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Latest Health Headlines

November 20

Former doctor is sentenced to life in prison after conviction for sexually abusing patients

A former doctor has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing multiple patients, including children, over the span of years in the New York area
November 20
November 20

Top health official in New Mexico leaves after less than 2 years on the job

New Mexico Health Secretary Patrick Allen is leaving after less than two years on the job
November 20
November 20

Former acting CDC director on Dr. Oz selection

Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting CDC director, weighs in on President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Dr. Oz to lead the Medicare and Medicaid agency.
November 20
Former acting CDC director on Dr. Oz selection
November 20

Faulty fentanyl tests spurred NYC’s push to ban mail on Rikers Island

A push by New York City jail officials to block people detained at Rikers Island from receiving physical mail was based on faulty fentanyl test strips that overstated the influx of contraband sent through the mail
November 20
FILE - The Rikers Island jail complex stands in New York with the Manhattan skyline in the background June 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
November 20

Deadly E. coli outbreak linked to carrots

A deadly E. coli outbreak investigation is ongoing, and a woman is now suing after getting sick eating carrots linked to the outbreak.
November 20
Deadly E. coli outbreak linked to carrots
November 20

Why rates of postpartum depression have doubled in the last decade

One study found diagnosis jumped from 9% in 2010 to 19% in 2021.
November 20
Stock photo
November 20

Could changes be coming to Medicare, Medicaid with Dr. Oz leading CMS?

Oz has supported Medicare Advantage, which is run by private insurers.
November 20
Mehmet Oz visits the AW Driving School & License Testing Center in Allentown, Pa., Sept. 23, 2022.
November 20

Dallas doctor gets 190 years for tampering with IV bags used in surgeries

A Dallas anesthesiologist has been sentenced to 190 years in prison for injecting a nerve-blocking agent and other drugs into bags of intravenous fluid
November 20
November 20

How to navigate post-election stress

Author Kristel Bauer offers advice on how to manage stress in the wake of a contentious election.
November 20
VIDEO: How to navigate post-election stress
November 20

Which health insurance plan may be right for you?

Experts say people shopping for health insurance right now should look beyond price when searching for coverage for next year
November 20
FILE - The healthcare.gov website is seen, Dec. 14, 2021, in Fort Washington, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
November 20

UN authorizes first mpox vaccine for children in an attempt to control Congo outbreak

The World Health Organization has authorized the first mpox vaccine for children
November 20
FILE - A health worker attends to a mpox patient, at a treatment centre in Munigi, eastern Congo, Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, file )
November 20

Pakistan reports new polio case in northwest, raising nationwide tally to 50 cases this year

Officials say Pakistan has detected one more polio case in the restive northwest bordering Afghanistan, raising the country’s tally of the infectious disease to 50 cases this year
November 20
A police officer stands guard as a health worker, center, administers a polio vaccine to a child in a neighbourhood of Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)
November 20

What to know about Transgender Day of Remembrance and violence against trans people

Vigils and other events are being held to draw attention to transgender people who have lost their lives due to violence in the past year
November 20
FILE - A person holds a transgender flag to show their support for the transgender community during the sixth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance at Maryville College, Nov. 20, 2016, in Maryville, Tenn. (Brianna Bivens/The Daily Times via AP, File)
November 19

Health advocates in Africa worry Trump will reimpose abortion 'gag rule' governing US aid

Women's health advocates in Africa are worried that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will again invoke the so-called global gag rule, a policy that cuts off U.S. government funding for groups that offer abortion-related services
November 19
Women, with children on their backs carry out chores in Epworth, Zimbabwe, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Ufumeli)
November 19

What to know about Dr. Oz as Trump picks him to oversee Medicare, Medicaid

Oz has made controversial statements about vaccines and weight loss products.
November 19
In this Nov. 5, 2022, file photo, Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks during a rally featuring former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa.
November 19

North Carolina GOP bill would weaken next Democratic governor and attorney general

North Carolina Republicans have advanced legislation that would weaken the powers of the incoming governor, attorney general and schools superintendent
November 19
FILE - North Carolina state Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, speaks to reporters following the House Health Committee meeting at the Legislative Office Building in Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 14, 2023. (AP Photos/Gary D. Robertson, File)
November 19

What to know about Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump's pick to lead Medicare and Medicaid

Mehmet Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon turned talk show host and lifestyle guru, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the massive federal health care bureaucracy that covers more than a third of Am...
November 19
FILE - Mehmet Oz visits the AW Driving School & License Testing Center in Allentown, Pa., Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
November 19

Kansas agrees to increase hospital beds for mentally ill defendants

Kansas has promised to provide more hospital beds for mentally ill criminal defendants
November 19
November 19

Trump says he is nominating TV doctor Mehmet Oz to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Trump says he is nominating TV doctor Mehmet Oz to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
November 19
November 19

The CDC just sent out an alert about mpox. Should you be concerned?

