Last week's flu activity was particularly intense in the South, Southwest and western U.S. The states reporting lesser amounts of suffering were mostly in the northern Great Plains and in New England. So far this season, the CDC estimates, there have been at least 5.3 million flu illnesses, 63,000 hospitalizations, and 2,700 deaths — including at least 11 children. It's not clear if this winter respiratory virus season will be any worse than others. So far it seems relatively typical, at least for kids.
A surprising class of blood cell not typically associated with immunity plays a role in shaping the durability of immunity to vaccination, new research suggests.
It's easy to forget that we live in an age of medical wonders. Cancer tumors can be slowed or shrunk in ways previous generations couldn't imagine, with everything from pills to genetically engineered white blood cells. Surgeons can transplant a face, or replace a heart valve without cracking a chest.
It's been well known for many decades that exercise provides many benefits to our health. But a new scientific consortium is revealing new insights into just how profound exercise can be for the human body.
Nearly 900 people aboard cruise ships were sickened from gastrointestinal disease in December amid an escalation in both the frequency and severity of outbreaks, according to data from the CDC. In 2024 there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships, from norovirus, salmonella, e. coli or other unidentified pathogens that cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. That's the largest number of cruise ship outbreaks in 12 years. Five of those outbreaks occurred in December. The most recent incident involved the British ocean liner Queen Mary 2, where nearly 13% of passengers and over 5% of crew aboard were infected. This is happening amid a nationwide surge of norovirus, a fast-moving virus often transmitted through fresh food or water contaminated with tiny particles of infected feces or vomit. It can also be transmitted through surfaces and human contact, with most outbreaks happening in places like hospitals, restaurants, and long-term care facilities.
Nearly 300 primary care physicians at MGB who petitioned the National Labor Relations Board in November to let them vote to form a chapter of the Doctors Council of the Service Employees International Union. They have cited overwhelming workloads, insufficient pay for the hours they worked, a shortage of office staff, and lack of a voice in decisions made by MGB. The unionizing effort is part of a flurry of labor organizing by attending physicians and doctors in training at several large health systems in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Just last year, doctors approved, or took steps toward approving, unions at Salem Hospital (which is part of MGB), Cambridge Health Alliance, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brown University Health and Care New England, both in Rhode Island. The mobilizing mirrors a national trend. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of physicians belonging to unions grew by 26%, from 46,689 to 67,673, although they still only represent a small fraction of all doctors, according to Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine at Stanford University in California, who has studied the issue. And the trend has only accelerated since then.