In the three decades between 1993 and 2024, measles in the U.S. was relatively rare – a few hundred cases each year, at most. But suddenly, the disease has become so entrenched in American life that it sometimes fails to make headlines when a new outbreak erupts.

As of March 2026, measles has been continuously circulating around the...Read more

BATON ROUGE, La. — The ambitious liver doctor would go just about anywhere in his home state to give people the hepatitis B vaccine.

Bill Cassidy offered jabs to thousands of inmates at Louisiana’s maximum-security prison in the early 2000s. A decade before that, he set up vaccine clinics in middle schools, a model hailed nationally as a ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: After my brother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, I read that it's often treated with surgery first. Can you tell me more about the surgery?

ANSWER: When someone is diagnosed with colorectal cancer — which includes both colon and rectal cancers— many people immediately think "surgery." And it’s true that surgery ...Read more

UW Medicine officials on Wednesday warned of the growing number of measles cases in Washington state ahead of the summer travel season and FIFA World Cup and related events planned in the Puget Sound region.

Measles is considered highly contagious and easily spread. According to information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and ...Read more

A new study led by researchers at UC San Diego shows a certain protein detected in the blood can provide decades of early warning that a person is at an increased risk of developing dementia later in life.

The finding has the potential to provide a longer runway to make the lifestyle changes that can help reduce risk, and could be used to ...Read more

Over the past few years, a new class of medications has transformed the treatment of obesity. Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro work primarily by reducing appetite, helping people eat less and feel full sooner. Their success has demonstrated something important: Body weight is biologically regulated, and targeting the right biological ...Read more

The carnivore diet is an extremely restrictive eating pattern that includes only animal-based foods — such as meat, poultry, eggs, fish, seafood, and in some cases limited dairy — while cutting out all plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Because it eliminates carbohydrates almost entirely, it’s...Read more

Fiber is an essential nutrient that supports digestion, promotes healthy weight management, and may reduce your risk of conditions like diabetes and heart disease. However, if you boost your fiber intake too quickly, it can cause bloating.

This is because your body can’t fully digest fiber. Instead, your gut produces bacteria that break it ...Read more

Gut health is easy to take for granted — or to ignore completely, if everything is generally functioning well. But gut problems can affect your overall health in a variety of ways, from the obvious (stomach discomfort) to less obvious effects on mood and immune function.

Why gut health matters

An essential aspect of gut health centers on the...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Weights are part of my regular workout, but I’ve noticed more people at my gym deadlifting. I’d like to try it. What are the benefits, and how do I get started?

ANSWER: Deadlifting can add variety and take your workout to a new level. It’s a great full-body exercise that targets the larger muscle groups in your lower ...Read more

Doctors have long recommended daily aspirin for years as a low-cost protection against cancers of the lower bowel.

New research suggests there might not be a dependable benefit for low-risk patients. However, the drug can increase the risk of dangerous bleeding by preventing clotting, according to a report published in the Cochrane Library Feb....Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A week after Florida cut nearly 12,000 people off the state program providing affordable access to life-saving HIV/AIDS medication, state senators are making a last-minute move to fund the program in full for the next few months.

The Florida Department of Health blindsided lawmakers in January when it announced a plan to ...Read more

Thinking about certain types of alcohol can alter your mood and trigger certain mindsets, especially among young consumers. For instance, tequila calls up a party mindset, whiskey activates a masculine mindset, and wine primes a sophistication mindset.

Those are the key takeaways of a new study my team and I published in the journal ...Read more

Patients who are prescribed higher daily doses of the medication buprenorphine for opioid use disorder are significantly more likely to stay in treatment. Those on 17 to 24 milligrams averaged 190 days in care compared to 90 days for those on 8 milligrams or less. Yet Black patients are less likely than white patients to receive the higher ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national public health leader by staking out science-backed policies in contrast with the Trump administration.

After Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez for refusing what ...Read more

It was a snowy afternoon in Bozeman, a city of nearly 60,000 nestled among the mountains of southern Montana. Temperatures hovered in the mid-30s.

The city’s mobile crisis team had just gotten a call about a man walking around outside without shoes. The man’s family told the team he was having a mental health crisis and wouldn’t come ...Read more

OTTUMWA, Iowa — Leisa and Kent Walker recently received a disturbing notice: The private company managing their son’s Medicaid coverage intends to cut nearly 40% of what it spends for caregivers who help him live at home instead of in a nursing home.

Sam Walker, 35, has severe autism and other disabilities. He is deaf and cannot speak. ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota could soon legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms on a small scale, as lawmakers point to emerging research that suggests the psychedelic drug could help treat intractable mental illnesses.

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is pushing to create a pilot program allowing for therapeutic use of the drug ...Read more