California recently reported the first U.S. case of a more severe form of mpox.
November 19
A patient infected with mpox shows lesions on his body at the treatment centre in Kamituga, South Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sept. 20, 2024.
November 19

Judge dismisses a lawsuit over South Dakota abortion-rights measure that voters rejected

A South Dakota judge has dismissed a lawsuit that an anti-abortion group filed in June targeting an abortion rights measure that voters went on to reject
November 19
FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2016 file photo, Rick Weiland visits a business in Sioux Falls, S.D. (AP Photo/James Nord, File)
November 19

California confirms 1st US case of more severe mpox strain

ABC News medical contributor Dr. Alok Patel discusses the CDC alert, as risk to the public remains low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
November 19
VIDEO: California confirms 1st US case of more severe mpox strain
November 19

The World Food Prize Foundation announces changes to expand international reach

An Iowa-based group that strives to alleviate world hunger is announcing a leadership change as it works to expand its international focus
November 19
This photo provided by the World Food Prize Foundation shows Mashal Husain on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (Ryan Damman/World Food Prize Foundation via AP)
November 19

US seeing major disparities in smoking rates, new surgeon general's report finds

Cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke are responsible for 1 in 5 deaths.
November 19
Close up of male hand with a cigarette.
November 18

California confirms first US case of more severe mpox strain

A different strain of the virus was responsible for a 2022 global outbreak.
November 18
This undated image obtained from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (green) found within an infected cell (pink and purple), cultured in the laboratory.
November 18

Judge strikes down Wyoming abortion laws, including an explicit ban on pills to end pregnancy

A judge has struck down Wyoming’s overall ban on abortion and its first-in-the nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy
November 18
FILE - A patient prepares to take the first of two combination pills, mifepristone, for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
November 18

Judge strikes down Wyoming's abortion bans, including an explicit prohibition on pills to end pregnancy

Judge strikes down Wyoming's abortion bans, including an explicit prohibition on pills to end pregnancy
November 18
November 18

Poland urges polio vaccinations for children after the virus is detected in sewage in Warsaw

Poland’s health authorities are urging polio vaccinations for children after the virus was detected in Warsaw’s sewage during regular tests this month
November 18
November 18

Why do they flock to Turkey Trots? Runners count the reasons

Turkey Trots have become an enduring Thanksgiving tradition for many experienced runners and novices alike
November 18
FILE - Runners take part in the 49th annual Mile High United Way Turkey Trot in southeast Denver on Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
November 18

Health workers go on trial in Turkey accused of private care scheme linked to 10 infant deaths

Doctors, nurses and an ambulance driver are among health care workers on trial accused of causing at least 10 infant deaths linked to a scheme to defraud Turkey's social security system
November 18
An activist holds a baby toy and a banner with Turkish writing that reads, "If I had not been killed this would have been my sleeping friend" during a protest outside the courthouse where dozens of Turkish healthcare workers including doctors and nurses go on trial for fraud and causing the deaths of 10 infants, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday Nov, 18, 2024.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
November 17

Poultry infected with bird flu found on commercial farm in England

Poultry on a commercial farm in England have been infected with the bird flu virus
November 17
November 17

1 dead after eating carrots contaminated with E. coli: CDC

Dozens of people across 18 states were infected after eating organic whole and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms, according to the CDC.
November 17
VIDEO: 1 dead after eating carrots contaminated with E. coli: CDC
November 17
November 17

How to stay healthy mentally and physically during the holidays

Dr. Jessica Shepherd, chief medical officer of Hers, joins ABC News Live to discuss how to maintain weight loss during the holiday season.
November 17
VIDEO: How to stay healthy mentally and physically during the holidays
November 16

