HHS Launches New Autism Study Despite Experts’ Concerns

FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will launch a “massive testing and research effort” to explore the causes of autism, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday.

Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccines, shared the plan with President Donald Trump during a t...

CDC Urges Extra Measles Shot For Some U.S. Travelers Amid Outbreak

FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends extra measles protection for people traveling to areas with active outbreaks in the United States, CBS News reported.

In an April 8 letter, the CDC advised health departments that travelers going to outbreak are...

Showerhead Water Limits Rescinded as Trump Targets Household Appliances

FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — President Donald Trump signed an order this week removing limits on how much water can come out of showerheads. 

He said the change will help Americans enjoy better showers and joked it would “make America’s showers great again,” The Washington Post reported.

Most Women Aren't Clear When Menopause Might Start

Early symptoms of menopause will first appear when many women least expect them, a new Ohio State University poll reports.

Hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain and insomnia are all symptoms of the hormone changes related to menopause, researchers say.

Sixty-one percent of women (3 in 5) think they will hit menopause and start experi...

New Visual Test For Autism Could Aid Earlier Diagnosis

How children respond to movement could provide an early means of detecting autism, a new study says.

Children with autism are known to prefer watching repetitive movements over random movements, researchers said.

Using eye-tracking methods, a research team found that children with suspected autism spent longer watching repeated movem...

Half-Million Children Could Die If U.S. AIDS Relief Is Dropped

FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Nearly a half-million children could die from AIDS by 2030 if President Donald Trump follows through on plans to cut U.S. relief programs, a new study says.

As many as 1 million additional children will become infected with HIV and nearly 500,000 will die from AIDS by the end of the decade if...

Seasonal Allergies Likely To Grow Worse Under Climate Change

Spring is officially here, and with it comes watery eyes, stuffy noses and constant sneezing for people with seasonal allergies.

And climate change means things are only going to get worse for allergy sufferers, a new evidence review suggests.

Allergy seasons are expected to get longer and grow more intense as climate change progress...

First Baby Born From Robot-Controlled IVF

The world’s first baby conceived through robot-controlled fertilization has been born, researchers say.

The boy was born to a 40-year-old woman in Guadalajara, Mexico, following a previous in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempt that had produced only one mature egg and no embryos, researchers said.

Her newborn was conceived using...

Eviction Bans Linked To Drop In Child Abuse Reports

Eviction bans implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic had an unexpected positive benefit for America’s children, a new study says.

Reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse and child neglect all fell during U.S. eviction bans, researchers reported April 8 in the journal Pediatrics.

Results show counties that enacted evi...

Pets May Boost Happiness As Much As Family or Friends

Your cat might not do the dishes, and your dog probably can’t fix your Wi-Fi, but they could be making you just as happy as a spouse or best friend.

A new study found that having a furry friend may boost your overall life satisfaction as much as being married or regularly spending time with loved ones.

And it's something resear...

A New UV Light May Help Stop Future Pandemics

Five years after COVID-19 first hit the United States, scientists are already brainstorming how to stop the next big virus.

One possible solution? A special kind of ultraviolet light called far-UVC, CBS News reported.

Unlike regular UVC light, which can be harmful to people, far-UVC has a shorter wavelength. That means it ca...

FDA Reverses Office Order, Lets Staff Work From Home

Weeks after ordering staff back to the office, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now letting some employees work from home again.

The move follows major staff cuts and resignations that threaten the agency’s ability to approve new medicines among other basic functions, The Associated Press reported.

An in...

Eating By Day Might Cut Heart Health Risk To Night Shift Workers

Night shift workers might be able to protect their heart health by only eating during daylight hours, a new study says.

Participants in an experiment experienced fewer heart health risk factors if they only ate during the daytime while working a night shift, researchers reported April 8 in the journal Nature Communications.

...

Co-ops Offer Welcome Alternative For Home Care Workers

There are all sorts of co-ops – credit unions, employee-owned businesses, utility providers, farmers’ cooperatives.

But a new type of co-op might be the key to caring for aging Americans amid a shortage of paid caregivers, a new study suggests.

Home care cooperatives could be the key to making sure the elderly get the car...

Air Pollution Tied To Cognitive Decline Among Seniors

Air pollution might be harming the brains of seniors, increasing their risk of dementia and cognitive decline, a new study says.

Exposure to nitrogen dioxide and fine particle pollution is linked to lower scores in key thinking and memory skills, particularly language abilities, researchers recently reported in The Journals of Gerontol...