Health

Utah close to fully banning fluoride in water, stripping cities' ability to decide

1 hr ago

Utah appears to be the first state ready to put a full ban on fluoride in public water systems under a bill that doesn’t allow cities or communities to decide whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral. A bill sponsor and an organization opposed to fluoridating water said Utah would set a precedent in the U.S. It comes as new federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed skepticism about water fluoridation, Utah’s bill cleared its final hurdle in the legislature Friday. It now goes to Gov. Spencer Cox for his approval. A spokesperson for Cox didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether he’d sign it.

Elizabeth Holmes fails to overturn her Theranos fraud conviction

Updated 1 hr ago

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has upheld a fraud conviction against Elizabeth Holmes. The disgraced founder of the blood-testing startup Theranos is serving an 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors with false claims of what her company could achieve. A three-judge panel said Monday that she hadn’t proved there were legal missteps during her trial. The judges also upheld the fraud conviction of her former business partner and lover Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. The judges kept a lower’s court order for the two to pay $452 million in restitution.

An unknown illness kills over 50 people in part of Congo with hours between symptoms and death

2 hrs ago

An unknown illness has killed over 50 people in northwestern Congo. That's according to doctors on the ground and the World Health Organization on Monday. A hospital medical director in the region told The Associated Press that the interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases, and “that’s what’s really worrying." The outbreak began on Jan. 21, and 419 cases have been recorded including 53 deaths. The WHO says samples from 13 cases have been sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo’s capital for testing but all have been negative for Ebola or similar diseases.

Trump's Cabinet members have already backtracked on some promises made before being confirmed

2 hrs ago

As they mustered support for their confirmations by the U.S. Senate, some of Donald Trump’s nominees made statements from which they’ve already distanced themselves upon taking office. According to the president of the FBI Agents Association, Kash Patel agreed last month — before becoming FBI director — that the agency’s No. 2 position should be held by a career agent as has been tradition. The FBI instead appointed Dan Bongino, a Trump media ally and former Secret Service agent. During his confirmation hearings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised he would not change the nation’s current vaccination schedule. But as health secretary, Kennedy has since vowed to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles, polio and other dangerous diseases.

FDA moves to rehire medical device, food safety and other staffers fired days earlier

Updated 3 hrs ago

The Food and Drug Administration is reinstating some of the hundreds of staffers it fired last week. That’s according to agency employees who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The FDA callbacks are the latest example of the chaotic fallout from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's sweeping cost-cutting effort. Many of the staffers getting their jobs back are responsible for reviewing medical devices and food ingredients. After last week’s terminations, lobbyists for the device industry warned that the cuts would hurt companies and patients. The FDA’s device program is heavily funded by companies that pay the agency to quickly review their products.

Patients struggle with lack of consistent coverage for popular weight-loss drugs

Updated 3 hrs ago

Supplies of high-demand obesity treatments are improving, but that doesn’t mean they're easier to get. Many employers and health insurers are scaling back coverage of Wegovy or Zepbound and a key government program, Medicare, doesn’t cover the drugs for obesity. Clouding the picture even further, some big employers are adding coverage. But their commitment isn’t guaranteed. Treatment prices that can top hundreds of dollars monthly even after discounts make it hard for many to afford these drugs on their own. That makes the life-changing weight-loss that patients seek largely dependent on the coverage they have and how long it lasts.

A French surgeon is on trial accused of raping or abusing 299 people, mostly child patients

Updated 5 hrs ago

A former surgeon is standing trial in France for the alleged rape or sexual abuse of 299 victims. Most of them were children who were his patients. Investigators and his notebooks describe a pattern of violence spanning over three decades. Joël Le Scouarnec will face hundreds of victims during his four-month trial and could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He does not deny the facts but claims he does not remember everything. Some survivors have no memory of the assaults because they were unconscious at the time.

Book Review: 'Air-borne' transforms scientific history into detective story

Updated 6 hrs ago

Carl Zimmer writes a history of aerobiology in “Air-borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe.” The Associated Press' Andrew DeMillo writes that the book transforms science into something that reads like a combination of detective and horror stories. Zimmer's history look at the study of the air spanning from Louis Pasteur to the fight against COVID-19. DeMillo writes that the book introduces readers to little-known figures who have played a key role in researching how diseases spread through the air. It also provides a chilling account of how COVID-19 spread.

Does lip balm help chapped lips? Here's what to know

9 hrs ago

Lip balm can soothe chapped lips, but some people may be allergic to its ingredients. For those few, the products can sting instead of soothe. Dermatologists recommend looking out for flavorings, preservatives and fragrances in popular lip balms because they can cause allergic reactions. Other ways to soothe dry lips include covering the mouth with a scarf, drinking water and avoiding licking your lips too often. If your lips are still dry after trying lip balm, consider seeing a dermatologist to learn more.

NIH budget cuts would mean problems for Lancaster-area public health research

13 hrs ago

Editor's Note: A paragraph of this story was edited to clarify that Franklin & Marshall College's layoffs planned for April are not linked to the potential cuts to NIH research grant funding. It is currently unknown how F&M would change the financing of its overhead research operatio…

Pennsylvania hostage-taking and shootout highlight rising violence against US hospital workers

Updated 2 hrs ago

Violence against healthcare workers is on the rise as seen by an attack at a Pennsylvania hospital. A gunman took hostages before exchanges of gunfire that killed a police officer and wounded five other people at a York County, Pennsylvania, intensive care unit on Saturday. The shooting killed the man, identified as 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz. His motives remain unclear but he had been in contact with the hospital about a medical issue involving someone else. Security consultant Dick Sem says hospital shooters tend not to kill at random but often are angry about something that has happened and target specific victims.

Motive in Pennsylvania hospital shooting unclear, but officials say man had recent contact with ICU

21 hrs ago

Investigators are trying to determine why a man targeted a Pennsylvania hospital, taking workers inside the intensive care unit hostage and holding one staff member at gunpoint as her hands were bound by zip ties. A police officer was killed and two other officers were wounded in a shootout that left the gunman dead Saturday. A doctor, nurse and custodian who suffered gunshot wounds in the chaos were reported in stable condition. Authorities released no new information Sunday about a possible motive for the attack. They had said that the man knew an individual who was recently in the hospital and that he specifically targeted the ICU.