TimeMagazine 
Most Americans view soap as essential to bathing as water. The daily grind confronts us with dirt, germs, and sweat, and a soapy shower provides the simple, pleasurable antidote. Uncontroversial though soap may seem, some people are very troubled by your sudsy lather: dermatologists. “If you talk to most dermatologists, probably none of them use … Read more
OMAHA, Neb. — Egg producers blame the bird flu outbreak for driving prices to record highs, but critics believe giant companies are taking advantage of their market dominance to profit handsomely at the expense of budget-conscious egg buyers. Advocacy groups, Democratic lawmakers and a Federal Trade Commission member are calling for a government investigation after … Read more
DALLAS — The number of people with measles in Texas increased to 146 in an outbreak that led this week to the death of an unvaccinated school-aged child, health officials said Friday. The number of cases — Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years — increased by 22 since Tuesday. The Texas Department of State Health … Read more
Considering a new workout routine? A new yoga practice? Determined to use your recumbent bike for something other than hanging your clothes? Whatever the case, it never hurts to reconsider whether your fitness program is best suited for you, given the many options all claiming to being your surest route to better health. To make … Read more
WASHINGTON — This year’s harsh flu season – the most intense in 15 years – has federal health officials trying to understand if it sparked an increase in a rare but life-threatening brain complication in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 19,000 people have died from the flu so far this winter, … Read more
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa lawmakers became the first in the nation to approve legislation removing gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code Thursday, despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life. The measure raced through the legislative process after first being … Read more
In the late afternoon of Feb. 26, members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s expert committee on vaccines received an unusual email. It informed them that their upcoming meeting on March 13 to determine which influenza strains to include in the next flu shot—a meeting that has occurred every year since the late … Read more
New data reveal that the majority of abortions that were provided in most states in 2023 were medication abortions—a pattern that reproductive health experts say underscores the need to protect access to abortion pills. The Guttmacher Institute, which researches and supports sexual and reproductive health and rights, released on Feb. 27 an analysis of state-level … Read more
KINSHASA — Unidentified illnesses in northwestern Congo have killed more than 50 people over the past five weeks, nearly half of them within hours after they felt sick. The outbreaks in two distant villages in Congo’s Equateur province began on Jan. 21 and include 419 cases and 53 deaths. Health officials still do not know … Read more
LUBBOCK, Texas — A child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious—but preventable—respiratory disease since 2015. The school-aged child had been hospitalized and died Tuesday night amid the widespread outbreak, Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years. Since it … Read more