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November 29

New Zealand leader plans to ban cellphone use in schools and end tobacco controls in first 100 days

New Zealand’s new prime minister plans to ban cellphone use in schools and repeal tobacco controls in the agenda for his first three months in office
November 29
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon leaves his first post-Cabinet press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald via AP)
November 29

Number of suicides in the US in 2022 reaches record level, CDC report finds

An estimated 49,449 people died by suicide in 2022, the CDC said.
November 29
A stock photo of a teen holding their head.
November 29

After 2 years of declines, US life expectancy rose in 2022 due to fewer COVID deaths

Life expectancy rose from 76.4 in 2021 to 77.5 in 2022, the report found.
November 29
Tributes in art made by 20 community groups to those impacted by Covid-19, done in collaboration between Naming the Lost Memorials, City Lore and Green-Wood Cemetery, at Green-Wood Cemetery on May 8, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
November 29

Cannabis use does not reduce long-term heroin use, study finds

Researchers examined cannabis use among heroin users over a 20-year period.
November 29
November 28

Australia apologizes for thalidomide tragedy as some survivors listen in the Parliament gallery

Survivors of the harmful morning sickness drug thalidomide were in the public gallery when Australia’s Parliament made a national apology for what was described as one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history
November 28
A girl wipes away tears from the face of a woman impacted by thalidomide, the anti-morning sickness drug, in the gallery as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, unseen, delivers a National apology in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. Australia's Parliament on Wednesday made a national apology to victims of thalidomide on the 62nd anniversary of the dangerous anti-morning sickness drug being withdrawn from sale in the country. (Lukas Coch/AAPImage via AP)
November 28

US life expectancy rose last year, but it remains below its pre-pandemic level

U.S. life expectancy rose last year, but it still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic
November 28
FILE - A couple walks through a park at sunset, March 10, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. U.S. life expectancy rose in 2022 — by more than a year — after plunging two straight years at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new government report released Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. The rise was mainly due to the waning of the pandemic in 2022, researchers said at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
November 28

Texas women who could not get abortions despite health risks take challenge to state's Supreme Court

The Texas Supreme Court is deciding whether the state's abortion ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications
November 28
FILE - Amanda Zurawski, left, who developed sepsis and nearly died after being refused an abortion when her water broke at 18 weeks, talks with Samantha Casiano, who was forced to carry a nonviable pregnancy to term and gave birth to a baby who died four hours after birth, outside the Travis County Courthouse, July 19, 2023, in Austin, Texas. On Tuesday, Nov. 28, the Texas Supreme Court scrutinized efforts to clarify exceptions to the state's abortion ban, which a growing number of women say forced them to continue pregnancies despite serious risks to their health. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
November 28

Mayo Clinic announces $5 billion expansion of Minnesota campus

The Mayo Clinic has announced a $5 billion expansion plan that includes new buildings designed so they can evolve and expand as patient needs change over the coming decades
November 28
FILE - A pedestrian mall leads to the campus of the Mayo Clinic complex, center, on July 2, 2019, in Rochester, Minn. The Mayo Clinic has announced a $5 billion expansion plan that includes new buildings designed so they can evolve and expand as patient needs change over the coming decades. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, file)
November 28

Customer sues Chopt eatery chain over salad that she says contained a piece of manager's finger

A customer has filed a lawsuit against the fast casual chain Chopt over a salad that she says contained a piece of the manager’s finger
November 28
November 28

British inquiry finds serious failings at hospitals where worker had sex with more than 100 corpses

A British government-ordered inquiry says it found serious failings at hospitals where an electrician who was later convicted of murder was able to have sex with more than 100 corpses over 15 years without being detected
November 28
Undated handout file photo issued by Kent Police of David Fuller. A British government-ordered inquiry said Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 it found “serious failings” at hospitals where an electrician who was later convicted of murder had been able to have sex with more than 100 corpses over a 15 year period without being detected. David Fuller's necrophilia was only discovered in 2020 after police who used DNA to tie him to the 1987 slayings of two women discovered millions of images of sexual abuse in his home, including videos of him having sex with the dead bodies of women and girls in the mortuaries at two hospitals where he worked in southeast England. (Kent Police/PA via AP)
November 28

Ransomware attack prompts multistate hospital chain to divert some emergency room patients elsewhere

A ransomware attack has prompted a health care chain with operations in six states to divert patients from at least some of its emergency rooms to other hospitals
November 28
November 28

France to ban smoking on beaches, aims to avoid 75,000 tobacco deaths per year

France's government plans to ban smoking on all beaches, in public parks, forests and some other public areas
November 28
An ashtray with cigarette butts at the edge of the beach, in Saint Jean de Luz, southwestern France, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. France's government plans to ban smoking on all beaches, in public parks, forests and some other public areas. The measures are part of a national anti-tobacco plan presented by the health minister, who says tobacco products cause 75,000 avoidable deaths a year in France. (AP Photo Bob Edme)
November 27

Seeking justice in maternity care mistreatment

ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports on the mistreatment some women are experiencing in hospital maternity care wards and the advocates speaking out in search of solutions.
November 27
VIDEO: Seeking justice in maternity care mistreatment
November 27

Trump says he will renew efforts to replace 'Obamacare' if he wins a second term

Former President Donald Trump says he wants to reopen the contentious fight over the Affordable Care Act
November 27
FILE - Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at the South Texas International Airport, Nov. 19, 2023, in Edinburg, Texas. Trump says he wants to reopen the contentious fight over the Affordable Care Act. He posted on his social media site Saturday that he is "seriously looking at alternatives" to "Obamacare" if he wins a second term. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
November 27

Respiratory illness surging in parts of China  

The National Health Commission and the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention say they are monitoring illnesses and encouraging vaccinations to prevent spread.
November 27
The National Health Commission and the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention say they are monitoring illnesses and encouraging vaccinations to prevent spread.
November 27

What to know about respiratory illnesses surging in some parts of China

China says the increase is due to common illnesses, including RSV and flu.
November 27
An upsurge of respiratory illnesses in China in video released by China Central Television on Nov 23, 2023.
November 27

UK government reaches a pay deal with senior doctors that could end disruptive strikes

Britain’s government has reached a deal with senior doctors in England that could potentially end a series of strikes
November 27
FILE - Junior doctors hold placards on a picket line outside St Mary's Hospital in London, Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Britain's government reached a deal with senior doctors in England that could potentially end a series of disruptive strikes, officials said Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
November 27

Final trial over Elijah McClain's death spotlights paramedics' role

The last trial in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain after he was stopped by police in suburban Denver is expected to delve into largely uncharted legal territory
November 27
Sheneen McClain, right, mother of Elijah McClain, and friend and supporter MiDian Holmes join hands and raise their fists in protest after suspended Aurora, Colo., Police officer Nathan Woodyard was acquitted in the 2019 death of Elijah, at the Adams County Justice Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Brighton, Colo. (Hart Van Denburg/Colorado Public Radio via AP)
November 26

Artist Zeng Fanzhi depicts 'zero-COVID' after a lifetime of service to the Chinese state

A year after protests pushed Beijing to end its stringent “zero-COVID” controls, a retired architect is on the road displaying portraits of life under the policy
November 26
A painting by Zeng Fanzhi, a retired architect turned artist, depicting residents locked inside their home during the COVID lockdown, is tucked away after censors deem it "too negative" during the Beijing art exposition in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. Zeng painted stark, realist portrayals of life in China under zero-COVID, saying he did so to capture a unique moment in history. (AP Photo/Dake Kang)
November 26

China says a surge in respiratory illnesses is caused by flu and other known pathogens

China’s health ministry says a surge in respiratory illnesses across the country that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus
November 26
FILE - Commuters wearing face masks as they wait at an intersection in the central business district during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Friday, May 26, 2023. A surge in respiratory illnesses across China that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus, the country's health ministry said Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
November 25

Tackling climate change and alleviating hunger: States recycle and donate food headed to landfills

A growing number of states are working to keep food out of landfills over concerns the waste is taking up too much space and posing environmental problems
November 25
Driver Carlos Quezada loads rice on a pallet for distribution at Feeding Westchester in Elmsford, N.Y., Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. A growing number of states are working to keep food out of landfills over concerns that it is taking up too much space and posing environmental problems. Some states including New York are requiring supermarkets and other businesses to redirect food to food pantries. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
November 24

