Health

By Maggie Fox, CNN An influenza pandemic like the pandemic of 1918 could be even worse than Covid-19 has been, and the world is not ready to deal with it, the National Academy of Medicine said in a series of reports released Wednesday. Work needs to begin now to start developing next-generation vaccines, and to

By Katie Hunt, CNN The 5:2 diet, a type of intermittent fasting, is no more effective than traditional approaches to weight loss, according to what researchers said was the first study of the regimen in a “real-life setting.” However, the researchers found that the approach, which involves two days of heavily restricting calories (500 calories

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN America’s drug epidemic is the deadliest it has ever been, new federal data suggests. More than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States during the 12-month period ending April 2021, according to provisional data published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a new

By Maggie Fox, CNN Scientists have found SARS-CoV-2 spreads like, well, a virus among white-tailed deer and other wild animals in the United States. People are the likely source, but that doesn’t mean the virus can’t evolve among these animals and then spill back into humans, and researchers are worried about what this spread means

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN Hanging on to social media connections that don’t make you feel good? Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel said today is the day to unfriend them. The initiative started in 2010 on Kimmel’s show, where he advised his audience, “post a status update that says, ‘I’m moving this weekend and I need

By Maggie Fox, CNN Several vials labeled “smallpox” have been found at a vaccine research facility in Pennsylvania, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. “There is no indication that anyone has been exposed to the small number of frozen vials,” the CDC said in a statement emailed to CNN. “The frozen

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN Some states are not waiting. At least four so far — Arkansas, California, Colorado, New Mexico and West Virginia — have expanded eligibility for Covid-19 booster shots to everyone 18 and older, six months after their second dose, even though the US Food and Drug Administration hasn’t done so yet and

By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent In the fall of 2015, Dr. Mark Denison was preparing for a long drive home from Alabama after making a presentation at a scientific meeting when a colleague asked him to stick around for lunch and check out some data on a potential new drug. Denison said yes,

By Jacqueline Howard, Elizabeth Cohen and John Bonifield, CNN Key decisions on whether all adults will be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine booster could come soon. The US Food and Drug Administration is currently considering Pfizer and BioNTech’s request to amend the emergency use authorization for their Covid-19 vaccine so that all adults would be

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the origins, treatments and global response to HIV and AIDS. Facts HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. HIV/AIDS is spread through sexual contact with an infected person, sharing needles with an infected person, through transfusions of infected blood or through an infected

By Amanda Sealy, CNN Pfizer announced Tuesday that it is seeking emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for its experimental antiviral Covid-19 pill, known as PF-07321332 or Paxlovid. “With more than 5 million deaths and countless lives impacted by this devastating disease globally, there is an urgent need for life-saving treatment

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN The cup of coffee or tea you reach for in the morning — OK, maybe it’s a few — may be associated with a lower risk for stroke and dementia, according to a new study. Among more than 360,000 participants studied over a period of 10 to 14 years, those who

By Jen Christensen, CNN Katelyn Van Dyke was on winter break in January, visiting her boyfriend’s family, when she got sick with Covid-19. For the 20-year-old computer science major at the University of Missouri, Covid-19 has been anything but a brief or easy illness. Some 10 months later, she says she’s still out of breath

By Amanda Sealy, CNN Pfizer said Tuesday it signed a licensing agreement to allow broader global access to its experimental Covid-19 pill. The agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed public health organization, would allow generic manufacturers to make the pill widely available in 95 low- and middle-income countries covering 53% of the

By Katie Hunt, CNN More and more women are using weed in pregnancy but they may want to think twice. Researchers have found a link between marijuana use by expectant mothers and autism and childhood psychosis. Now, a small study has shown how cannabis use can affect the placenta and may be linked to higher

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN Researchers say they have found a second patient whose body seemingly had rid itself of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS — supporting hope that it may be possible someday to find a way to cure more people of the virus. The patient has received no treatment for her

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Want to fight off infectious diseases this winter? Consider boosting your immune system with nutritious food. “What we eat is very important in terms of how our immune system responds to pathogens and how well it can defend itself against a pathogen,” said Dr. Simin Meydani, senior scientist and leader of

By Jen Christensen, CNN Little kids can often tell how people are feeling, even if that person is wearing a face mask, a new study published Monday found. There has been some concern that the face masks used at school during the pandemic may be hurting younger children’s development, but this research letter published in

By Jen Christensen, CNN Little kids can often tell how people are feeling, even if that person is wearing a face mask, a new study published Monday found. There has been some concern that the face masks used at school during the pandemic may be hurting younger children’s development, but this research letter published in

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN The Biden administration is withdrawing a policy established under the Trump administration that limited the US Food and Drug Administration’s review process of certain lab tests, including some Covid-19 tests. The US Department of Health and Human Services announced the withdrawal on Monday. Last year, the Trump administration determined that the