MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 vaccines given to children last fall helped keep many out of emergency rooms (ER) and urgent care, new data shows.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that COVID vaccines reduced the risk of ER visits by 76% in kids under age 4 and by 56% in kids ages 5 ... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Doctors now have new tools to fight gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted infection that has grown harder to treat over time.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two new antibiotics: Zoliflodacin and gepotidacin.

This is the first new major treatment for gonorrhea... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering adding the strongest safety warning available to COVID-19 vaccines.

The move has alarmed many outside health experts, who say there is no scientific basis for the warning.

People familiar with the plan told CNN the FDA i... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A new evidence review offers some sobering info for folks preparing to raise more than a couple celebratory glasses during Christmas or New Year’s.

Alcohol significantly increases a person’s risk of developing a wide range of cancers, and that risk rises further as more is imbibed,... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Folks with diabetes might fare better if health care professionals pick out and deliver their groceries, a new study says.

Folks with diabetes who received home deliveries of diabetes-appropriate grocery boxes for three months had better blood sugar control by the end of the experiment, resear... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Doing nothing at all to manage a common fetal heart defect might improve the survival odds of babies born prematurely, compared to treatment with drugs, a new clinical trial suggests.

A “wait and see” approach to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) doubled a preemie’s chances of s... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — It’s safe to slowly taper some people off antidepressants after their depression fades, rather than continuing the drugs indefinitely, a new evidence review says.

People who slowly tapered off antidepressants while receiving psychological counseling had a similar risk of relapse to those... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Farm kids tend to have far fewer allergies than urban children, and a new study offers one possible explanation: The milk provided by breastfeeding moms.

Children who grow up in farming communities have immune systems that mature faster, with higher levels of protective antibodies during their... Full Page

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Most people receiving shock therapy for mental health problems aren’t receiving any sort of psychological counseling before having their brains zapped, a new study says. 

Only a third of patients said they’d been asked about recent stressful events or childhood traumas like ab... Full Page

SUNDAY, Dec. 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Injure a tendon and you might not notice right away, but beware: These injuries often fail to heal properly, putting everyday activities at risk. 

"No matter how strong your muscle is, you’re not going to be able to have the functionality and the stability you need if a tendon is im... Full Page

SATURDAY, Dec. 13, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Listen to the influencers, skin-care specialists say, and your daily shower could do more harm than good.

"Your skin is a barrier," said Dr. Nicole Negbenebor, a dermatologic surgeon at University of Iowa Health Care, told The Associated Press. "So you want to treat it right, and th... Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Americans may soon have access to a new sunscreen ingredient already used around the world.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Dec. 11 that it is reviewing a proposal to allow bemotrizinol in sunscreens sold in the United States. 

The ingredient is already approve... Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Americans may be getting older and need help doing things that were once routine, but a new survey finds only a fraction of seniors see themselves as having a disability.

"It’s a familiar story," Megan Morris, director of the Disability Equity Collaborative at New York University, told <... Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — South Carolina health officials say a measles outbreak is growing amid holiday travel and low vaccination rates, and they warn the spread could continue for weeks.

As of Dec. 10, the state’s Department of Public Health has confirmed 114 cases, nearly all in the state’s upstate regi... Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — An at-home device that sends a gentle electrical current to the brain to help treat depression has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Experts say the move could expand access to care for many folks.

The prescription headset, made by Sweden-based Flow Neuroscienc... Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Smokers who use cigarettes and vape devices interchangeably might not be doing themselves as much of a disservice as once feared, a new study says.

These "dual users" are more likely to eventually quit smoking than people who smoke without vaping, researchers reported Dec. 10 in the journal Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Virtual nurses aren’t an effective way to help hospitals deal with a lack of staffing, a new study says.

Hospitals struggling to attract and retain nurses are trying out virtual nursing programs, in which nurses in remote locations rely on video and messaging technologies to keep tabs on... Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The best way to improve amputees’ control over a bionic hand is to give the hand a mind of its own, a new study argues.

A bionic hand that’s controlled by an artificial intelligence (AI) program, but under the direction of the amputee, provides the best approximation of normal hand... Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — People could learn within 15 minutes whether they are infected with hepatitis C, thanks to a rapid test developed by Northwestern University.

The test will allow doctors to diagnose infections during an office visit and kickstart patients’ treatment before they leave, researchers said.Full Page

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More than half of people with a rare life-threatening bleeding condition received lasting relief from an experimental antibody treatment, clinical trial results show.

Ianalumab, a monoclonal antibody, helped patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) maintain safe platelet counts without seri... Full Page