Latest Health News

FRIDAY, Aug. 4, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Los Angeles county is seeing more cases of flea-borne typhus, with 171 cases and three deaths reported in 2022, health officials reported Thursday. That's a big rise, they noted: Since 2010, when only 31 cases of typhus were reported, fleas have been spreading the disease widely in the California city. While many people who become infected don't even know they're sick, those with serious medical conditions are at risk for severe illness or death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We don't completely understand how typhus causes complications, but we do know that flea-borne typhus can cause complications in general, such as sepsis, fevers and issues with your liver," said report author Dr. Jemma Alarcon, a CDC...

FRIDAY, Aug. 4, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- Covered in menacing needlelike spines, the prickly pear cactus demands to be treated with care. In return, it will reward you with a juicy neon fruit and fleshy green pads that have nourished people for millennia.While the spines that protect the plant from predators can intimidate, the showy clusters of yellow, red and orange flowers that bloom atop the cactus pads can captivate. These ephemeral flowers give way to the oval fruit that, like the pads, packs a nutritional punch including vitamin C, minerals and fiber."Prickly pears are considered to have many health benefits," said Hope Wilson, a dietitian and nutritionist with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. "They're low in sodium, low in fat and have zero...

FRIDAY, Aug. 4, 2023 (HealthDay News) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended that all infants under the age of 8 months be given a new antibody shot to help guard against severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).The antibody shot, sold as Beyfortus, has been shown to reduce the risk of both hospitalizations and healthcare visits for RSV in infants by about 80 percent, the CDC said in a news release announcing the new recommendation.“This new RSV immunization provides parents with a powerful tool to protect their children against the threat of RSV,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen. “RSV is the leading cause of hospitalizations for infants and older babies at higher risk and today we have taken an important step to make this life saving...

FRIDAY, Aug. 4, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- There is a long list of reasons to avoid high-sugar foods, and a new study may be adding one more: kidney stones.Researchers found that among over 28,000 U.S. adults, those with a lot of added sugars in their diet were more likely to have a history of kidney stones. People in the group downing the most sugar were 39% more likely to have had stones, versus those who consumed the least sugar.The findings -- published Aug. 4 in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition -- do not actually prove that sugar is the culprit.And for people trying to prevent kidney stone recurrences, it's best to focus on more precise diet advice aimed at the stone-forming chemicals in their urine, according to Dr. Johnathan Khusid, who specializes in treating kidney stones at...