FDA expands cantaloupe recall after salmonella infections double in a week

The number of people sickened by salmonella from cut and whole cantaloupes has more than doubled in a week
November 24
FILE - Cantaloupes are displayed for sale in Virginia on Saturday, July 28, 2017. U.S. health officials recalled three more brands of whole and pre-cut cantaloupes Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 as the number of people sickened by salmonella more than doubled this week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
November 24

UN confirms sexual spread of mpox in Congo for the 1st time

The World Health Organization said it has confirmed sexual transmission of mpox in Congo for the first time as the country experiences its biggest-ever outbreak
November 24
FILE - Vials of single doses of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox are seen from a cooler at a vaccinations site on Aug. 29, 2022, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The World Health Organization said it has confirmed sexual transmission of mpox in Congo for the first time during the country's biggest-ever outbreak, in a worrying development African scientists warn could make it more difficult to stop the disease. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)
November 24

South Africa, Colombia and others are fighting drugmakers over access to TB and HIV drugs

In a series of moves experts say signal a shift in how developing countries deal with pharmaceuticals, South Africa, Colombia and others have recently adopted a more combative approach towards drugmakers, pushing back on policies that deny treatment to...
November 24
FILE - Patients use nebulizers during a test for the presence of TB, at the Tembalete, a U.S. funded Right to Care Clinic at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg Wednesday, Dec 17, 2008. In a series of moves experts say signal a shift in how developing countries deal with pharmaceuticals, South Africa, Colombia and others have recently adopted a more combative approach towards drugmakers, pushing back on policies that deny treatment to millions of people with tuberculosis and HIV. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)
November 24

Ohio voters just passed abortion protections. When and how they take effect is before the courts

Ohio’s new constitutional protections for abortion access and other reproductive rights take effect Dec. 7, a month after voters resoundingly passed them
November 24
FILE - Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost speaks during an election night watch party, Nov. 8, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio’s new constitutional projections for abortion access are supposed to take effect Dec. 7. But existing abortion-related lawsuits are moving again now that voters have decided the question, creating uncertainty about how and when the amendment will be implemented. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
November 23

West Africa responds to huge diphtheria outbreaks

Authorities in several West African countries are trying to manage their huge diphtheria outbreaks
November 23
In this handout photo released by MSF, a health worker educating a group of male patients and care givers on the symptoms of Diphtheria at the Murtala muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. Authorities in several West African countries are trying to manage their huge diphtheria outbreaks, including in Nigeria where a top health official said Thursday Nov. 23, 2023 that millions are being vaccinated to cover wide gaps in immunity against the disease. (Ehab Zawati, MSF via AP)
November 23

Prosecutors ask to effectively close case against top Italian, WHO officials over COVID-19 response

Rome prosecutors have asked a judge to archive an investigation into Italian and U.N. health officials over Italy’s 2020 COVID-19 response
November 23
November 23

OxyContin maker's settlement plan divides victims of opioid crisis. Now it's up to the Supreme Court

The legality of an agreement by the maker of OxyContin to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harm done by opioids is going before the Supreme Court
November 23
Lynn Wencus, of Wrentham, Mass., stands for a photograph while holding a photo of her son Jeff at her home, in Wrentham, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Wencus lost Jeff to a heroin overdose in 2017. Families who lost loved ones to overdose are divided over OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's plan to settle lawsuits over the toll of opioids with governments. It could provide billions to address an overdose epidemic and pay some victims. But it would also protect members of the Sackler family who own the company from future lawsuits. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
November 23

WHO asks China for more information about rise in illnesses and pneumonia clusters

WHO asks China for more information about illnesses and pneumonia clusters.
November 23
FILE - Residents wearing face masks line up behind barricaded tapes for COVID mass testing near a residential area on May 15, 2022, in Beijing. The World Health Organization says it’s made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
November 23

Protecting babies from RSV this holiday season: What parents need to know

Thousands of kids a year are hospitalized with RSV.
November 23
November 22

In final year of Roe v. Wade, abortion rates rose 5%: CDC report

Adolescents under age 15 made up the lowest percentage of abortions.
November 22
Abortion-rights activists counter-demonstrate as Anti-abortion demonstrators gather for a rally in Federal Building Plaza, June 24, 2023, in Chicago.
November 22

