FDA Raises Cheese Recall To Highest Risk After Listeria Found

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Federal regulators have escalated a nationwide cheese recall to their most serious warning level after lab tests confirmed the presence of Listeria, a potentially deadly bacteria.

The action was announced in a Jan. 6 enforcement report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...

Study Finds FDA Used Evidence, Not Politics, in Abortion Pill Decisions

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The abortion pill mifepristone has long been at the center of heated political discussions. 

But a new review suggests that behind the scenes, the federal agency that regulates the drug usually followed the science, not politics, when making key decisions about it.

The study &mdash...

New Barbie With Autism Aims To Help Kids Feel Seen and Included

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For many children, toys are more than playthings, they’re a way to feel understood. 

That’s the idea behind a new Barbie released this week, designed to reflect the experiences of people with autism.

The doll, introduced Monday by Mattel, is the first Barbie created to ...

NYC Nurses Launch Largest Strike in City History

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Thousands of nurses at several major New York City hospitals walked off the job Monday, marking the largest nurses' strike the city has ever seen.

The strike affects five major hospitals: Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, Montefiore Medical Center and NewYork-Pr...

Seniors With Dementia Being Prescribed Dangerous Mind-Altering Drugs, Study Says

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Many seniors with dementia are being put at risk by brain-altering medications linked to falls, confusion and hospitalization, a new study says.

In all, 1 in 4 Medicare-covered seniors with dementia have been prescribed drugs like antipsychotics, barbiturates and benzodiazepines, even though ...

Exercise, Diet Can Help Counter Gestational Diabetes

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Exercising and eating right can help a pregnant woman significantly reduce her risk for gestational diabetes, a new evidence review says.

Those sorts of healthy lifestyle choices reduced the odds of gestational diabetes by up to 20%, researchers reported Jan. 7 in The BMJ.

&ldq...

Blood Test Can Predict Crohn's Disease, Researchers Say

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A simple blood test can predict a person’s future risk for the GI illness Crohn’s disease, a new study says.

The test can predict Crohn’s years before symptoms appear, making possible early diagnosis, treatment and even prevention, researchers reported Jan. 12 in the journal...

IV Iron Replacement Might Be Easier, More Effective Treatment For Iron Deficiency Anemia

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Women with iron deficiency anemia caused by heavy menstrual bleeding might be better helped by IV iron replacement compared to supplement tablets, a new study argues.

A single dose of intravenous iron replacement helped women better than iron supplements taken every other day, researchers rep...

They Spent Hours In A Room Full Of Flu Patients And Walked Out Healthy — Here's How

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Stick some flu patients in a confined hotel room with a group of healthy volunteers for hours on end, whiling away the time with conversation or card games.

What do you figure will happen?

Nothing, it turns out.

Not a single person caught the flu from a room full of college-aged f...

Confused About CPR? Don't Count On TV Shows For Accurate Depictions, Study Warns

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — How do you perform CPR properly? Who’s most likely to need CPR? Where are they most likely to collapse?

Don’t turn to scripted TV shows for answers to these questions, a new study warns.

Television depictions of cardiac arrest are likely to leave bystanders unprepared when i...

Frozen Tater Tots Recalled Over Plastic Contamination

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Thousands of cases of frozen tater tots are being recalled amid concerns they may contain pieces of hard plastic, federal health officials say.

The recall, listed as ongoing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), involves more than 38,000 cases of frozen potatoes made by McCain Foods ...

California Warns Against Foraging After Deadly Wild Mushrooms Kill 3

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — California health officials are warning residents to avoid eating wild mushrooms after a sharp rise in poisonings that has left multiple people dead and others with severe liver damage.

Thirty-five people in the state were poisoned by wild mushrooms between Nov. 18 and Jan. 4, according to the...

Measles Cases Surge in South Carolina, Spread to Other States

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Measles cases are climbing fast in South Carolina, and health officials say the outbreak is now spreading beyond state borders.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed 99 new measles cases since Jan. 6, bringing the state’s total to 310 cases, officials said in their lat...

Astronaut Crew Returning Early From Space Station Due to Medical Issue

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is undertaking its first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station.

The evacuation of four astronauts — two from the U.S., and one each from Russia and Japan — is a safety precaution, NASA said. 

A Self-Injectable Birth Control Med Is Available, But Most Doctors Don't Prescribe It

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Young women could be injecting long-lasting birth control meds themselves, but few have been told by their doctor that it’s an option, a new study says.

Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) can prevent pregnancy for up to three months, and is available in a form that can be self-inje...

New Pill Can Report When You've Swallowed It

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — There’s a new — and somewhat creepy — way to make sure people are taking their prescription medications on schedule.

Researchers have developed a pill that can report when it’s been swallowed, by sending out a radio signal from inside the stomach.

The experimental...

Childhood Cancer Survivors Age More Rapidly, Genetics Show

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — More kids than ever are surviving cancer, but a new study shows how their childhood brush with the disease continues to haunt their health into adulthood.

Teenage and young adults who survived childhood cancer appear to age faster than people their age who never had cancer, researchers reporte...

Want To Protect Your Gum Health? Eat More Tomatoes, Study Suggests

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Worried about your oral health?

Eat more tomatoes, a new study suggests.

Insufficient intake of lycopene — a nutrient found in tomatoes and other red fruits — is associated with a significantly higher risk of gum disease in older adults.

Seniors who get enough lycopene ...

Teenage Girl's Case Highlights Potential Explanation For Chronic UTIs

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Millions of women and girls worldwide suffer from chronic urinary tract infections that defy treatment and stump both doctors and microbiologists.

But researchers now think they have figured out one way chronic UTIs occur.

A growing body of evidence suggests that the cause of these UTIs ...

Headed For Surgery? Try To Lower Your Stress Levels, Study Suggests

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Are you facing upcoming surgery?

One of the best ways to prepare is to de-stress, a new study says.

People who are stressed out prior to surgery appear to suffer more pain afterward and take longer to recover, researchers report in the January issue of the journal Anesthesiology...