Health

RFK Jr. pulls funding for mRNA vaccines as scientists pursue breakthrough treatments for HIV, cancer, the flu and more  yahoo.com On Vaccines, Kennedy Has Broken Sharply With the Mainstream  The New York Times Friday briefing: What will US funding cuts on mRNA vaccines mean for the health of the world?  The Guardian Federal mRNA funding cut is ‘most dangerous public health decision’ ever, …

NEW YORK — The new variant XFG, or “Stratus,” has become the third-most dominant strain of COVID-19 this summer and is driving up case estimates in New York. Stratus is similar in symptoms and seriousness to other Omicron variants, but it may present a never-before-seen symptom: hoarseness. New data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Stratus accounted for …

In a major new finding almost a decade in the making, researchers at Harvard Medical School say they’ve found a key that may unlock many of the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and brain aging — the humble metal lithium. Lithium is best known to medicine as a mood stabilizer given to people who have bipolar disorder and depression. It was …

Over the past two centuries, vaccines have been critical for preventing infectious diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccination prevents between 3 million and 5 million deaths annually from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, measles and, more recently, COVID-19. While there has long been broad scientific consensus that vaccines prevent or mitigate the spread of infections, there is new …

The antiseizure medication pregabalin, which is commonly prescribed for chronic pain, has been linked to an increased risk for heart failure (HF), particularly in those with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), new data suggested. In a cohort of more than 240,000 Medicare beneficiaries with noncancer chronic pain, initiation of pregabalin was associated with a 48% higher risk for new-onset …

By ZOE HARDY, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 14:23, 7 August 2025 | Updated: 17:04, 7 August 2025 Doctors were left baffled by a rare condition that saw a 20-year-old woman experience multiple orgasms several times a day, leaving her constantly sexually aroused.  Far from being pleasurable, the unnamed woman said the disorder caused her intense distress and interfered with her work …

A greasy takeaway may seem like an innocent Friday night indulgence. But our recent research suggests even a single high-fat meal could impair blood flow to the brain, potentially increasing the risk of stroke and dementia. Dietary fat is an important part of our diet. It provides us with a concentrated source of energy, transports vitamins and when stored in …

Inspections for the Legionella bacteria in New York City’s cooling towers sank to a record post-pandemic low in the months leading up to an outbreak of the disease in East Harlem that has so far killed three people, according to a Gothamist analysis of publicly available health data. A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene blamed …

Can delaying a disease as monstrous as Alzheimer’s be as simple as walking and eating nutritious foods? To some degree, yes. Wundervisuals / Getty Images A June 2025 study in Molecular Neurodegeneration assessed this topic and concluded that “up to 45% of dementia risk can be attributed to modifiable risk factors,” namely exercise and diet. What happens, the study explained, …

Image by Getty / Futurism The start of this year marked more than a quarter of the way through the 21st century. And though 2025 might not be full of flying cars and robot servants, there are a few sci-fi tropes that ended up panning out: novels like George Orwell’s “1984,” and Phillip K Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric …