Congo’s health ministry announces a new Ebola outbreak
DAKAR, Senegal — Congo’s health ministry on Thursday announced a new Ebola outbreak, the 16th in the central African country, after a case was confirmed in the southern Kasai province. “To date, the provisional report shows 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including 14 in Boulapé and 1 in Mweka,...
$6.2M expansion at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison creates AHN rehab hub
A $6.2 million expansion at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison will boost inpatient rehabilitation space by 70% and establish it as a rehab hub for parent company Allegheny Health Network. Space for patients recovering from injuries, surgery and serious illness will increase from 17 to 29 beds. Hospital President Dr....
Kennedy tries to defend covid-19 vaccine stance in raucous Senate hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back covid-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal health agencies. Kennedy said the fired CDC director...
RFK Jr. critic and vaccine expert Paul Offit responds to his abrupt removal from the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee
Paul Offit, a prominent vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, wasn’t told why he was removed from the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee last week. He speculates it’s because of his longstanding criticism of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was a...
No prescription? No problem: Pa. clears a barrier to covid vaccines
Pennsylvanians seeking a covid-19 shot from their pharmacist no longer need a prescription after the state Board of Pharmacy changed its policies Wednesday. The change takes effect immediately, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Those interested in getting the vaccine should contact their pharmacies about availability “while pharmacies work...
Florida plans to become 1st state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandatesVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates that have been a cornerstone of public health policy for decades in keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases. State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision Wednesday, cast current requirements in...
Yes, weighted vests can help amp up your workout. Here’s what to know
In the fitness class Jessie Syfko created for a nationwide gym chain, exercisers wear weighted vests that add a challenge to their workouts. “People start to realize how good it feels to work just a little bit harder and a little bit smarter” without actually changing what they’re doing, said...
CVS requires prescription for covid shots in Pa. amid federal vaccine turmoil
CVS is requiring prescriptions for covid-19 shots in Pennsylvania because of delays on a federal panel that recommends vaccines. The new requirement reflects uncertainty over the nation’s vaccine policy under the Trump administration. Such turmoil has led several Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers to explore whether they can put more power in...
‘Sticker shock’ coming for Pennie users as health insurance premiums soar
The Health Insurance Marketplace is set to get more expensive for most Pennsylvanians who rely on it. Monthly premiums could rise by 300% for some residents who use the state’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance exchange, Pennie, to secure coverage. The average enrollee faces a possible 82% increase. All...
Trump plans a hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher prices and shortages
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has plastered tariffs on products from almost every country on earth. He’s targeted specific imports including autos, steel and aluminum. But he isn’t done yet. Trump has promised to impose hefty import taxes on pharmaceuticals, a category of products he’s largely spared in his trade...
Ex-CDC official warns of ‘undoing of vaccination’ under Kennedy policiesVideo
A former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said Sunday that he can “only see harm coming” under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis resigned last Wednesday in the wake of the White House’s firing of the agency’s director, Susan...
From diagnosis to dumbbells: How weightlifting is helping cancer patients
Breast cancer couldn’t stop Dianne Miller from becoming the strongest she has ever been. In fact, the devastating disease is what drove her to pump some iron. After a lumpectomy for Stage 1 cancer in 2023, the 68-year-old from Ligonier didn’t require chemotherapy but opted into a weightlifting study offered...
Medical experts sound alarm over CDC turmoil
Political maneuvering has overtaken disease as the greatest threat to national and global health, three public health experts told TribLive. The experts, Drs. Amesh Adalja, Paul Offit and Syra Madad, are among those sounding alarms after the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired by...
UPMC made $349 million by halfway point of 2025
UPMC earned $349 million in the first half of 2025, a massive improvement after having lost almost as much money by the same point last year. The provider side of UPMC generated $243 million in operating income, compared to $106 million for its insurance business, according to a financial report...
Pittsburgh VA restarts town hall tour, including stop in Jeannette
The Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System has revived a town hall tour in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio after abruptly canceling it last month. The tour has four stops where veterans can get information on their benefits, enroll in coverage and hear directly from leadership at the Pittsburgh VA: •...
CDC director Susan Monarez is out after less than a month on the job; other agency leaders resign
NEW YORK — The director of the nation’s top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned. “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service...
CDC dramatically scales back program that tracks food poisoning infections
Federal health officials have dramatically scaled back a program that has tracked food poisoning infections in the U.S. for three decades. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, has cut required monitoring to just two pathogens that cause infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
FDA approves updated Pfizer covid shots but limits access for some kids and adults
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators approved updated covid-19 shots Wednesday but limited their use for many Americans — and removed one of the two vaccines available for young children. The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use...
UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurses bask in union win, await contract talks
Dozens of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurses celebrated Tuesday afternoon near the Oakland medical facility after securing a union over the weekend. Ballots counted late Saturday showed nurses voting 402 to 305 in favor of unionizing. That capped off a union drive that was officially announced in May, but has been...
Baldwin High School graduate inspired by her medical experience
When Anna Lis had a migraine, she decided to take an ibuprofen and the pill became lodged in her throat. This wasn’t the first occasion that she had had trouble swallowing pills — but this time was different. It required a trip to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville....
Study says AI chatbots inconsistent in handling suicide-related queries
A study of how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots respond to queries about suicide found that they generally avoid answering questions that pose the highest risk to the user, such as for specific how-to guidance. But they are inconsistent in their replies to less extreme prompts that could still harm...
Maryland resident is diagnosed with New World screwworm. What to know about the parasite
NEW YORK — A Maryland resident who traveled to El Salvador has been diagnosed with New World screwworm — the first reported U.S. case tied to travel to a country with a current outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the diagnosis on Aug. 4. Federal health officials...
Expect health insurance prices to rise next year, brokers and experts say
Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers now. Patients may start paying for it next year. Health insurance will grow more expensive in many corners of the market in 2026, and coverage may shrink. That could leave patients paying more for doctor visits and dealing...
New street drug ‘flysky’ causes alarm in Western Pa.
Pittsburgh-area doctors are sounding the alarm on medetomidine, a veterinary tranquilizer that’s increasingly permeating street drugs like “flysky” in Western Pennsylvania. And it’s not abating anytime soon. The drug continues to become more prevalent, and doctors say there are minimal clear treatment options for the severe withdrawal process. Unlike heroin...
HHS moves to strip thousands of federal health workers of union rights
NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has moved to strip thousands of federal health agency employees of their collective bargaining rights, according to a union that called the effort illegal. HHS officials confirmed the department is ending its recognition of unions for a number of...
