Fox News Health

The state of Maryland has confirmed its first measles case in a Howard County resident who recently traveled internationally. Here’s what you should know.

Virginia health officials said they are aware of a confirmed case of measles that may have exposed other travelers at Dulles International Airport on March 5 between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Exercise has proven benefits for all areas of physical and mental health, and that includes sleep quality. A new study pinpointed the type of activity that helps to prevent insomnia.

Verizon executive Sowmyanarayan Sampath and mental health expert Dr. Keneisha Sinclair-McBride revealed safe phone use tips and advice for parents and grandparents in the digital age.

Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. What is hantavirus and how does it spread? Experts weigh in on the fatal disease.

Post-COVID pulmonary fibrosis, which involves scarring of the lungs that can worsen over time and may require a lung transplant, affects some patients after infection, according to pulmonologists.

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Gladstone Institutes are partnering on the Decoding Broken Hearts Program, which will help treat heart disease with stem cells and AI.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a large study into possible connections between vaccines and autism. Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical contributor, weighs in.

The state of Florida has reported its first measles case for 2025 in Miami-Dade Public Schools. Amid the measles outbreak this year, experts note the importance of vaccination.

Although winter is coming to a close, cold and flu season is still threatening our immune systems. Dr. Roger Seheult offers advice on how to stay healthy with these daily practices.

An unvaccinated adult in New Mexico who was infected with measles has died. The person didn’t seek medical treatment, officials said. The death comes amid an outbreak in nearby Texas.

How many push-ups can you do — and how does that stack up with others your age? In a Thursday “FOX & Friends” segment, viewers sent in their own videos showing their push-up prowess.

Obesity has long been classified as a global epidemic — and new data published in The Lancet journal spotlights how much worse it could get.A team of researchers found that in 2021, one billion men and 1.11 billion women over 25 years of age worldwide qualified as overweight or obese — twice as many as in 1990.In 2021, more than half of the world’s overweight and obese adults lived in eight countries: China (402 million), India (180 million), the U.S. (172 million), Brazil (88 million), Russia (71 million), Mexico (58 million), Indonesia (52 million), and Egypt (41 million), according to a press release.THIS DISEASE KILLS MORE PEOPLE THAN ALL CANCERS AND ACCIDENTS COMBINEDIf the increase continues at this same pace, the study projects that more than half (57.4%) of men and 60.3% of women will be overweight or obese by 2050.The three countries expected to have the highest rates of overweight or obesity by 2050 are China (627 million people), India (450 million) and the U.S. (214 million).The study also found that by 2050, nearly one-quarter of obese adults will be 65 or older.The researchers analyzed data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, spanning 204 countries and territories.OZEMPIC’S HEALTH BENEFITS KEEP GROWING, BUT ARE THE RISKS WORTH IT?”The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a profound tragedy and a monumental societal failure,” said lead author Professor Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, in the release.”Governments and the public health community can use our country-specific estimates on the stage, timing and speed of current and forecasted transitions in weight to identify priority populations experiencing the greatest burdens of obesity who require immediate intervention and treatment, and those that remain predominantly overweight and should be primarily targeted with prevention strategies.”Another finding was that “more recent generations are gaining weight faster than previous ones and obesity is occurring earlier.” This increases the risk of younger people developing obesity-related conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and multiple cancers.There were some limitations to the study, the researchers acknowledged.”Predictions are constrained by the quantity and quality of past data as well as systemic biases from self-reported data, which are likely to remain despite attempts to correct for bias,” they wrote. They also noted that the definition of overweight and obesity is based on BMI (body mass index), “which does not account for variations in body structure across ethnic groups and subpopulations.”The study also did not take into account the effects of GLP-1 anti-obesity medications and other interventions.Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert at Senolytix, called out obesity as the “single greatest modifiable threat to longevity, economic stability and national security.””Yet, instead of confronting the problem head-on, our culture continues to coddle bad habits, normalize obesity and abandon personal responsibility,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital.WEIGHT LOSS MAY BE HELPED BY DRINKING THIS, STUDY SUGGESTS”This crisis is not about food deserts genetics or corporate greed — it’s about choices. And we are making the wrong ones.”The obesity crisis can be linked to sedentary lifestyles, ultraprocessed foods and an “entitlement mentality that demands a pill for every problem,” according to Osborn. “The reality is simple: Obesity is caused by caloric surplus and a lack of movement,” he said. “When you consistently eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Period.”If cases rise to the study’s projections by 2050, Osborn warned that “obesity-related diseases will cripple healthcare systems worldwide.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER”The recent Lancet study projects over 1.3 billion global diabetes cases and more than two million obesity-driven cancers annually,” he said. “Cardiovascular disease will double in prevalence across multiple regions, and the economic burden will exceed $4 trillion per year. This is unsustainable.””Our healthcare system was never designed to support a world where over half the population has a preventable, self-inflicted disease.”The fight against obesity isn’t about aesthetics, Osborn said — “nor is this a personal affront to overweight or categorically obese people. This is about survival.””The world has two choices: Act aggressively now or pay an unfathomable price later,” he went on. “The time to fight obesity — relentlessly and unapologetically — is now.”For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/healthThe study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It was conducted by the GBD 2021 Adolescent and Adult BMI Collaborators. Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. considered vitamin A as a CDC-recommended therapeutic for supportive measles care. Public health and infectious disease experts weigh the benefits and risks.

Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel spoke with Fox News Digital after being appointed an honorary Secret Service agent by President Donald Trump. The 13-year-old shared more about his cancer journey.

The Fox News Health Newsletter brings you trending and important stories about health care, drug developments, mental health issues, real people’s triumphs over medical struggles, and more.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).So-called “gender-affirming surgery” could lead to potentially dangerous mental health effects, a new study has found.Transgender individuals face “heightened psychological distress,” including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, “partly due to stigma and lack of gender affirmation,” as stated in the study, which was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.Researchers from the University of Texas set out to determine the mental health impacts from transgender people who underwent “gender-affirming surgery.”GENDER DYSPHORIA AND EATING DISORDERS HAVE SKYROCKETED SINCE PANDEMIC, REPORT REVEALS: ‘RIPPLE EFFECTS’The study focused on 107,583 patients 18 and over with gender dysphoria, some who underwent surgery and others who did not.They determined rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and substance-use disorders were “significantly higher” among those who underwent surgery, assessed two years later.Males with surgery had depression rates of 25% compared to males without surgery (11.5%). Anxiety rates among that group were 12.8% compared to 2.6%.The same differences were seen among females, as those with surgery had 22.9% depression rates compared to 14.6% in the non-surgical group.Females who underwent surgery also had anxiety rates of 10.5% compared to 7.1% without surgery.Surgeries that aimed to “feminize individuals” showed “particularly high” rates of depression and substance abuse two years after the procedures, the study found.”Findings suggest the necessity for gender-sensitive mental health support following gender-affirming surgery to address post-surgical psychological risks,” the researchers wrote.Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist and author, said the study findings highlight the “often overlooked” psychological risks that accompany gender-affirming surgery.”While these surgeries can be critical in helping individuals align their physical appearance with their gender identity, they are not a cure-all for the mental health challenges many transgender individuals face,” Alpert, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.‘GENDER-AFFIRMING’ TREATMENTS DON’T BENEFIT YOUTH, SAYS PEDIATRICIANS GROUP: ‘IRREVERSIBLE CONSEQUENCES’”These findings suggest that surgery alone doesn’t eliminate the complex psychological burdens that stem from societal stigma and personal struggles with identity,” he went on.”In fact, taking a scalpel to treat a psychological disorder can sometimes lead to more issues, as the study results are elucidating.”Florida neurosurgeon Dr. Brett Osborn, who also was not part of the study, agreed that “surgery is no guarantee of happiness.””We’re often told that gender-affirming surgery is essential for alleviating gender dysphoria — but what happens when the euphoria fades?” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.”The key question remains: Is the surgery itself causing distress, or are preexisting mental health issues driving people toward it? Correlation or causation? No one knows.”A 2022 study showed that around 1.4 million American adults identify as transgender and about 0.6% of all American adults experience gender dysphoria.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER”The dramatic upward trend of gender dysphoria among young people in recent years should raise serious questions about the role of cultural and social influences,” Alpert said.”While increased awareness has made it easier for some children to express their struggles, we cannot ignore the possibility that social contagion, along with peer influence and social media, may be contributing to this surge.”Both experts caution against rushing into surgery or other irreversible decisions.Teens who are being treated for gender dysphoria should be “properly supported and treated with compassion” without being pressured into making “life-altering” medical decisions, Alpert advised.Osborn also stressed the need for comprehensive psychological evaluations, especially for those with preexisting mental health challenges. Mental health support, lifestyle modifications and counseling should all take precedence before surgery, not after, he said.”You don’t amputate a limb because of temporary pain, and you certainly don’t permanently alter your body without exhausting every other option first,” he said.Osborn expressed the same cautions about hormone therapy — “we’re talking about irreversible changes that demand lifelong management.””This isn’t about politics and ideology — it’s about health, longevity, and making sure people don’t undergo drastic, life-altering procedures only to regret them,” he said.For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health”That said, to a great degree, the burden is on us physicians who took an oath to first do no harm.”Mark Trammell, executive director of The Center for American Liberty, which provides legal representation to people who are de-transitioning after trans surgeries, provided the below statement to Fox News Digital.”The findings of this study should serve as a wake-up call. But for the young detransitioners we represent in lawsuits against gender clinics, these statistics are their lived reality,” he said.”Their so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ did not alleviate their distress — it created new mental health struggles and, for many, introduced suicidal thoughts for the first time. This is why we are fighting to hold those responsible accountable.”Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers requesting comment.

Extreme heat may accelerate aging in older adults, a new study suggests. More days of higher temperatures resulted in faster biological aging, with potential negative health impacts.

President Donald Trump, during his joint address to Congress in Washington, D.C., appointed a 13-year-old boy who’s battling cancer as an honorary Secret Service agent.

Amid the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas, Fox News’ senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel sat down with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an exclusive interview to discuss contagion concerns.