(MASSACHUSETTS) — A Massachusetts judge ruled on Monday in favor of medical organizations in their litigation against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his changes to federal vaccine policy.
The judge temporarily blocked changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that were made at the beginning of this year, in which Kennedy reduced the number of recommended shots from 17 to 11.
The judge also suspended the appointments of the 13 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee, who were all appointed unilaterally by Kennedy after he fired all the preceding members.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Long-term alcohol use has been linked to higher risks of colorectal cancer, according to a study published Monday in the journal Cancer.
Researchers found that those with heavy lifetime alcohol consumption have up to a 91% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with those who drank very little. That risk significantly increased with consistent heavy consumption, whereas those who quit drinking may have demonstrated decreased risk of precancerous tissue.
“The longer someone drinks, the longer their colon and rectum are exposed damage and impaired repair, both major mechanisms of cancer,” Dr. Lynn M O’Connor, section chief of colon and rectal surgery at Mercy Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in New York, told ABC News.
The study followed more than 88,000 adults with no prior history of cancer. Participants reported their alcohol use beginning in early adulthood and were followed for nearly a decade to track cancer outcomes.
Compared with those who averaged one drink or less per week over their lifetime, those who consumed over 14 drinks a week had a 25% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. The link was even stronger for rectal cancer, where one’s risk nearly doubled.
Rectal cancer is “often more difficult to treat and more involved clinically, which makes screening and early identification all the more important,” Dr. Jeffrey Farma, a colorectal cancer specialist, told ABC News.
The results come as colorectal cancers are on the rise, especially in younger people.
“We’re seeing an uptick in rectal cancers. If alcohol affects the lower part of the colon differently —we need to understand why,” Dr. Fola May, a GI specialist and associate director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, told ABC News.
In the study, researchers found the highest risks among people who drank heavily at every stage of life. Those who consistently exceeded recommended drinking limits across each stage of adulthood had a 91% higher risk of colorectal cancer compared with lifelong light drinkers or those with gaps in heavy drinking.
“These numbers are not guarantees, but signals to do something before it’s too late,” May said. “Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers we can actually prevent or catch early, but fewer than 70% of eligible people get screened.”
The study also looked at adenomas —polyps that can develop into cancer. While heavy drinking was not strongly linked to adenoma risk, those who quit drinking had significantly lower odds of developing nonadvanced adenomas compared to light drinkers.
“These are modifiable risks. The choices people make over time matter, and the body can respond when those risks are reduced,” Farma said.
The results align with a growing body of evidence linking alcohol, a well-recognized carcinogen, to colorectal cancer.
Colorectal screening is recommended for all adults starting at age 45 according to the United States Preventative Services Task Force. Screening tools include annual stool tests, CT scans every five years, or colonoscopies every 10 years.
“Everyone should be screened. It saves lives, and people are dying unnecessarily when they put it off,” May said.
Those who may be at higher risk may need to be screened at an early age or more often than typically recommended.
“If you’ve had prolonged heavy drinking and you develop symptoms like bleeding or persistent changes in bowel habits, you need to be evaluated — even in your 30s,” Farma said. “That’s how we catch this early and save lives.”
Tyler Beauchamp, MD, is a pediatric resident at UNC Children’s Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
Stock image of a sick person. (Guido Mieth/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Flu activity is starting to decline nationwide, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC estimated on Friday that there have been at least 19 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
Currently, seven states are seeing “very high” levels of flu-like illnesses while 23 states are seeing “high” levels, CDC data shows.
At least 12 flu-associated deaths were reported among children this week, for a total of 44 pediatric deaths this season. Last season saw a record-breaking 289 children die from flu, the highest since the CDC began tracking in 2004.
Despite flu activity on the decline, flu-related emergency department visits for school-aged children between ages 5 and 17 increased since last week while hospitalizations remained stable.
“I think what distinguished this year’s flu season to previous seasons is that, first of all, it began a little bit earlier,” Dr. Daniel Kurtzikes, former chief of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told ABC News.
Kuritzkes added that although data does not show that cases increased more dramatically than last year, “we may have perceived it as being worse than it really was, and it now seems like it peaked rather abruptly and is on a rapid decline.”
However, Kuritzkes noted that last year, flu season had a second bump in late winter. He warned that the same thing could happen this year.
Data shows that the majority of this season’s cases are linked to a new flu strain called subclade K — a variant of the H3N2 virus, which is itself a subtype of influenza A.
Subclade K has been circulating since the summer in other countries and was a main driver of a spike in flu cases in Canada, Japan and the U.K.
Dr. Geeta Sood, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, explained that the annual flu vaccine formulation was decided before subclade K emerged, meaning the vaccine is a “mismatch” for the strain, to an extent, while still providing protection against serious disease, hospitalization and death.
