LGBTQ youth who have been diagnosed with autism were over 50% more likely to attempt suicide in the past year compared to LGBTQ youth who have never had an autism diagnosis, according to a research brief published Friday by the Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth under 25.
Driving the news: The shortage, exacerbated by pandemic-induced supply chain issues and recent product recalls, has sent the price of formula skyrocketing in certain communities.
Almost half of OB-GYN medical students will not receive any abortion training if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade this summer, according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco.
Driving the news: The court is currently considering a challenge to a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi. A ruling in the case could jeopardize Roe's survival, or at least narrow its precedent.
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield announced that she tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday.
What she's saying: "I last saw the President Wednesday in a socially-distanced meeting while wearing an N-95 mask, and he is not considered a close contact as defined by the CDC," Bedingfield said in a tweet.
Thursday's federal watchdog report accusing Medicare Advantage of denying too many services that should have been paid for under Medicare coverage rules is inflaming Washington's debate over whether the program is helping seniors or simply padding insurers' pockets.
Why it matters: Medicare Advantage enrollment has ballooned in recent years, making the question of its value — both in terms of quality and cost — increasingly important.
The San Francisco Bay Area’s largest transit system will now require masks until at least July 18, the SFGate reports.
The big picture: The move comes after a federal judge in Florida earlier this month struck down the mask mandate on planes, trains and other forms of public transportation.
A cure for multiple sclerosisremains elusive, but a decade of technological and scientific advances is starting to shed light on possible causes, better diagnostics and potential treatments for the disease.
Why it matters: MS — a central nervous system disease affecting almost 3 million people globally — has baffled doctors since it was discovered over a century and a half ago.
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed two rules that would ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
Driving the news: FDA commissioner Robert Califf announced the rules while testifying before a congressional subcommittee, saying that "these actions are appropriate for the protection of public health."
Moderna on Thursday submitted a request to the FDA for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to under 6 years of age.
Why it matters: Young children have been largely unprotected throughout the pandemic. The FDA's approval could ultimately permit them to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID cases are on the rise in all but six states and Washington, D.C., as the Omicron subvariant continues to spread across the U.S.
The big picture: Case rates and hospitalizations are still well below pandemic highs, prompting NIAID director Anthony Fauci to say this week that the nation is out of a "full-blown explosive pandemic phase."
Hospitals' financial fortunes have taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, thanks to less-than-favorable Medicare policies and rising labor and supply costs.
Why it matters: Hospitals are by far the largest driver of U.S. health care spending, and critics have argued for years that Washington is reluctant to take on the powerful industry. But the crunch that hospitals now face may have unintended effects on patient care, and will be hard for rural and safety net hospitals to weather.
Measles cases jumped 79% globally in 2022 compared to the same period last year, United Nations health experts warned Wednesday.
Why it matters: The rise in January and February "is a worrying sign of a heightened risk for the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases," per a joint statement from the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
