Antibiotics

Drug-resistant “superbug” infections have been called a developing nightmare that could set medicine back a century, making conquered germs once again untreatable. So there’s some surprising news in a report released Wednesday: U.S. superbug deaths appear to be going down. About 36,000 Americans died from drug-resistant infections in 2017, down 18% from an estimated 44,000 in 2013, the Centers for...

U.S. health officials are investigating what might be causing hundreds of serious breathing illnesses in people who use e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. They have identified 380 confirmed and probable cases in 36 states and one territory, including six deaths.

A Virginia-based veterinary blood bank is battling a shortage.

An abysmal start to the 2019 NFL season could get worse for the Jets, with second-year quarterback Sam Darnold, selected third overall by Gang Green in last year’s draft, expected to miss a few weeks thanks to mononucleosis.

Sniffling, sore-throated kids seen via telemedicine visits were far more likely to be prescribed antibiotics than those who went to a doctor’s office or clinic, according to a new study. Many of those prescriptions disregarded medical guidelines, raising the risk they could cause side effects or contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs. “I understand the desire for care that’s...

There were 228 confirmed victims in the U.S. last year of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, a rare, mysterious and sometimes deadly paralyzing illness that seems to ebb and flow on an every-other-year cycle and is beginning to alarm public health officials because it is striking more and more children. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy...

Scientists are racing to find novel ways to treat infections when traditional antibiotics fail, and they’re developing unusual approaches such as pitting one germ against another.

Defying orders banning him from leaving the country, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido made a surprise appearance at a star-studded aid concert in neighboring Colombia, joining thousands of other Venezuelans in pressuring President Nicolas Maduro into allowing the delivery of emergency food and medicine. On the Venezuelan side, a much smaller crowd gathered for a rival, three-day “Hands Off Venezuela”...

People seeking dubious, potentially harmful treatment for cancer and other ailments raised nearly $7 million over two years from crowdfunding sites, a study found. Echoing recent research on campaigns for stem cell therapies, the findings raise more questions about an increasingly popular way to help pay for costly, and sometimes unproven, medical care. Soliciting money on GoFundMe and other sites...

Hordes of rats are brazenly taking over homes inside a NYCHA building, stomach-turning video shows. Checkey Beckford reports.

The number of babies born with syphilis has doubled since 2013 and is at a 20-year high, federal health officials said Tuesday....
More than 900 U.S. babies were born infected with syphilis in 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported....
It’s easy to cure a syphilis infection with antibiotics, but the sexually transmitted infection often does not cause immediate symptoms...

When emergency tests showed the telltale right-sided pain in Heather VanDusen’s abdomen was appendicitis, she figured she’d be quickly wheeled into surgery. But doctors offered her the option of antibiotics instead. A new study from Finland shows her choice is a reasonable alternative for most patients with appendicitis. Five years after treatment with antibiotics, almost two-thirds of patients hadn’t had...

Nearly 100 cases of an intestinal illness connected to McDonald’s salads throughout Illinois, the state’s health department said Thursday.

You might not be able to see them, but ticks are out there!

“Nightmare bacteria” with unusual resistance to antibiotics of last resort were found more than 200 times in the United States last year in a first-of-a-kind hunt to see how much of a threat these rare cases are becoming, health officials said Tuesday. That’s more than they had expected to find, and the true number is probably higher because the effort...

Tempted to stifle a loud or untimely sneeze? Let it out instead, doctors in England warned Monday based on the very unusual case of a man who ruptured the back of his throat when he tried to suppress a sneeze. In a case study published in the journal BMJ Case Reports, doctors described their initial confusion when the previously healthy...

Brooklyn teenager Julia Bruzzese never imagined she’d be going to high school in a wheelchair. New Jersey cop Margie Raimondi still can’t believe she’s not on patrol. Manhattan singer-songwriter Dana Parish feels lucky to be alive.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned that U.S. drug shortages are possible because power outages in Puerto Rico have stopped or limited production at many medicine factories there. Nearly 10 percent of the medicines used by Americans, plus numerous medical devices, are made in Puerto Rico, which lost most electricity when it was hit hard by Hurricane Maria...

A publicist for Jerry Lewis says the comedian is recovering after being treated at a Las Vegas hospital for a urinary tract infection.