Two people in eastern Wisconsin and one person in northeastern Illinois have died of West Nile virus, according to health officials. A third person in Wisconsin also has been hospitalized because of the mosquito-borne illness, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said Thursday in a release. That state’s cases involve residents of Outagamie, Fond du … Read more
Parents are more likely than non-parents to experience severe and prolonged stress compared with non-parents, a new report by the United States surgeon general said. Experts say the report aligns with mental health indicators in Canada, and there are key changes that can help. The report by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said that … Read more
WARSAW, Poland — Seeking to ease access to abortion for women needing to end a pregnancy for health reasons, Poland’s government is issuing guidelines to doctors Friday that reaffirm the legality of such procedures, based on medical recommendations. Under the current law, abortions for health reasons are permitted but the previous conservative government limited some … Read more
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian health authorities and United Nations agencies on Sunday began a large-scale campaign of vaccinations against polio in the Gaza Strip, hoping to prevent an outbreak in the territory that has been ravaged by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Authorities plan to vaccinate children in central Gaza until Wednesday before moving … Read more
DENVER — Simon Rubick had lost almost everything to decades of alcoholism and drug addiction. In 2022, he found himself without a vehicle and without a home, which forced his two teenage children to move in with friends. He had burned bridges with friends and family and it took a drug-induced stint in the hospital … Read more
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Climate change is stressing rainforests where the highly sensitive cocoa bean grows, but chocolate lovers need not despair, say companies that are researching other ways to grow cocoa or develop cocoa substitutes. Scientists and entrepreneurs are working on ways to make more cocoa that stretch well beyond the tropics, from Northern … Read more
As climate change reshapes the way humans live outdoors, it’s affecting the way they play, too. That includes runners, who may find themselves in harm’s way on a warming planet. They pursue a sport that esteems grit and suffering in pursuit of improvement. Experts told The Associated Press that can be a recipe for heatstroke … Read more
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ oversight of nursing homes would be strengthened, LGBTQ+ nursing home residents would be protected against discrimination, and better controls would be in place to protect against the spread of infectious disease outbreaks, under a new bill lawmakers passed this week. Approved on Thursday, the bill would require long-term care facilities to provide … Read more
U.S. regulators have cleared a third updated COVID-19 vaccine for this fall, shots made by Novavax Inc. Already, Pfizer and Moderna are shipping shots modified to better match more recent strains of the ever-evolving coronavirus. Those doses can be used in adults and children as young as 6 months. Friday, the Food and Drug Administration … Read more
OMAHA, Neb. — A group seeking to legalize marijuana for medical use in Nebraska has gathered enough signatures to get the issue before voters in November, the state’s top election official said Friday. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced earlier this year that it had gathered about 114,000 signatures — well more than the approximately 86,000 … Read more