Nevada judge rejects attempt to get abortion protections on 2024 ballot

A judge has struck down an effort to enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in Nevada’s constitution
November 22
November 22

Protecting babies from RSV: What parents need to know

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is one of the most common types of respiratory viruses that circulate this time of year.
November 22
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is one of the most common types of respiratory viruses that circulate this time of year.
November 22

Several more children sickened by fruit pouches tainted with lead, FDA says

U.S. health officials are reporting more cases of children sickened by fruit puree pouches that were recalled due to lead contamination
November 22
This image provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2023, shows three recalled applesauce products - WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches and variety pack, and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches. The FDA is screening imports of cinnamon from multiple countries for toxic lead contamination after growing reports of children who were sickened after eating pouches of applesauce and apple puree. Cinnamon from a manufacturer in Ecuador is the “likely source” of high levels of lead found in recalled pouches of applesauce puree linked to illnesses in at least 34 children in 22 states, the FDA said Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (FDA via AP)
November 22

How to stay healthy during Thanksgiving

ABC News' Diane Macedo talks with Dr. Alok Patel about recommended tips and tricks for staying healthy for the Thanksgiving holiday.
November 22
VIDEO: How to stay healthy during Thanksgiving
November 22

Authorities warn that fake HIV drugs are found in Kenya despite a crackdown on counterfeits

Kenyan authorities have issued a warning about the sale of counterfeit HIV prevention drugs in the country, saying their “safety, quality and efficacy cannot be assured.”
November 22
FILE - Protesters hold empty containers of anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines during a demonstration over shortages of ARVs, organized by people living with HIV or AIDS, sex-workers, members of the LGBT community, and their supporters, in the port city of Mombasa, Kenya, Thursday, April 22, 2021. Kenyan authorities issued a warning Wednesday about counterfeit HIV prevention drugs being sold in the country saying "their safety, quality and efficacy cannot be assured." (AP Photo-file)
November 22

Biden declares emergency over lead in water in US Virgin Islands

President Joe Biden declared an emergency over lead-in-water contamination in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this week after tests on St. Croix revealed levels more than 100 times the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency – among the worst...
November 22
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media before boarding Air Force One in Norfolk, Va., Nov. 19, 2023. Biden declared an emergency over lead contamination in the U.S. Virgin Islands water after tests on St. Croix revealed levels more than 100 times the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
November 22

Poland's new parliament debates reversing a ban on government funding for in vitro fertilization

Poland’s new parliament has begun debating the reinstatement of government funding for in vitro fertilization
November 22
Czech Republic's President Petr Pavel, right, welcomes Poland's President Andrzej Duda, left, for the V4 Summit in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
November 22

Respiratory viruses are ticking up in US. Here's how to stay safe over Thanksgiving

Cases of COVID, flu and RSV are increasing across the U.S.
November 22
Travelers walk through O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, on Nov. 21, 2023, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
November 22

NFL disability program leaves retired Saints tight end hurting and angry

Former Saints tight end Boo Williams needs surgery, medicine and doctors to make the pain in his injured neck subside
November 22
Former NFL player Boo Williams shows scans of his brain injuries on his phone in Picayune, Miss., Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. Williams needs surgery, medicine and doctors to make the pain subside from injuries he endured during his football career. But he can't afford any of it. The 44-year-old was recently awarded $5,000 a month by the NFL's disability benefit plan. But Williams said the plan and the league have repeatedly mishandled his claims and should really have paid him $500,000 or more over the past 14 years. (AP Photo/Christiana Botic)
November 21

Police: Kentucky bank shooter wrote in journal about ease of buying assault weapon before killings

The man who fatally shot five coworkers in April at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, wrote in his journal that he wasn’t sure if his mental health struggles would preclude him from purchasing a gun
November 21
FILE - A Louisville Metro Police crime scene technician photographs bullet holes in the glass of the Old National Bank building in Louisville, Ky., Monday, April 10, 2023. The man who shot and killed five coworkers at a Louisville bank in April appears to have done little advanced planning and didn’t have extensive knowledge of how to operate the gun he used in the shooting, according to an investigative file released Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, by police. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
November 21

