Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., are experiencing high or very high levels of respiratory illness, with influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytical virus all contributing to increased healthcare visits across the U.S. 

The FDA shared new guidelines for when manufacturers can label food as "healthy" in a final rule published Dec. 19.

More than 3 million deaths were reported in the U.S. in 2023, with 10 leading causes accounting for more than 70.9% of all fatalities. 

The CDC on Dec. 18 confirmed a patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe bird flu infection, marking the first human case of severe illness tied to the H5N1 virus in the country. 

Four-and-a-half years after its publishing date, ScienceDirect retracted a study that examined whether hydroxychloroquine could be a potential treatment for COVID-19. 

A concern voiced by public figures — including President-elect Donald Trump and his nominee for HHS secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr. — is that the number of vaccines administered to children may overwhelm their immune systems and contribute to conditions such as autism. This claim was denounced by medical experts, who emphasized that vaccines are designed to be safe and effective, The New York Times reported Dec. 15. 

Respiratory virus activity is continuing to rise across the U.S. with flu, COVID-19 and RSV all contributing to increased healthcare visits, according to a  Dec. 13 CDC report. 

In 2023, the United States saw a slight decrease in obesity prevalence among adults, according to research findings published Dec. 13 in JAMA. 

Influenza surveillance systems that focus solely on in-hospital deaths may miss up to 50% of flu-related deaths because many occur post-discharge, according to a study recently published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. 

The Environmental Protection Agency has banned two solvents, trichloroethylene and percoethylene, marking a victory for environmental and public health advocates, The New York Times reported Dec. 9. 

Seasonal influenza activity is on the rise in the U.S., with an uptick in both flu-related emergency department visits and laboratory-confirmed cases, according to a Dec. 6 CDC report. 

New projections for U.S. life expectancy forecast a slight increase by 2050, though the nation is expected to fall behind many other nations in global health rankings, according to research published Dec. 5 in The Lancet.

During Thanksgiving week, the CDC recorded 364 whooping cough infections, surpassing the previous record of 228 cases the same week in 2010. 

University Hospitals St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, has confirmed that a patient previously receiving treatment under isolation after arriving from Tanzania with flu-like symptoms has been cleared and is no longer in isolation.

CMS has reached agreements with bluebird bio and Vertex Pharmaceuticals for their FDA-approved gene therapies for sickle cell disease — Casgevy and Lyfgenia, respectively. 

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia expanded its food insecurity program by providing families of patients with six months of produce and/or a week of prepared meals, WHYY reported Dec. 2.

Federal efforts to prevent fraud in the ACA marketplace are yielding positive results, but new restrictions aimed at curbing fraud may complicate the 2024 open enrollment period, KFF Health News reported Nov. 25. 

HHS has issued a final rule that removes clinical research requirements for kidney and liver transplants from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV. 

Flu activity is showing a slight increase across the U.S. as seasonal influenza begins to circulate more widely, according to the CDC. 

The CDC released three papers warning about a rare bacterial disease that primarily poses a danger to people experiencing homelessness and organ transplant recipients who have received infected organs, The Washington Post reported Nov. 20.