Health

Florida plans to scrap vaccine mandates, becoming the first US state to end long-standing requirements protecting schoolchildren and adults from infectious diseases. State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the move Wednesday, denouncing existing rules as “immoral” intrusions on parental rights that restrict families’ ability to make health decisions. ]

In this edition of Entre Nous we speak to author Gretchen Rubin. Her latest book "Secrets of Adulthood" came out earlier this year. The number one New York Times bestselling author of "The Happiness Project" and "Better Than Before" also hosts the "Happier with Gretchen" podcast. We asked her about adulthood and how to make our adult lives that little bit easier.  ]

Since arriving emaciated in Italy from Gaza, little Shamm Qudeih has celebrated her second birthday and gained weight on a new diet — progress welcomed by doctors treating her for severe malnutrition worsened by a genetic metabolic disease. Story by Catherine Viette. ]

As Taliban restrictions leave Afghan women without medical care after a deadly earthquake, we have a report from one rare hospital in Kabul where women are still able to access treatment. Also, at least nine French families are suing the government over ignored pleas for help by victims of domestic violence. Annette Young talks to psychologist, Dr Andreea Gruev-Vintila, a specialist in coercive control, on the need for authorities to change their approach. Plus a new expedition is seeking to find out what happened to American aviator, Amelia Earhart, who vanished in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. ]

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted last week of leading an attempted coup, was hospitalized on Tuesday after suffering violent hiccup episodes and vomiting, his family said. The 70-year-old, under house arrest, will remain overnight under observation, according to his son Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who spoke to reporters. ]

A sign with the company logo sits outside of the headquarters of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 17, 2024.Scott Olson | Getty ImagesEli Lilly's stock is still recovering after the drugmaker released trial data earlier this month on its closely watched obesity pill that underwhelmed Wall Street.In a key late-stage trial, Eli Lilly's pill, orforglipron, caused less weight loss and had higher side effects than what analysts were expecting. The pill's efficacy also appeared to come in slightly below that of Novo Nordisk's oral semaglutide for obesity, which showed strong data in a separate study.Shares of Eli Lilly fell about 13% on the day the trial results were released, although they're up about 12% since then.But some analysts say Eli Lilly's daily pill, if approved, could sti...

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Trump administration broad cuts to National Institutes of Health grants as part of the federal government's campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion policies.But in a mixed decision the court left in place a different part of the lower court judge's ruling that threw out the administration's guidance document that introduced the policy, raising questions about whether it can be applied moving forward.The justices, on a 5-4 vote, granted in part an emergency request filed by the administration seeking to put a Massachusetts-based federal judge's ruling on hold.The court did not fully explain its reasoning, but the majority indicated that groups seeking to challenge the funding cuts have to file separate lawsuits in a different federal venue — th...

Microplastics are increasingly being found in our bodies and food supply. They are defined as pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters — about the size of a pencil eraser. But they can also be much smaller, like the size of a virus particle or a strand of DNA.Petrochemicals, the building blocks of plastic, are produced from oil and gas. The business is a small but profitable area of the fossil fuel industry, and any push back on the use of plastics is seen as a threat to the oil and gas industry."Where the industry is most vulnerable is on the human exposure to microplastics," said Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity. "They're going to have to try to tell us that exposure to microplastics every day, from birth to death is just fine. It's just great. You should ...

Visitors attend UGM 2025.Courtesy of EpicSpace travelers, robots and, of course, artificial intelligence.They were all on display on Tuesday at Epic Systems' annual Users Group Meeting, held at the health software giant's 1,670-acre campus in Verona, Wisconsin.Judy Faulkner, Epic's 82-year-old CEO, dressed for the occasion in a purple wig with neon green shoes and an iridescent vest, reminiscent of the fictional character Buzz Lightyear from the "Toy Story" franchise.At the science fiction-themed event, Faulkner told the crowd that Epic has roughly 200 different AI features in development that aim to assist patients, clinicians and insurers."We are combining the intelligence and curiosity of the human being with the investigative capabilities of gen AI," Faulkner said, in front of thousand...

Woman with Signos wearable and appSource: SignosThe Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first-ever glucose monitoring system specifically for weight loss from the startup Signos, establishing a new option for Americans to manage their weight. Current treatment options for losing weight – popular drugs like GLP-1s and surgical interventions – are typically limited to patients with obesity or a certain BMI. Obesity drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound can also be difficult to access due to their high costs, limited U.S. insurance coverage and constrained supply.But now, any patient can purchase a Signos membership to access its system. It uses an AI platform and an off-the-shelf continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, from Dexcom to offer personalized, ...