Health News

Joao Paulo Burini/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — A Pennsylvania woman in her 80s has died after contracting West Nile virus, health officials said this week. The woman lived in Pittsburgh and is the first human case reported in Allegheny County this year, according to the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). Officials said the woman experienced fever and weakness and was …

Carol Yepes/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The best time to take an at-home COVID-19 test is on the fourth day of having symptoms, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Researchers looked at nearly 350 people and found that viral load peaked a few days after symptoms started. “Viral load just refers to the amount of …

Courtesy Kate Korson (NEW YORK) — Kate Korson was living out her dream of caring for rescue horses in Colorado and preparing to celebrate her 34th birthday when she said she received a surprising diagnosis. Just one week shy of her birthday, Korson said she was diagnosed with stage 3, triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive and invasive form of the …

Courtesy the Carrigg family (WASHINGTON) — For one military family, the consequences of a partial government shutdown would be dire: It could mean not affording treatments and medications for their child who is fighting for her life. Austin Carrigg and her husband, Master Sgt. Joshua Carrigg, are parents of three — their youngest, 11-year-old Melanie, has Down syndrome, a congenital …

Tetra Images/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Amid the high cost and rising popularity of drugs used for weight loss like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy, pharmacists and medical doctors are warning consumers about some websites that sell discounted versions of the drugs. When a consumer orders a drug online, they have no way of knowing what is in the medication, among …

Jennifer A Smith/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Over-the-counter agents to treat upper respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion make up a multi-billion-dollar business. But recently, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee ruled that oral phenylephrine, commonly found in some over-the-counter, or OTC, products like Dayquil, Mucinex, and Sudafed PE, does not work as a decongestant. The decision has left many …

Tim Sheehan/The Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration this week relaunched the website where Americans can once again order free at-home COVID tests. The website had been shut down since June but came back online just as updated COVID vaccines rolled out across the country. Here’s how to order the tests and why you should …

nazarethman/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Brittany Tichenor remembers her daughter Isabella, whom she called Izzy, as the “sweetest person” she has ever met, someone who was resilient and amazing, a 10-year-old child whose eyes were “big and brown.” Those memories of her daughter as a vibrant fifth-grader make it harder, she says, to reconcile that her daughter died by suicide …

Joao Paulo Burini/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — More than three million cases of dengue fever have been reported in the Americas this year with over 882 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the second highest annual rate in the Americas since 1980. Dengue is spread through mosquitoes, which thrive at hotter …

NASA (NEW YORK) — After 371 days in space, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is returning to Earth Wednesday. The 47-year-old broke the record for the longest time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut earlier this year after his original six-month mission at the International Space Station was extended by an additional six months. Rubio told ABC News’ Good Morning …