CNN – Health

By Brenda Goodman, CNN The updated Covid-19 booster shots appear to work about as well against the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants as the original boosters they replaced, according to two new studies from research teams at Harvard and Columbia universities. The research suggests that our bodies have been well-trained to fight the original virus,

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN The social media platform TikTok has helped spread yet another potentially dangerous idea: taping your lips shut to stop mouth breathing at night. “If you have obstructive sleep apnea, yes, this can be very dangerous,” said sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School

By Brenda Goodman, CNN Parents who need to take a child to the emergency room are facing agonizing waits in many parts of the United States because of a shortage of hospital beds. Hospitals across the country say they are being overwhelmed by an early surge in respiratory infections including RSV, influenza and enterovirus. As

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN For nearly two decades, Kristin Friberg has been a librarian with the Princeton Public Library in New Jersey, where one of her many roles is to lead local book groups. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she worried about the book club participants who had become friends over the years and the

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN New ads promoting the Covid-19 vaccines are making their debut this week, targeting specific communities that have had a slow uptake of the updated shots. Black audiences are encouraged to get vaccinated in the “On Point” video, released by the US Department of Health and Human Services on Monday. A Spanish-language

By Steve Almasy and Sara Turnbull, CNN Hundreds of students missed class Monday at a northern Virginia high school where “a number of students have tested positive for influenza A” and others have symptoms consistent with the flu. The number of students who stayed home from Stafford High School in Fredericksburg dropped from about 1,000

By Jessica DuLong, CNN Straight away, Nora McInerny noticed core differences in how people responded to the coronavirus pandemic. For some, the deadly virus and its upheaval constituted the “first big thing they’d ever been through.” Meanwhile, McInerny and others whose lives had been shaped by grief, loss or tragedy had long known that “life

By Jen Christensen, CNN In September, an 8-month-old baby came into Dr. Juanita Mora’s office in Chicago with an infection the doctor hadn’t expected to see for another two months: RSV. Like her peers across the country, the allergist and immunologist has been treating little ones with this cold-like virus well before the season usually

By Jamie Gumbrecht and Alaa Elassar, CNN Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tested positive for Covid-19 Friday. Walensky is experiencing mild symptoms and is up-to-date on her Covid-19 vaccines, according to a statement released by the agency. Walensky received an updated Covid-19 booster in September. “Consistent with

By Faith Karimi, CNN Eris Eady was scrolling through social media this week when she saw a news headline linking hair-straightening chemical products to an increased risk for uterine cancer. She paused. In the early 2000s, she worked as a cosmetologist and frequently used the products to straighten her hair and other women’s as well.

By Jen Christensen, CNN In the wake of flooding from Hurricane Ian, Lee County, Florida, has seen what the state’s Department of Health called an “abnormal increase” in cases of a rare bacterial infection. Florida has reported 64 Vibrio vulnificus infections and 13 deaths this year as of Friday, according to the health department, up

By Madeline Holcombe. Photographs by Travis Dove for CNN A roomful of teenagers — some old friends and some strangers — stood with their hands, feet or backs together and their eyes closed. “We are never alone in this world,” says Davis Cooke, 18, a high school senior and a founder of the group, who

By Raja Razek, CNN As US health officials are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of this year’s flu season, nearly half the students at a Virginia high school were absent with flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms this week, according to the school district. “There are approximately 1,000 students absent with flu-like/gastrointestinal symptoms at Stafford High