Americans Still Consider COVID Major Public Health Threat

People still see COVID-19 as an ongoing public health threat, even though the pandemic officially ended in 2023, according to a new HealthDay/Harris Poll.

Nearly 3 in 4 people (72%) agree COVID is still a serious public health issue, including more than a third (35%) who strongly agree, the poll found.

COVID has settled into the sort...

USDA Issues Health Alert Over Bone Fragments in Wegmans Nuggets

If you have a bag of Wegmans breaded chicken breast nuggets in your freezer, you may want to check the label before your next meal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert over concerns that some packages may contain bone fragments.

The alert, issued Jan. 2...

Crisis Services Haven't Adapted To New 988 Suicide Hotline

Most community crisis services did not expand following the launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, potentially blunting the effectiveness of the hotline, a new study says.

Walk-in psychiatric services, mobile crisis response units and suicide prevention programs all declined following the launch of the 988 line in July 2022, rese...

Weight-Loss Surgery Protects Liver Health

Weight-loss surgery can protect the liver health of patients with obesity and fatty liver disease, a new study reports.

Patients had a 72% lower risk of developing serious complications of liver disease after undergoing weight-loss surgery, researchers reported in Jan. 27 in the journal Nature Medicine.

They also had an 80% ...

Heavy Weed Use Affects Young Adults' Short-Term Memory

Heavy weed use appears to dull the brains of young adults, particularly affecting their short-term working memory, a new study suggests.

MRI scans showed less brain activation in heavy tokers performing tasks that tested their ability to temporarily hold a limited amount of information at the ready for immediate mental use, according to re...

Opioid Painkillers Less Available To People Of Color

People of color now have less access to prescription opioid painkillers than white patients, an unintended consequence of efforts to stem America’s opioid epidemic.

Communities of color have a 40% to 45% lower distribution of commonly prescribed opioids, compared to majority white communities, researchers reported in a study publishe...