“So, this year, we have a couple of problems,” she told ABC News. “One is that the circulating strain that’s predominantly out there is pretty different from the strains that we’ve seen in previous years. … Again, it changes every year, but the amount that it changes can be a lot some years and not so much other years.”
However, she said that early data from the U.K. shows that the vaccine has been protective against serious complications, particularly among children.
“It certainly protects against severe disease, but it’s not one of our best matching vaccines,” Sood said.
Another problem, according to Sood, is that vaccination rates are lower than she would like to see.
As of Jan. 10, 45.6% of adults aged 18 and older and 44.2% of children have received an annual flu vaccine, according to CDC data.
Sood said it’s not too late to get vaccinated, especially because influenza season can last through early spring.
“Even though it takes two weeks to get full immunity, you still get immunity sooner rather than later,” she said. “There’s still plenty of influenza out there, and there’s reactivity to protect you against other strains”
Doctors told ABC News they recommend other hygiene methods, including thoroughly washing hands with soap and water, avoiding crowded places, getting good circulation by opening windows and considering masking.
Richard Zhang, MD, MA, is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at Yale School of Medicine and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(NEW YORK) — High blood pressure and body mass index, or BMI, may be directly linked to the increased risk of developing vascular dementia, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
This is the strongest evidence to date showing a direct relationship between BMI and the increased risk of developing vascular dementia, a risk heavily influenced by elevated blood pressure, according to the study.
Researchers say these findings highlight how important reducing these risk factors are to help prevent this form of dementia and protect brain health.
The study’s findings show that being overweight and having high blood pressure “are direct causes of increased vascular dementia risk,” said Dr. Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, study co-author, chief physician at Copenhagen University Hospital — Rigshospitalet and clinical professor at University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
“That makes them highly actionable targets for dementia prevention at the population level,” Frikke-Schmidt told ABC News.
Vascular dementia is a type of dementia caused by damage to blood vessels that leads to reduced blood and oxygen to the brain, according to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. The initial damage to blood vessels leading to this condition is often due to other underlying health problems such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, or diabetes.
Symptoms vary depending on the affected brain area but often include confusion, memory problems and difficulty with daily activities. There is no cure, making prevention key, experts say.
In the study, researchers analyzed data from large European populations across Copenhagen and the United Kingdom. Using analytical methods that mimic a randomized controlled trial, the researchers found that as BMI increased by approximately 4.5 points, the risk of vascular dementia rose across all BMIs, directly linking BMI to an increased risk of developing vascular dementia.
Additional analysis showed that elevated blood pressure, in association with BMI, directly contributed to increased risk of vascular dementia, adding to a growing body of evidence strongly linking cardiovascular health to brain function.
“What is good for the heart is good for the brain,” Frikke-Schmidt said.
BMI is a measure of a person’s body weight relative to their height. While doctors say the number should be taken in context with an individual’s overall health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes an ideal BMI as 18.5 to 24 for adults. Overweight and obesity are categorized as a BMI 25-29 and BMI 30 or greater, respectively.
Dr. Leah Croll, assistant professor of neurology at the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, told ABC News many dementia cases may be preventable, and this new research adds to evidence showing how important targeting risk factors like elevated BMI and cardiovascular disease are to preserving brain health.
“Dementia prevention is the wave of the future,” Croll said. Adding that it’s important to reinforce or develop habits to maintain a healthy weight and manage blood pressure through diet, exercise, and routine medical care.
While some people may be more motivated to lose weight, Croll said that blood pressure is a silent symptom that can be easier to ignore or may often go unnoticed.
“A paper like this really allows me to have conversations with my patients in the clinic where I can motivate them to stay on top of their blood pressure,” Croll said. “If you can stay on top of your blood pressure, that seems to significantly impact your brain health later on in life.”
Dr. Jennifer Miao, a board-certified cardiologist and ABC News Medical Unit fellow, told ABC News it’s important for people to monitor their blood pressure and should know how to measure it and know what the numbers mean.
“This can be done at a local pharmacy, urgent care or walk-in clinic, community health centers or by purchasing a blood pressure cuff to use at home,” Miao said.
Blood pressure contains two numbers — a systolic number on the top and a diastolic number on the bottom. Normal blood pressure is less than 120 on the top and less than 80 on the bottom, according to the American Heart Association.
“If left untreated, high blood pressure can have significant and harmful effects on overall health,” Miao said.
Camille Charles, DO, is a pediatric resident and member of the ABC News Medical Unit. Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH, is a practicing physician, board-certified in pediatrics and general preventive medicine, and is a fellow of the ABC News Medical Unit.
