Declining vaccination rates are making more and more U.S. children vulnerable to measles and mumps, a new study says. A national decrease in MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccinations among American children has occurred since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported June 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. More than three-quarters of U.S.…  read on >  read on >

Wildfire smoke could make it harder for people with lung cancer to survive, a new study says. Californians with lung cancer who breathed smoke from wildfires had a 20% increased risk of dying from their cancer, researchers reported Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. Wildfire smoke contains particle…  read on >  read on >

Federal health officials have pulled back a key recommendation that pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine — causing sharp criticism from doctors and other experts. The announcement came Tuesday from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said the government will no longer recommend COVID shots for healthy children or pregnant women.…  read on >  read on >

About 2 of 5 smokers in the U.S. suffer from some form of disability, a new study says. And in 1 of 7, their disability is so severe it interferes with their daily lives, researchers report. “The prevalence of disability among adults in the USA who currently smoke cigarettes was more than two times higher…  read on >  read on >

Ever thought so long and hard on a problem that your forehead grew hot, your brain became frazzled and your eyes grew bleary? A new temporary tattoo can help measure that sort of mental strain, researchers report. The wireless forehead electronic tattoo decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain and potential burnout without bulky headgear, researchers…  read on >  read on >

The top U.S. health agency will no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women. Tuesday’s announcement by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bypasses the typical vaccine recommendation process, which includes review by experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Washington Post…  read on >  read on >

Dirty, crowded urban environments can significantly increase a person’s risk of developing asthma, a new study says. Cleaner, better-thought-out cities could ward off 1 of every 10 asthma cases, researchers reported recently in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. Asthma risk in both kids and adults is increased due to urban air pollution, dense development…  read on >  read on >