Latest Public health News
A growing number of Oregon cities vote to ban psychedelic mushroom compound psilocybin
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Drug reform advocates hailed Oregon as a progressive leader when it became the first in the nation to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin, the compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. But four years later, voters in a growing list of its cities have...
US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water
NEW YORK (AP) — For about 50 years, adding cavity-preventing fluoride to drinking water was a popular public health measure in Yorktown, a leafy town north of New York City. But in September, the town’s supervisor used his emergency powers to stop the practice. ...
An Idaho health department isn't allowed to give COVID-19 vaccines anymore. Experts say it's a first
A regional public health department in Idaho is no longer providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents in six counties after a narrow decision by its board. Southwest District Health appears to be the first in the nation to be restricted from giving COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccinations are an...
Here's how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised to remake the nation's top health agencies
WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and environmentalist, for years gained a loyal and fierce following with his biting condemnations of how the nation’s public health agencies do business. And that's put him on a direct collision course with some of...
Pakistani province declares health emergency due to smog and locks down two cities
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani province declared a health emergency Friday due to smog and imposed a shutdown in two major cities. Smog has choked Punjab for weeks, sickening nearly 2 million people and shrouding vast swathes of the province in a toxic haze. A...
What to know about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for health secretary
President-elect Donald Trump 's plan to appoint Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to lead the Health and Human Services Department will put a prominent vaccine skeptic at the helm of the nation's sprawling public health apparatus. A scion of a famous Democratic dynasty, Kennedy made a name in...
Philippines says it will cooperate if ICC seeks Duterte's custody over drug killings
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government said Wednesday its law enforcement agencies will be bound to cooperate if the International Criminal Court seeks the custody of former President Rodrigo Duterte as part of an investigation into thousands of deaths during his crackdown on...
A vaccine opponent is sentenced to 5 years for encouraging terrorism during pandemic
LONDON (AP) — An opponent of vaccines who wrote social media posts urging violence against scientists, politicians and public health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic was sentenced Monday to five years in prison after being convicted of encouraging terrorism. A British judge...
UN warns that toxic smog in Pakistan's Punjab province is endangering children
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.N. children’s agency on Monday warned that the health of 11 million children in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province is in danger because of air pollution that experts say has become a fifth season in recent years. Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan's...
Districts in Pakistan close parks and museums because of record-breaking smog
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Authorities in a broad swath of eastern Pakistan closed all parks and museums Friday because of record-breaking smog that already has prompted the closure of schools and government offices and has sickened tens of thousands of people. The new restrictions...
