Heart disease, stroke deaths down, but high blood pressure and childhood obesity up

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/21 6:55A Justin Boggs

The American Heart Association reported Wednesday that heart disease and stroke deaths declined in 2023, but the two conditions still kill more people in the U.S. than any other cause. The figures come from the associations 2026 Heart Disease and...

Red Cross offers Super Bowl giveaway amid critical blood shortage

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/21 5:33A Scripps News Group

Donating blood during a critical national shortage could also send one lucky donor to the Super Bowl. The American Red Cross says donors who give blood through Jan. 25 will be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LX in Los...

Doctors say immigration crackdown is keeping patients from care

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/21 2:42A AP via Scripps News Group

There was the pregnant woman who missed her medical checkup, afraid to visit a clinic during the Trump administrations sweeping Minnesota immigration crackdown. A nurse found her at home, already in labor and just about to give birth. There was...

US at risk of losing measles elimination status as cases rise

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/16 4:35A Scripps News Group

The United States is on track to lose its measles elimination status within weeks as new cases continue to be reported daily. The U.S. achieved measles elimination in 2000, meaning the virus was no longer spreading continuously within the country...

FDA wants suicide warnings removed from weight-loss medications like Zepbound, Wegovy

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/14 9:05A Scripps News Group

The Food and Drug Administration said it wants suicide warnings to be taken off some popular weight-loss medications following a comprehensive safety review. The affected products include Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and...

Two major US measles outbreaks grow; health officials urge vaccination

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/14 5:10A AP via Scripps News Group

Health officials in South Carolina confirmed 124 new measles cases since Friday, as the outbreak in the northwestern part of the state balloons following the holidays. There is a second, separate measles outbreak along the Arizona-Utah border,...

Fewer Americans sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance as costs spike

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/14 3:38A AP via Scripps News Group

Fewer Americans are signing up for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans this year, new federal data shows, as expiring subsidies and other factors push health expenses too high for many to manage. Nationally, around 800,000 fewer people...

As pancreatic cancer rates rise, blood tests provide hope for early detection

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/13 1:02A Natalie Savage

The American Cancer Society released its annual report, Cancer Statistics, 2026, on Tuesday, and while mortality rates have been declining through 2023, incident numbers are expected to increase for many common cancers, including breast,...

New US dietary guidelines urge more protein, fewer ultraprocessed foods

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/7 4:59A Justin Boggs

New Dietary Guidelines for Americans call for higher protein intake and reduced consumption of ultraprocessed foods. The newest 10-page report is far shorter than the 164-page version released in 2020. The guidelines encourage choosing whole...

Cuyahoga County Board of Health monitoring 1 confirmed, 2 probable cases of measles in local...

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/7 1:57A Drew Scofield

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is monitoring what it is calling a measles outbreak in an unvaccinated household. According to the CCBH, one child in the home has a confirmed case of the measles, and the other two children have "presumed...

'Super Flu' variant drives sharp spike in Summit County flu cases

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/7 12:20A Tessa DiTirro

The flu is spreading rapidly across the country, including in Northeast Ohio. Health officials warn that a new strain of Influenza A is driving the surge. The strain is called "Subclade K," also known as the super flu right now. In Summit County,...

Former CDC director warns vaccine changes will fuel confusion, mistrust

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/6 6:51A Scripps News Group

Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday that he believes the CDCs new recommendations for childhood vaccines are shocking and will cause confusion and mistrust among parents....

Wyoming Supreme Court strikes down abortion bans, keeping procedure legal

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/6 5:03A AP via Scripps News Group

Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court struck down laws including the country's first explicit ban on pill abortions, ruling Tuesday that they violate the state constitution. The justices sided with the states only...

Popular weight loss drug Wegovy is available in pill form — only if you pay cash

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/5 7:24A Scripps News Group

Novo Nordisk announced Monday it is making its weight loss drug Wegovy available as a pill for less than $150 a month. The program covers the starter dose of the popular drug and offers an option for people who don't want to do a weekly...

US decreases the number of vaccines it recommends for every child

News 5 Cleveland (Your Health Matters) 1/5 7:24A AP via Scripps News Group

The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child, leaving decisions about flu shots and vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus to families and their doctors. The CDC announced the...