The vast majority (84%) of Americans with pets say their animal companion brings a positive mental health impact to their lives, a new poll shows. The poll of more than 2,200 adults conducted early last month also found about two-thirds of respondents calling their pet “a true friend,” a “companion” and someone who “provide[s] unconditional…  read on >  read on >

As new outbreaks of measles — a once nearly eliminated illness in the United States — continue to emerge, experts remind Americans that there’s an easy way to stop infection: Get vaccinated. “Measles spreads so easily that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not vaccinated or…  read on >  read on >

Although the pandemic has ended, staffing shortages and employee burnout still plague U.S. nursing homes, a new government report finds. But the problems didn’t end there: The report, issued Thursday by the Inspector General’s Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, showed that infection-control procedures were still sorely lacking at many facilities.…  read on >  read on >

Even if they got a COVID booster last fall, American seniors should still get a second shot this spring to best protect themselves, U.S. health officials recommended Wednesday. The latest guidance, voted on by a vaccine advisory panel and endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that a second booster is…  read on >  read on >

Teens have a higher risk of self-injury — deliberately cutting or burning themselves — if they have a fraught relationship with a struggling parent, a new study shows. Teenagers were nearly five times more likely to self-injure if, when they were 6, their moms and dads reported stress and discomfort in their role as parents,…  read on >  read on >

Folks hoping to quell their anxiety would do best to use cannabis products that don’t get them high, a new clinical trial has found. The non-intoxicating marijuana compound CBD appears to help manage anxiety better than THC, the chemical in weed that gets people high, researchers say. Patients with anxiety randomly assigned to smoke CBD-dominant…  read on >  read on >

Once thought to be a bygone disease, measles is making a comeback in the United States and globally as folks shun a safe, surefire way to prevent it: The measles vaccine. But what is measles, and how easily does it spread? Drs. Aaron Milstone and Lisa Lockherd Maragakis, two infectious disease experts at Johns Hopkins…  read on >  read on >

Rural homeowners face a greater threat from odorless, radioactive radon gas than people living in urban areas, and it’s likely due to the wells they rely on for their water supply, a new study shows. On average, people living in rural communities are exposed to 30% higher residential radon levels than people in cities and…  read on >  read on >