ORLANDO, Fla. — The vaccination rate for Orange County kindergarteners hit a 20-year low this year, and experts fear that with fewer children immunized, outbreaks of infectious diseases are likely.

The percentage of pupils entering kindergarten fully vaccinated also has plummeted across the state and in other Central Florida counties, ...Read more

In simple terms, pediatricians save children, while Bobby Kennedy kills children. And so the dangerous quack Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now attacking the American Academy of Pediatrics, which dared to issue guidance recommending that children under age 2 be given the COVID-19 vaccine, in contrast to the fatally ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've recently been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. I'm trying to understand what IBD is and how it will affect me. Will I need surgery?

ANSWER: Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is an umbrella term for a group of chronic conditions that cause inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract. It primarily includes ...Read more

Heading into the respiratory illness season, states and clinicians are working to encourage pregnant patients to get COVID-19 vaccinations, even though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services no longer recommends that they should.

Along with being older and having an underlying health condition, pregnancy itself is a risk factor. ...Read more

Maryland is the first state to tap into an old fund connected to the Affordable Care Act to help solve a new problem: helping pay the expenses of patients who travel to Maryland for an abortion.

With abortion now restricted or illegal in 22 states, jurisdictions like Maryland have become a destination for patients from as close as neighboring ...Read more

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The immune system is meant to protect the body from infection and disease. But with age, it can become less capable of doing so. However, Mayo Clinic researchers have found that some older people maintain "immune youth" – a new term coined by Mayo researchers to explain a young immune system in someone over age 60.

"We ...Read more

Medicare enrollees who buy the optional Part D drug benefit may see substantial premium price hikes — potentially up to $50 a month — when they shop for next year’s coverage.

Such drug plans are used by millions of people who enroll in what is called original Medicare, the classic federal government program that began in 1965 and added a ...Read more

A third person in Idaho has tested positive for the measles this month.

Public health officials announced Wednesday that the third case, confirmed in an unvaccinated child in Bonner County, has no known link between the case in Kootenai County. There also was a case in Bonneville County earlier this month. “Without any link between these two ...Read more

If you regularly struggle to get a good night’s rest, you’ve probably tried a variety of strategies, such as meditating or journaling. However, your eating habits also play a significant role in the quality of your sleep. Here are six fruits to consider adding to your diet to support better sleep.

1. Kiwi

Thanks to high levels of melatonin...Read more

As wildfires become more frequent due to climate change and drier conditions, more of us and more of our communities are at risk for harm. Here is information to help you prepare and protect yourself and your family.

How does wildfire smoke affect air quality?

Wildfire smoke contributes greatly to poor air quality. Just like pollution from ...Read more

Q: Do sweetened foods and drinks affect my metabolism?

A: Sweeteners (even sugar-free options) can have an impact on your metabolic health. Sugar-sweetened products like sodas, desserts, and many processed foods are high in calories and can lead to weight gain when consumed in excess. Over time, high sugar intake is linked to increased risks of...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’ve had some foot issues, and I heard that shockwave therapy might be appropriate. How does it work? And how can it help?

ANSWER: This noninvasive treatment uses sound waves to transmit energy to tissues to help with the healing process. You may hear it referred to as extracorporeal shockwave treatment. Extracorporeal means...Read more

People thinking about starting a business or retiring early — before they’re old enough for Medicare — may want to wait until November, when they can see just how much their Affordable Care Act health insurance will cost next year. Sharp increases are expected.

Premiums for ACA health plans, also known as Obamacare, which many early ...Read more

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month. It's a time of celebrating organ donation and educating people about transplantation by encouraging donor registration and promoting healthy living.

Dr. Shennen Mao, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, says having a diverse pool of organ donors will help serve a growing wait list of those in need...Read more

For parents of school-aged children, the fall to-do list can seem ever-growing. Buy school supplies. Fill out endless school forms. Block off parent-teacher nights. Do the kids’ tennis shoes still fit?

Somewhere, at some point, you might remember flu shots. Get your flu shot. Get their flu shots. Or should you? Can you? Is that still a thing?...Read more

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its recommendations for immunizations Tuesday, including calling for COVID shots for healthy kids, diverging from controversial advice from the federal government.

The group said it recommends the COVID shot for children ages 6 months to 23 months. Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary...Read more

The Minnesota-based Vaccine Integrity Project followed through Tuesday on a promise to provide scientific data on vaccine safety and effectiveness ― even though it contradicts President Donald Trump’s federal health advisers.

The project collected results from 590 existing studies and pooled them to see what they collectively show about the...Read more

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the state’s law banning counselors from practicing “dangerous” conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ kids.

Weiser’s office filed an 83-page brief Tuesday that argues conversion therapy — a medically discredited practice in which medical professionals try to change...Read more

For leaders in business, failing to learn the lessons of a crisis can be disastrous. For leaders in government, when millions of lives are at risk, such disasters can be catastrophic. Unfortunately, that’s where the US is heading, thanks to the disagreement that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has with his boss, President Donald Trump.

A little ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Despite an outbreak of measles last year in a Weston elementary school, Broward County saw a dramatic drop in its immunization rate for kindergartners in 2025.

In Broward, only 82.2% of 2024-25 kindergartners got their required vaccinations — the lowest level in 15 years. The public health goal is a vaccination rate ...Read more