Renewed focus on health claims and fluoridated water

Dr. Leana Wen, emergency physician and former Baltimore health commissioner, discusses the qualifications of RFK Jr. to lead HHS and the health impacts of fluoridating water.
November 16
VIDEO: Renewed focus on health claims and fluoridated water
November 16

US health officials report 1st case of new form of mpox in a traveler

Health officials say they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo
November 16
FILE - This colorized electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 2024 shows Mpox virus particles, orange, found within infected cells, green. (NIAID via AP, File)
November 16

Coping with seasonal changes

Kelley Kitley, licensed clinical social worker and author, discusses how seasonal changes may affect your mood, and how best to cope.
November 16
Coping with seasonal changes
November 16

Doctors worried RFK Jr. will tout vaccine-skeptic views at HHS

Kennedy has previously falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism.
November 16
Former Republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gestures as he speaks ahead of former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nov. 1, 2024.
November 16

This state is training more health workers to offer abortion care

In 2022, Maryland passed a law expanding who could offer abortion care.
November 16
“I want people to know I’m here, but I don’t want to cause too much outrage and attention,” says Samantha Marsee, a nurse practitioner in rural northeastern Maryland who recently received medical training to provide abortion care.
November 16

Protesters gather at UN climate talks in global day of action as progress on a deal slows

Hundreds of activists formed a human chain outside one of the main plenary halls at the United Nations climate summit on what is traditionally their biggest protest day during the two-week talks
November 16
Activists participate in a demonstration during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
November 16

The November Project gets people outside to exercise and socialize together all winter long

There’s one exercise group that says you really can keep up with outdoor workouts through the winter
November 16
Members of the November Project fitness group run up and down the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on May 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
November 15

Reactions continue after RFK Jr.’s nomination to lead HHS

Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious disease at South Shore Health, discusses why vaccine development should continue to be protected.
November 15
VIDEO: Reactions continue after RFK Jr.’s nomination to lead HHS
November 15

The key moments as a Texas man faces execution in a shaken baby syndrome case

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled against a legislative subpoena that lawmakers used to stave off the execution of Robert Roberson
November 15
FILE - Texas lawmakers meet with Robert Roberson at a prison in Livingston, Texas, Sept. 27, 2024. (Criminal Justice Reform Caucus via AP, File)
November 15

Measles cases surge worldwide in 2023: WHO

Dr. Alok Patel discusses the World Health Organization report which found that nearly 107,500 people died from measles worldwide in 2023.
November 15
VIDEO: Measles cases surge worldwide in 2023: WHO
November 15

Pakistani province declares health emergency due to smog and locks down two cities

Pakistani authorities have declared a health emergency in the country's east due to smog
November 15
A fruit seller arranges his stall in early morning as smog envelopes the area of Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
November 15

A Croatian corruption investigation snares the health minister and several others

Croatia’s health minister and several others were detained on Friday on suspicion of corruption as part of an investigation launched by the European prosecutor’s office
November 15
FILE -Croatian Health Minister Vili Beros, right, bumps elbows to say hello to French Health Minister Olivier Veran during an extraordinary meeting of EU health ministers in Brussels to discuss the virus outbreak, March 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
November 15

Frustration grows at fossil fuel influence and structure of UN climate talks. Some call for reform

Environmental advocates released reports Friday decrying fossil fuel industry influence at these climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, called COP29
November 15
Eric Njuguna, of Kenya, participates in a demonstration against fossil fuels called weed out the snakes at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
November 14

Navy didn't understand well-documented risks posed by Hawaii fuel tanks, watchdog says

A U.S. military watchdog says Navy officials lacked sufficient understanding of the risks of maintaining massive fuel storage tanks on top of a drinking water well at Pearl Harbor where spilled jet fuel poisoned more than 6,000 people
November 14
FILE - Protestors upset with the Department of Defense's response to the leak of jet fuel into the water supply hold signs outside the gate at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy, File)
November 14

Medical community reacts to Trump’s choice of RFK Jr. to lead HHS

ABC News' Linsey Davis speaks with epidemiologist and ABC News contributor Dr. John Brownstein on the medical community’s reaction to RFK Jr.’s nomination to lead HHS.
November 14
Medical community reacts to Trump’s choice of RFK Jr. to lead HHS
November 14

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert F
November 14
FILE - Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event Nov. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)