Midsummer heat and high humidity aren’t just uncomfortable — they’re a combo that can cause serious illness and even death. “Whenever you walk or do outdoor activity, take a friend with you who can help you if you run into trouble,” Dr. Eleanor Dunham advised. She’s an emergency medicine doctor at Penn State Health Milton…  read on >  read on >

The rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant around the world means that the United States will continue with COVID-19 international travel restrictions for now, a White House official said Monday. The Delta variant now accounts for 83% of all U.S. coronavirus cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While…  read on >  read on >

Even if they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, certain people may need to take extra precautions to prevent “breakthrough” infections with the highly transmissible Delta variant, experts say. The Delta variant is causing most of the new COVID cases in the United States, and older people and those with immune-compromising conditions may be at greater risk…  read on >  read on >

Air pollution causes you to gasp and wheeze. Smog puts strain on your hearts and inflames your lungs. Could dirty air also be costing you your brain health? A trio of new studies finds that air quality appears linked to a risk of thinking declines and dementia, and bad air might even promote toxic brain…  read on >  read on >

People of color are consistently less likely to see medical specialists than white patients are, a new U.S. study finds, highlighting yet another disparity in the nation’s health care system. Researchers found that compared with their white counterparts, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans had significantly fewer visits to doctors of various specialties —…  read on >  read on >