Health Archives

Bothwell staff train with pediatric specialists in midst of peak summer trauma season

July 30, 2026 5:40 PM Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)— Doctors and nurses at Bothwell Regional Health Center spent Wednesday preparing for pediatric emergencies through hands-on simulations led by specialists from Children’s Mercy and University of Missouri Health Care. The eight-hour training focused on helping emergency department staff recognize and respond to pediatric trauma through realistic scenarios and procedures. Emergency Department Director

Drownings up 80% in Missouri, Highway Patrol says

July 30, 2026 3:48 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Deaths by drowning are up 80% compared to last year, according to a Thursday press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. MSHP wrote that from Jan. 1-July 30, it has responded to 27 drownings, marking an 80% increase from the same period in 2025. There have also been 30 total water

Boone County makes up more than 13% of Missouri cyclosporiasis cases

July 27, 2026 3:15 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) More than 13% of cyclosporiasis cases in Missouri are located in Boone County. The latest state data that was updated on Sunday shows that 593 cases of the diarrhea-inducing disease have been reported in the state. As of Monday afternoon, 79 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in Boone County, according to

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver secures $5 million for alpha-gal syndrome research in defense bill

July 24, 2026 11:10 AM Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An amendment pushed by United States Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City) to provide $5 million for alpha-gal syndrome research was included in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. “By including my bipartisan amendment to invest $5 million in dedicated research, Congress is finally beginning to address a growing health challenge

Valley Hope opens new outpatient addiction treatment center in Columbia

July 23, 2026 5:15 PM Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Valley Hope has opened an outpatient addiction treatment center in Columbia, offering continued care for people with substance-use disorders who do not require overnight treatment. The center provides an intensive outpatient program that includes group therapy, education and individual counseling. Patients can continue living at home and going to work or school

Boone County now at 53 cyclosporiasis cases

July 22, 2026 4:52 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Eight new cases of cyclosporiasis were reported in Boone County on Wednesday, according to a spokesman from the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. Total cases in Boone County now sits at 53, a jump from 45 on Tuesday. Cole County’s health department reported seven total cases on Wednesday. The Missouri

Boone County cyclosporiasis total climbs to 45 cases

July 21, 2026 6:03 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) There have been a total of 45 cases of cyclosporiasis in Boone County as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. A PHHS spokesman told ABC 17 News on Monday that there were 37 cases of the diarrhea-causing illness reported and Cole County had five cases,

Vienna Fire Protection District installs mile markers on Gasconade River

July 21, 2026 6:37 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Vienna Fire Protection District finished installing mile markers on the Gasconade River in Maries County on Saturday, according to a social media post from the district. The Saturday post says the last 19 markers were placed on Saturday. The department says the new markers should be able to help during emergencies.

Diarrhea-causing-illness cases rise in Mid-Missouri as cause remains unclear

July 20, 2026 12:07 PM Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Cases of cyclosporiasis, a diarrhea-causing foodborne illness, are on the rise in Missouri, with cases in Mid-Missouri increasing over the weekend, and the cause of the outbreak is still unknown. The Columbia/Boone County Health Department reported 37 cases of cyclosporiasis as of Monday, which is seven more since Friday. The Cole County

University of Missouri pulls dining hall lettuce over cyclospora risk

July 19, 2026 10:15 AM Haley Swaino

The University of Missouri has pulled its dining hall lettuce for possible contamination with Cyclospora, the parasite causing thousands of cases of diarrhea across the United States.

MU spokesperson Travis Zimpfer told ABC 17 in an email Saturday that there was a recall for the Cross Valley Farms-branded lettuce served at the university.

Boone County up to 22 cases of cyclosporiasis; Taylor Farms pulls lettuce from central Mexico

July 17, 2026 3:48 PM Ryan Shiner

Editor’s note: The number of cases has been updated in real time as the health department receives updated numbers. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County saw its diagnosed cases of cyclosporiasis increase to 22 on Friday, according to the county’s health department. Cases in the county increased from nine to 13 between Wednesday and Thursday. The

Cyclosporiasis cases nearly double in Missouri; Boone County up to 13 cases

July 16, 2026 11:48 AM Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) In about a week, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has reported that cases of cyclosporiasis in Missouri has nearly doubled from 43 to 80. “There are more cases across the country than we usually see in an entire year,” DHSS said in a Facebook Post Thursday. The Columbia/Boone County

Show-Me State Games organizers prepare for summer heat

July 16, 2026 5:56 PM Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Thousands of athletes will compete in Columbia Friday through Sunday for the Show-Me State Games, and organizers say keeping everyone safe in the summer heat is their top priority. Bruce Ungles with the Show-Me State Games said it has been working with MU Health Care to monitor weather conditions and follow heat-safety

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Has the cyclosporiasis outbreak changed your spending habits at grocery stores?

July 16, 2026 3:58 AM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in Boone County and it has led to hospitalizations at area hospitals. Health officials in Boone County are still trying to determine if local cases are tied to the national outbreak that has been affecting Michigan and Ohio. Has the cyclosporiasis outbreak changed your spending

9 cases of cyclosporiasis reported in Boone County this week; Boone Health reports 5 hospitalizations

July 15, 2026 1:51 PM Ryan Shiner, Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Nine cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in Boone County this week, according to Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, with health officials investigating whether the cases are connected to a larger national outbreak. The PHHS initially reported eight confirmed cases earlier in the day, but an additional case was confirmed

Missouri bans insurance companies from instituting time limits for anesthesia coverage

July 14, 2026 4:36 PM Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Kehoe signed House Bill 2372 into law Monday that includes several overhauls to healthcare laws in the state. HB 2372, was sponsored by state Rep. Tara Peters (R-Phelps County) and state Sen. Mike Bernskoetter (R-Cole County). One provision in the bill, bans health insurers from placing time limits on anesthesia

Missouri cases of diarrhea-causing illness are connected to travel, DHSS official says

July 13, 2026 12:54 PM Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missourians have been mostly spared from the diarrhea-causing illness contracted by eating contaminated produce or water. Currently, the Department of Health and Senior Services has reported 43 cases since this time last year, and data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show Missouri with zero reported cases of cyclosporiasis since July

Missouri maternal mortality report shows rate for Black women 2.5 times that of white women

July 8, 2026 8:42 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on Wednesday published its multi-year maternal mortality report. The report included data from 2019-23 and determined there were 340 deaths in total. The mortality rate of Black women who went through pregnancy was 2.5 times higher the rate of white women’s, the report says.

Health officials warn rising summer temperatures can interfere with some medications

June 29, 2026 6:59 PM Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA MO. (KMIZ) With high temperatures expected to continue throughout the week, officials are warning that vulnerable populations can be affected. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, there were 35 heat-related deaths in the state in 2025. Out of those, five were in hot vehicles, one was occupational and 21 of

Second class action lawsuit filed against Columbia Orthopaedic Group over stolen information from ransomware attack

June 23, 2026 3:02 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A second class action lawsuit was filed against Columbia Orthopaedic Group on Monday in Boone County. The new lawsuit also alleges that Columbia Orthopaedic Group did not do enough to protect patients’ personal information after a ransomware attack occurred last month. A class-action lawsuit was filed last week in Boone County by