Physicians, clinic ask judge to block enforcement of part of a North Dakota abortion law

Physicians and the former, sole abortion provider in North Dakota are asking a state district court judge to block enforcement of part of a revised law that bans most abortions
November 21
FILE - Volunteer escorts and others stand outside the Red River Women's Clinic in Moorhead, Minn., Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. The clinic has operated since 1998 in Fargo, where it was North Dakota's only abortion clinic. Physicians and the former, sole abortion provider in North Dakota on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, asked a state district court judge for a preliminary injunction to temporarily block the state's revised abortion laws. (AP Photo/Dave Kolpack, File)
November 21

How to avoid respiratory viruses and stay healthy over the holidays

Experts continue to stress that current vaccination is one of the most important factors in reducing the spread of respiratory disease.
November 21
Experts continue to stress that current vaccination is one of the most important factors in reducing the spread of respiratory disease.
November 21

4 out of 5 Mexicans who got a flu shot this year turned down Cuban and Russian COVID-19 vaccines

Four out of five people in Mexico who got influenza shots so far this year turned down the government's recommendation they get Russian or Cuban COVID-19 boosters at the same time
November 21
FILE - A youth gets a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine during a vaccination drive at University Stadium in Mexico City, Friday, July 23, 2021. Four out of five people in Mexico who got influenza shots so far this year turned down the government’s recommendation they get Russian or Cuban COVID-19 boosters at the same time, officials said Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
November 21

Democratic division blocks effort to end Michigan's 24-hour wait for an abortion

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a package of bills known as the Reproductive Health Act
November 21
FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses supporters before signing legislation to repeal the 1931 abortion ban statute, which criminalized abortion in nearly all cases, during a bill signing ceremony, April 5, 2023, in Birmingham, Mich. Two key pieces of legislation that would have repealed a 24-hour wait period required for patients receiving an abortion and also allowed state Medicaid dollars to pay for abortions were left out of a package signed Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, by Whitmer. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
November 21

Missouri Supreme Court deals a blow to secretary of state's ballot language on abortion

The Missouri Supreme Court has turned away an appeal about how to word a ballot question on access to abortion
November 21
FILE - Missouri's Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft speaks, Nov. 7, 2017, in Valley Park, Mo. The Missouri Supreme Court on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 let stand a ruling by lower courts against Republican-written summaries of abortion-rights ballot measures that described several proposed amendments as allowing “dangerous and unregulated abortions until live birth.” (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
November 21

Dozens of premature infants were evacuated from Gaza. Here's the care they will need

Premature infants are at increased risk of serious illness and death.
November 21
A premature Palestinian baby, evacuated from Gaza, lies inside an incubator on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border in Rafah, Egypt Nov. 20, 2023.
November 21

How some popular medications could change Thanksgiving dinner

Dr. Alok Patel breaks down how what people taking some popular medications used for weight loss should know before the holiday.
November 21
VIDEO: How some popular medications could change Thanksgiving dinner
November 21

The UK took action too late during COVID-19 pandemic's first wave, its top medical officer says

The U.K.'s chief medical adviser has told a public inquiry that Britain’s government was too late in taking action against the coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020
November 21
FILE - Britain's prime Minister Boris Johnson, centre, Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty, left, and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance speak hold a press conference at Downing Street on the government's coronavirus action plan in London, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Johnson, the former British prime minister, struggled to come to grips with much of the science during the coronavirus pandemic, according to his then chief scientific advisor. In keenly awaited testimony Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 to the country’s public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Vallance said he and others faced repeated problems getting Johnson to understand the science. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool, File)
November 21

Takeaways on fine water, a growing trend for the privileged in a world that's increasingly thirsty

Fine water is a growing category worldwide, even in water-stressed countries like India, where one company imports natural spring water that's bottled in sleek glass bottles in Bhutan
November 21
People sample glasses of fine water during an international water tasting competition held in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. This year’s champions in each category, from still water to sparkling and super-low minerality to high, came from Austria, New Zealand, Panama, Scandinavia and other parts of the world. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)