Michigan erases $144 million in medical debt for more than 210,000 residents

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/18 5:47A Scripps News Group

Michigan has eliminated $144 million in medical debt for more than 210,000 residents as part of a state initiative announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Watch the Scripps News Group's Jolie Sherman's video report: Medical debt relief on the way The...

Healthy babies born in Britain after scientists used DNA from three people to avoid genetic disease

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/18 5:15A AP via Scripps News Group

Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an experimental technique that uses DNA from three people to help mothers avoid passing devastating rare diseases to their children, researchers reported Wednesday. Most DNA is found in...

Planned Parenthood goes to court to challenge Medicaid funding cuts

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/18 1:59A Scripps News Group

A court hearing is scheduled for Friday in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood against the Trump administration. The organization is suing the federal government over access to Medicare payments for abortions, cancer screenings, birth control,...

Trump administration hands over nation's Medicaid enrollee data, including addresses, to ICE

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/17 6:25A AP via Scripps News Group

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation's 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities, to track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the United...

Juul can continue selling its tobacco and menthol e-cigarettes, FDA says

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/17 6:20A AP via Scripps News Group

The Food and Drug Administration is allowing vaping brand Juul to keep its e-cigarettes on the market, providing relief to a company that has struggled for years after being widely blamed for sparking the teen vaping trend. FDA regulators said...

Bryan Braman, former NFL linebacker, dies at 38 from 'very rare form of cancer'

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/17 6:17A Scripps News Group

Bryan Braman, an NFL linebacker who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, died at 38 years old from a rare form of cancer, according to multiple outlets. His agent confirmed his passing to CNN and USA Today on Thursday. A GoFundMe created...

Trump administration shuts down LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/17 2:56A Scripps News Group

A government-run suicide prevention hotline intended for LGBTQ+ individuals has been closed by the Trump administration. The 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifelines LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services will be made available as part of the broader...

Florida reports 4 deaths from flesh-eating bacteria this year

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/16 4:56A Scripps News Group

Four people have died in Florida this year after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus, according to state health officials . The most recent fatal case was reported in Hillsborough County, which includes the Tampa area....

Measles cases surge past 1,300; experts blame erosion of trust in science

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/16 4:26A Justin Boggs

Measles cases in the United States have surged to a 33-year high, with over 1,300 confirmed infections this year, according to data released Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This marks a milestone in the spread of a...

Lorain County health officials warn of new tiny threat to the area: blacklegged ticks

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/15 6:17A Drew Scofield

Ticks are already prevalent in the woods in Lorain County. However, health officials now report that another species of tick has migrated to the area, bringing the threat of Lyme disease with it. According to Lorain County Public Health,...

Why popular TikTok skincare trends could harm your skin

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/13 6:20A Scripps News Group

Researchers have found that TikTok skincare trends can harm teenagers, putting them at greater risk of skin irritation and allergies. The study was done out of Northwestern University and it looked at popular TikTok videos mad by girls between 7...

Person dies from bubonic plague in northern Arizona

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/11 8:18A Taylor O'Bier

A person in northern Arizona has died from a case of bubonic plague, local health officials said. The individual, who was not identified, was treated at Flagstaff Medical Center Emergency Department and died there the same day despite life-saving...

2025 sees spike in ER visits for tick bites, CDC warns of rising health concerns

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/11 7:55A Justin Boggs

There has been a dramatic increase in emergency room visits tied to tick bites so far in 2025 compared to previous years, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. According to the CDC, there have been 443 emergency room...

FDA approves Moderna's COVID vaccine for children as young as 6 months old

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/11 7:22A Scripps News Group

Younger children will now have access to a COVID-19 vaccine but only if they're considered at higher risk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved "Spikevax," Moderna's vaccine for children aged 6 months to 11 years old. The vaccine was...

The UN warns millions will die by 2029 if US funding for HIV programs isn't replaced

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 7/11 6:04A AP via Scripps News Group

Years of American-led investment into AIDS programs has reduced the number of people killed by the disease to the lowest levels seen in more than three decades and provided life-saving medicines for some of the worlds most vulnerable. But in the...