What you should know about the new federal childhood vaccine guidelines
A dramatic overhaul Monday of childhood vaccine recommendations could confuse parents about which shots their kids should receive and when, Southwestern Pennsylvania medical experts say. The new vaccine schedule, established in a memo from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Acting Director Jim O’Neill, clouds recommendations for several immunizations doctors...
Here’s what to know about the unprecedented changes to child vaccine recommendations
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials made broad changes to childhood vaccine recommendations Monday, alarming pediatricians and other medical experts who say they will sow confusion and undermine children’s health. The overhaul is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will now recommend that all children...
Experts slam CDC guidance to slash childhood vaccination schedule
Pennsylvania medical experts fear vaccination rates will wane after federal health officials issued a nonbinding, but possibly influential, recommendation Monday that kids get fewer shots. Jim O’Neill, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, slashed the number of shots all children should receive to 11 from 17....
U.S. cuts number of vaccines recommended for every child, a move slammed by physicians
WASHINGTON — The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases. The change is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Flu season surged in the U.S. over the holiday and already rivals last winter’s harsh epidemic
NEW YORK — U.S. flu infections surged over the holidays, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse. New government data posted Monday — for flu activity through the week of Christmas — showed that by some measures this season is already surpassing...
Disability advocates will launch program to help transition hospital patients to home care
Across Pennsylvania’s health systems, hundreds of children with disabilities or complex medical conditions live in hospitals or extended-care pediatric facilities instead of with their families. Pittsburgh nonprofit
Achieva plans to launch a comprehensive home transition program in 2026 to help those children and families. “Every child deserves to grow up...
WVU Health System’s takeover of Independence Health reflects aggressive expansion spree
Every hospital bought by West Virginia University Health System is photographed, framed and hung on a Mountaineer Blue wall at the nonprofit’s headquarters. The effect is a visual timeline of the system’s rapid growth since its founding in 1996 as a partnership between two of the state’s premier hospitals. WVU...
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
NEW YORK — Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year. Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue....
Amid conflicting vaccine recommendations, Americans are less likely to trust Trump’s CDC, a Penn study finds
After a year of major shifts in the federal government’s policy toward vaccines, Americans are now more likely to trust the American Medical Association than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when the two conflict on vaccine guidance, a new survey shows. The survey, conducted by the University of...
Idaho company recalls nearly 3,000 pounds of ground beef for E. coli risk
An Idaho-based company is recalling nearly 3,000 pounds of raw ground beef that may have been contaminated with E. coli bacteria. The recall involves 16-ounce vacuum-sealed packages labeled “Forward Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef.” Affected packages were produced Dec. 16 and have a label telling customers to use or freeze the...
Flu, respiratory illnesses rising in Pennsylvania
Flu infections are surging across Pennsylvania. The state’s Department of Health has logged more than 35,000 cases since the start of October, with nearly 14,000 coming between Dec. 21 and Saturday. Department spokesman Neil Ruhland described the rise as a “normal annual occurrence” caused by people spending more time indoors,...
SNAP bans on soda, candy and other foods take effect in 5 states Jan. 1
Starting Thursday, Americans in five states who get government help paying for groceries will see new restrictions on soda, candy and other foods they can buy with those benefits. Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia are the first of at least 18 states to enact waivers prohibiting the purchase...
Narcan in schools? Educators react to proposed legislation
Public school officials statewide administered medication to reverse an opioid overdose 32 times during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Who received the naloxone dose and in which schools it was administered were not made public by the health department. But the growing impact of...
Judge blocks access to UPMC transgender care records
A federal judge in Pittsburgh cited the government’s own “inflammatory” rhetoric on gender-affirming care in blocking the Department of Justice’s effort to get patients’ personal information from UPMC. In her six-page order, Chief Judge Cathy Bissoon of the Western District of Pennsylvania cited decisions by five fellow judges in similar...
Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real life
LOS GATOS, Calif. — Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers...
New oral weight loss medication expected to be cheaper and more accessible
A pill version of the GLP-1 weight-loss drug Wegovy is expected to debut in the U.S. in early January. But how will the pills stack up against the already widely used injectables? Doctors in Western Pennsylvania said the pills will be a welcome addition to GLP-1 drug options for their...
U.S. regulators approve Wegovy pill for weight loss
U.S. regulators on Monday gave the green light to a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval handed drugmaker Novo Nordisk an edge over rival Eli Lilly in the race to market an obesity...
Teen drug use remains low, but survey finds small rise in heroin, cocaine use
NEW YORK — Teen use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana remains at record lows, according to national survey results released last week. They consume a lot of energy drinks, though. And there are slight, but concerning, increases in heroin and cocaine use. But overall, the findings indicate teens are drinking,...
Doctor’s orders? ‘Belly laugh at least 2 to 5 days a week’
Melanin Bee curves her spine like a stretching cat as she lets out a maniacal, forced laugh. The quick-fire pattern of manufactured giggles —“oh, hoo hoo hoo, eeh, ha ha ha”— soon ripples into genuine laughter, and she giddily kicks her feet. She’s practicing what she calls Laughasté, a hilarious...
You finally got a doctor’s appointment. Here’s how to get the most out of it
WASHINGTON — It’s not unusual for a 20-something to text Mom in a panic from the doctor’s office, seeking help answering a question. And patients of any age can struggle to recall all their medicines — or forget to mention a concern. Getting the most out of a doctor’s visit...
U.S. awards no-bid contract to Denmark scientists studying hepatitis B vaccine in African babies
NEW YORK — The Trump administration has awarded a $1.6 million, no-bid contract to a Danish university to study hepatitis B vaccinations on newborns in Africa that is raising ethical concerns. The unusual contract was awarded to scientists who have been cited by anti-vaccine activists and whose work has been...
Shapiro designates $5M to state-funded research to tackle neuro diseases
Gov. Josh Shapiro chose the University of Pittsburgh as the backdrop Friday to unveil a new $5 million research grant in the state’s 2025-26 budget — a nod to Pitt’s prominent role in neurodegenerative disease research. Scientists based in Pitt’s Biomedical Science Tower in Oakland walked Shapiro and state Health...
Squirrel Hill’s McCormick among GOP senators who urged Trump not to reclassify marijuana
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick is at odds with President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, arguing that it could adversely impact Americans’ health and safety, tax revenue and economic growth. McCormick, a Republican from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, was one of 22 GOP senators to co-sign...
Trump administration moves to cut off transgender care for children
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to block access to gender-affirming care for minors, building on broader Trump administration restrictions targeting transgender Americans. The sweeping proposals — the most significant moves this administration has taken so far...
VA disputes memo that says Pittsburgh will slash 10% of its positions
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System plans to cut nearly 10% of its positions as part of the agency’s effort to reduce its workforce nationwide, according to a memo. The memo obtained by TribLive shows the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System was allotted 4,551 positions out of about 18,000 allocated to the...
