SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rising levels of noroviruses, a highly contagious infection, have been detected in wastewater in several California cities, testing shows.

WastewaterSCAN data shows “high concentrations” of noroviruses in Sacramento, Davis, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Vallejo, Novato, Redwood City, Turlock and San Rafael.

...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS – A new study by University of Minnesota researchers found no evidence to support fears that childhood consumption of fluoride and fluoridated water reduces intelligence.

Utah and Florida in 2025 banned the use of fluoride in public water supplies, despite its well-documented benefits for oral health, after a report showed an ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Tuberculosis infected more than 8 million people in 2024—surpassing COVID-19 and marking a record high since 1995—as a new Johns Hopkins–developed vaccine emerges amid rising antibiotic resistance.

The nasal spray, DNA-based vaccine targets two genes to help the immune system fight drug-tolerant “persisters” that survive...Read more

Measles is back in the United States. More than 1,500 cases have already been reported in the first months of 2026, putting the country on pace to surpass last year’s total of more than 2,200, the highest number in decades. Public health officials warn that the nation’s status as “measles free” is now at risk as childhood vaccination ...Read more

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people covered by Medicaid rose month after month – an unusual pattern for the government’s insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities.

Why? A policy of continuous coverage during the pandemic essentially halted Medicaid disenrollment to make it easier for people to ...Read more

When Maria looked at herself in the mirror for the first time after her mastectomy, she stood very still.

One hand rested on the bathroom counter. The other hovered near the flat space where her breast had been. The scar was raw and angry. The loss was quiet but enormous. Her body felt foreign.

In moments like these, people ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My cousin, who's in her 30s, was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I've always thought of colorectal cancer as something that affects older adults. Why are more young people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and is it different when it happens at a younger age?

ANSWER: For many years, colorectal cancer was ...Read more

LAME DEER, Mont. — Misty Pipe had about an hour before her shift began at the post office. She used that time to check in on a new mom who lives a few miles outside this town at the heart of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.

A mom of seven, Pipe is a doula on the reservation who supports new and expectant parents. She does that work ...Read more

It starts with a slight scratchiness at the back of your throat.

Then, a sneeze.

Then coughing, sniffling and full-on congestion, with or without fever, for a few insufferable days.

Viral upper respiratory tract infections – also known as the healthandspirit/health/healthtips/s-4067748">Read more

Smoking is really bad for you. Most people know that. Even smokers think smoking is bad for one’s health. But most people don’t know just how bad it is.

More people in the United States die every year from smoking than from alcohol, illegal drug use, car accidents, suicides and murders combined. Cigarette smoking costs an ...Read more

As the risk of measles remains an ongoing concern, herd immunity in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is already slipping. According to data obtained via The Washington Post in January 2026, 1 in 3 Allegheny County kindergartners were in a classroom too far below adequate vaccination coverage to stop a measles outbreak during the 2023-24 school...Read more

An increasing number of U.S. states have passed laws that allow health care providers – including doctors, nurses and pharmacists – to refuse to treat patients based on their personal or religious beliefs. While these conscientious objection laws have long existed for issues such as abortion, their effects on LGBTQ+ people have not been ...Read more

In between patients at my oncology clinic, I couldn’t catch my breath. I asked my nurse to check my oxygen level and pulse. My chest felt heavy, as if something were pressing on it.

I sat in the same examination chair my patients use, watching the monitor and running through possible diagnoses. But I knew what this was.

A panic attack.

My ...Read more

U.S. regulators have withdrawn their approval of a GSK Plc drug that the Trump administration had promoted as a treatment for autism, adding another twist to the unusual story of a decades-old drug.

The Food and Drug Administration is pulling its approval of Wellcovorin, a branded version of leucovorin from GSK Plc, according to a post Thursday...Read more

Amid a renaissance in the science of psychedelics, public interest in psilocybin – or magic mushrooms, as they’ve long been known – is surging.

One study found that rates of psilocybin use increased 44% among adults ages 18-29 from 2019 to 2023, and 188% among those over age 30. This amounts to more than 5 million adults using ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. — Rosa María Carranza leaned forward to hold a 3-year-old’s back as the girl climbed a rock in the forested hills of northeast Oakland.

Dressed in hiking gear and beaded necklaces, Carranza, 67, maneuvered between trees and children on a sunny morning in December. “Hold on to that branch,” she said in Spanish. “You ...Read more

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. One in 5 patients is diagnosed with metastatic disease, meaning the colorectal cancer has spread beyond the colon, often to the liver.

When surgery isn't an option, a liver transplant may be a lifesaving alternative. Mayo Clinic leads in this approach, combining ...Read more

As golf season approaches, preparation should start before your first tee time. Building strength off the course can improve performance and help reduce injury risk.

"Play the long game by building strength off the course," says John Zajac, D.P.T., a physical therapist certified in golf-specific rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine. "...Read more