disease

As the novel coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, spreads around the country and the globe, killing over 5,000 worldwide and sickening more than 150,000, many are left wondering: how close are we to a cure? THE SHORT ANSWER: We are possibly more than a year away since a vaccine cannot be developed overnight given that the process is intensive, time-consuming…

As new cases of the coronavirus are reported around the world, a doctor explains where the 2019 Novel Coronavirus comes from and what you can do to protect yourself from the outbreak.

A flesh-eating bacteria linked to the use of black tar heroin has killed at least seven people over the past two months in the San Diego area, prompting health authorities to alert law enforcement and other officials in California. Nine people who injected black tar heroin between Oct. 2 and Nov. 24 were hospitalized with severe myonecrosis, a soft-tissue infection…

Quinn Waters, the 3-year-old Massachusetts boy whose brain cancer diagnosis left him in isolation at his Weymouth home for months, will soon be headed to Disney World thanks to Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The family posted a video on Facebook Tuesday night showing Waters, otherwise known as “The Mighty Quinn,” and his sister Maggie reacting to the news.

The next time you get sick, your care may involve a form of the technology people use to navigate road trips or pick the right vacuum cleaner online. Artificial intelligence is spreading into health care, often as software or a computer program capable of learning from large amounts of data and making predictions to guide care or help patients. It...

Many older American adults may inaccurately estimate their chances for developing dementia and do useless things to prevent it, new research suggests. Almost half of adults surveyed believed they were likely to develop dementia. The results suggest many didn’t understand the connection between physical health and brain health and how racial differences can affect dementia risk. Substantial numbers of people...

Ten people at an Oklahoma care facility for people with intellectual disabilities were hospitalized after they were apparently accidentally injected with what’s believed to be insulin rather than flu shots, authorities said. Emergency responders were called Wednesday afternoon to the Jacquelyn House in Bartlesville, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Tulsa, on a report of an unresponsive person and...

“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek is helping raise awareness about pancreatic cancer following his own diagnosis with the disease. In a 60-second public service announcement Wednesday in support of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, the 79-year-old television host talked about the risks and symptoms of the disease.

An experimental vaccine proved 50% effective at preventing latent tuberculosis infection from turning into active disease in a three-year study of adults in Africa. Doctors were encouraged because protection declined only a little after two years, and even a partially effective vaccine would be a big help against TB. The lung disease kills more than a million people a year,...

What if you could step into the shoes of someone living with dementia? Would it help you to be more compassionate? More patient? One local company thinks so. Newton-based HouseWorks, which provides home healthcare for the elderly, is using virtual reality to simulate the struggles of someone living with the disease to give caregivers important insight into the challengers of…

A health advisory has been issued after officials say two young children were diagnosed with meningococcal disease.

Just a couple of months after Jade Devis found out she was pregnant, a protruding bump appeared on her chest. It was the beginning of an ordeal that forced the first-time mom and her developing fetus to undergo chemotherapy together after Devis was suddenly diagnosed with breast cancer. She did three rounds before giving birth to her son Bradley in...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that it has approved the first drug combination to treat most cystic fibrosis patients. Boston-based company Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. created Trikafta, which combined three drugs in one. Trikafta has been approved for those aged 12 and older with at least one F508del mutation, which affects 90%, or 27,000 patients, with the lung...

Boston officials have issued a health advisory after two children were diagnosed with meningococcal disease. Meningococcal disease is an infectious disease caused by a bacterial infection. Both cases have been associated with day care centers specializing in serving children who have experienced homelessness, but it is not known if the two cases are connected.

About a week after the “Mighty Quinn” received the great news that his latest MRI scan showed he has no new disease, his family announced that the beloved 3-year-old will drop the puck at an upcoming Bruins game. Quinn Waters, the Weymouth, Massachusetts toddler whose brain cancer left him in isolation at his home for months, will do the honor...

Management for Pequot Highlands Apartments in Salem, Massachusetts, says two of its residents have confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease.

Two residents of a Massachusetts apartment complex have been diagnosed with Legionnaires disease, apartment management tells NBC10 Boston/necn. Management for Pequot Highlands Apartments says they were notified on Thursday, Oct. 3 by the Salem Board of Health that two of their residents had confirmed cases of the disease, a serious form of pneumonia that is spread from aerosolized water that...

North Carolina health officials say a fourth person has died from Legionnaires’ disease. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Resources said in a statement on Friday that its Division of Public Health has confirmed 141 cases involving residents from counties and multiple states. In addition to the deaths, 94 people were hospitalized. Information gathered by local health officials showed...

An adult from Laconia has tested positive for a mosquito-borne virus, New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services says. The adult tested positive for the Jamestown Canyon virus, which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, the department said Wednesday.