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Latest KFF Health News Stories

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Expected To Recommend Delaying Hepatitis B Shot for Children

KFF Health News Original

A federal vaccine panel, recently reshaped by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is expected to vote on delaying the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Pediatricians warn that could open the door to a comeback for a disease virtually eradicated among U.S. children.

An HIV Outbreak in Maine Shows the Risk of Trump’s Crackdown on Homelessness and Drug Use

KFF Health News Original

Public health experts and advocates say the outbreak has been fueled by a confluence of local factors, including the sweeping of a homeless encampment and shuttering of a sterile-syringe program. But those issues may not remain local for long. The Trump administration is leading efforts to promote similar tactics nationwide.

Parents Fear Losing Disability Protections as Trump Slashes Civil Rights Office

KFF Health News Original

The Education Department’s civil rights office often intervenes when students face discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or disability and their families can’t resolve complaints locally. Parents fear the effort to gut the federal agency will leave them with nowhere to seek justice.

¿Por qué mueren más personas mayores después de sufrir caídas?

KFF Health News Original

En 2023, el año más reciente con datos disponibles de los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC), más de 41.000 personas mayores de 65 años murieron por caídas.

A Surgical Team Was About To Harvest This Man’s Organs — Until His Doctor Intervened

KFF Health News Original

A 22-year-old was shot in the head in St. Louis. As a surgical team prepared him for organ harvesting, his neurosurgeon raced to the operating room to stop it, saying that his patient had a chance at life. Today, the man is alive, sharing his story.

Affirmative Action Critics Refuse To Back Down in Fight Over Medical Bias Training

KFF Health News Original

A nonprofit fighting affirmative action in medicine and a Los Angeles ophthalmologist have launched a long-shot legal appeal aimed at ending California’s requirement that every continuing medical education class include training to recognize and address unconscious bias.

Climate Activists Cite Health Hazards in Bid To Stop Trump From ‘Unleashing’ Fossil Fuels

KFF Health News Original

Buoyed by a Montana court ruling upholding state residents’ right to a “clean and healthful environment,” nearly two dozen people ages 7 to 24 hope to block the Trump administration’s executive orders on energy.

Lice Pose No Health Threat, Yet Some Parents Push Back on Rules To Allow Affected Kids in Class

KFF Health News Original

Public health officials see lice as a nuisance, not a health threat, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended for years that students with live lice be allowed to remain in class. But as “no-nit” policies have been dropped in favor of “nonexclusion” rules, some school districts have seen parents and teachers push back.