cases reported across the nation, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Friday.In just a few weeks, the United States reported four times as many cases than typically seen throughout an entire calendar year, the CDC said.Before last year, which had a record breaking 2,276 cases, the U.S. averaged 180 cases annually since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.The record numbers come as South Carolina is dealing with the largest outbreak recorded in recent memory.Other states ... Read More
Congress secures long-term funding for the World Trade Center Health Program
In this May 13, 2025, file photo, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand speaks at a press conference on the World Trade Center Health Program at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Congress has approved legislation for a funding fix that fully supports the World Trade Center Health Program and prevents a projected multibillion-dollar shortfall that threatened the program’s future.At a press conference Thursday morning, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., highlighted the action as a critical step toward protecting long-term care for those sickened by toxic exposure after the Sept. 11 attacks."Fully funding the World Trade Center Health Program honors our promise to never forget 9/11 survivors and the brave first responders who put their lives on the line for our country," ... Read More
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
Flu activity nationwide declines but ER visits for school-aged kids increasing: CDC
Stock image of a sick person. (Guido Mieth/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Flu activity is starting to decline nationwide, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC estimated on Friday that there have been at least 19 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from flu so far this season.Currently, seven states are seeing "very high" levels of flu-like illnesses while 23 states are seeing "high" levels, CDC data shows.At least 12 flu-associated deaths were reported among children this week, for a total of 44 pediatric deaths this season. Last season saw a record-breaking 289 children die from flu, the highest since the CDC began tracking in 2004.Despite flu activity on the decline, flu-related emergency department visits for school-aged children ... Read MoreNew 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 MoreHeart 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 MoreRed 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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