What an infectious disease doctor has to say about the bird flu

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/19 8:12A Taylor O'Bier

After California declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in relation to the bird flu and Louisiana health officials announced the first severe case of a bird flu infection in a human in the U.S., concerns over the potential impact of this...

DOJ accuses CVS of knowingly filling unlawful opioid prescriptions

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/19 4:56A Scripps News Staff

CVS, the largest pharmacy chain in the U.S., has been accused by the Justice Department of knowingly filling faulty opioid prescriptions. In a new civil lawsuit, the DOJ claims the pharmacy company unlawfully gave patients "dangerous and...

A drop in COVID deaths in 2023 helped improve US life expectancy at birth

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/19 4:27A Justin Boggs

Life expectancy at birth in the United States has continued to rebound since the COVID-19 pandemic, as new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicates life expectancy in the U.S. in 2023 was near pre-pandemic levels. The updated...

McKinsey & Company agrees to pay $650M for helping boost opioid sales

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/13 7:25A AP via Scripps News

McKinsey & Company consulting firm has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a federal investigation into its work to help opioids manufacturer Purdue Pharma boost the sales of the highly addictive drug OxyContin, according to court papers filed...

Attorney for RFK Jr. petitioned FDA to repeal polio vaccine approval

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/13 6:00A Justin Boggs

Aaron Siri, a lawyer tied to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., filed requests in 2022 to have the Food and Drug Administration remove approval for the polio vaccine, claiming it "does not prevent intestinal infection and therefore does not prevent...

Fewer children getting a flu shot this season, CDC reports

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/13 4:16A Justin Boggs

Fewer children have gotten a flu shot this season while adult vaccination rates have remained steady, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, 36.6% of children ages 6 months through 17 years...

EPA bans cancer-causing chemicals commonly used in cleaning products

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/10 6:45A Taylor O'Bier

The clothes you drop off at the dry cleaners are going to be handled a little differently now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a ban on two chemicals that are commonly used for stain removal. The EPA said Monday it...

California investigating possible second case of bird flu in a child

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/9 4:05A Scripps News Staff

Another child in California may be infected with the bird flu. Health Officials in Marin County, which is in the Bay Area, said they are working with the California Department of Health to determine how the child may have been exposed to the...

Single mutation of bird flu virus could allow it to spread among people, research says

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/7 7:44A Taylor O'Bier

The bird flu virus strain that is rampant among dairy cows in the U.S. may only need one mutation for it to be able to spread among humans, according to a study published this week. Scientists said the results of this study reinforce the need for...

Why are some women dying from cancer at higher rates?

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/5 11:02P Tiffany Tarpley

The disparities facing Black women when it comes to health are eye-opening. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), Black women are 8% less likely to be diagnosed with cancer than white women,...

Supreme Court doesn't seem convinced FDA was unfair in blocking flavored vapes as teen use...

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/2 10:40A AP via Scripps News

A majority of Supreme Court justices didn't seem convinced Monday that federal regulators misled companies before refusing to allow them to sell sweet-flavored vaping products following a surge in teen e-cigarette use. The conservative-majority...

Perfect match: Woman donates lifesaving kidney to her identical twin

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 12/1 6:50A Scripps News Las Vegas

Since birth, identical twins Karen Rodman and Linda Thomas have been inseparable. "We have been close our whole lives. We are one coat of paint," Linda said. They raised their kids together, they worked together, and at one point, they even lived...

US expands access to organ transplants for people with HIV

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 11/27 5:41A Scripps News Staff

The Department of Health and Human Services removed a barrier for HIV patients who need a kidney or liver transplant. A new rule announced Tuesday removes clinical research requirements for these particular transplants. HHS says research shows...

Biden administration wants Medicare, Medicaid to cover anti-obesity medicines

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 11/26 12:08A Justin Boggs

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday plans to expand coverage of anti-obesity medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. The plan, which would have to be finalized by the Trump administration, would allow...

How early screening is helping fight and detect type one diabetes before symptoms appear

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 11/23 12:50A Max White

November is Diabetes Awareness Month; its a disease that affects millions of people across the United States both with type one and type two. Type one diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease....