Talk of the Town
(NEW YORK) — Pennsylvania health officials confirmed two additional measles-associated deaths in the state on Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths in 2026 to four.
The health department said it would not share any additional details about the deaths.
The last time the U.S. reported 4 measles deaths was in 1992. Last year, Texas reported two deaths and New Mexico reported one.
This is a developing story.
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(NEW YORK) — Cases of cyclosporiasis have topped 24,000, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are at least 13,895 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, including 740 hospitalizations, the data shows.
The agency is also aware of at least 10,455 additional cases that have not yet been laboratory confirmed.
The rate of increase appears to have slowed, with only about 2,000 more cases recorded over the last week. The previous week saw more than 22,000 cases recorded, a jump of over 10,000 from the week prior.
The CDC data, which was released on Tuesday, shows the ages of those who have fallen ill range between 1 and 98 years old.
There is a six-week reporting lag between when people feel sick and case reporting to the CDC, indicating that numbers will likely continue to rise.
It comes amid an outbreak now linked to now-recalled iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms that has spread to at least 15 states.
A total of 6,358 illnesses has now been reported across those states amid the outbreak, and at least 278 hospitalizations.
“The true number of sick people in this multistate outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” a notice from the Food and Drug Administration investigation reads.
Two deaths have been reported in Michigan in the cyclosporiasis outbreak, both individuals with significant underlying health conditions, health officials in the state said this week.
Originally, illnesses were isolated to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell in nine states. However, health officials have found that the lettuce was also distributed to food services, retail stores and restaurants.
The lettuce was sourced in central Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms. Last month, Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.
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(NEW YORK) — Insomnia may be linked to an increased risk of stroke, dementia and several mental health conditions, a new study finds.
Researchers from Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland analyzed approximately 20 comprehensive review studies, involving millions of participants across multiple countries, to evaluate the impact of insomnia on health.
The study, published Sunday in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, found that insomnia was linked to a 26% increased risk of stroke.
The results, which looked at multiple other studies also showed individuals with insomnia were more likely to have depression and attempted suicide compared to those without insomnia.
Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder in the United States, makes it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep or get good quality sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Researchers also found that people with insomnia had nearly 30% higher odds of being hospitalized for any number of reasons.
“Insomnia deserves attention as a warning sign of the status of brain and mental health,” Luca Vignatelli, lead study author and senior researcher at the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences in Bologna, Italy, told ABC News.
Issues with sleep are often overlooked when addressing mental health concerns, experts told ABC News.
“When you have anxiety or depression, it makes it difficult to fall or stay asleep, or it gives you poor sleep. But then when you don’t sleep well, it increases that risk of anxiety and depression,” Dr. Thanuja Hamilton, a board-certified sleep medicine physician at Advocare, told ABC News. “When you don’t sleep well, you’re more irritable, you’re more anxious, you’re less resilient to stress, and so you’re vulnerable to depression and anxiety, and that can make it harder to sleep.”
Researchers also found a connection between insomnia and dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.
Sleep has been shown to play an important role in clearing waste products linked to impaired brain function and Alzheimer’s disease from the brain, according to the NIH.
“When you sleep, that’s when your brain takes out the trash,” Hamilton said, referring to waste products that can accumulate throughout the day. “If you’re not getting good quality sleep or enough of it, then you’re going to have an excess buildup, increasing that risk of dementia down the line.”
Researchers cautioned that the new findings only show associations and do not prove that insomnia directly causes the health problems examined.
“I would like to emphasize that people should not be frightened by these results. An increased risk at the population level does not mean that an individual with insomnia will develop dementia, depression or have a stroke,” Dr. Stefan Seidel, one of the study authors and professor of neurology at the Medical University of Vienna, told ABC News. “Instead, the findings give us another reason to take persistent sleep problems seriously, identify possible underlying causes and provide evidence-based treatment when appropriate.”
What can people do to improve their sleep?
Habits like making your bed daily, keeping the room cooler and turning off the lights before bed can help improve your sleep, according to experts.
One of the most important healthy sleep habits, they say, is maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.
“Our circadian rhythm, our internal clock, it likes consistency,” Hamilton said. “If you are inconsistent with your sleep, then you confuse your brain. It doesn’t know when to start sleep or when to stop sleep.”
To support healthier sleep, turn off distractions such as the TV or your phone approximately 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime and avoid consuming coffee or alcohol late.
“You go down that rabbit hole when you get on the phone,” Hamilton noted. “It might distract you, but it’s not relaxing you.”
People with insomnia can also become anxious about whether they will be able to fall asleep, potentially making the problem worse.
“The harder you try to sleep when you have insomnia, the harder it is to sleep,” Hamilton added.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often the first treatment option for long-term insomnia. CBT focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors that can interfere with sleep and can include techniques such as adjusting sleep schedules and limiting the amount of time spent awake in bed, according to the NIH.
“The gold standard of treatment for insomnia is CBT, but it’s difficult and it’s time-consuming and it’s a lot of effort, especially for someone with chronic insomnia,” Hamilton said. “But it is worth it.”
Experts say sleep should become a more routine part of conversations about overall health.
“Sleep should be a topic to discuss with your doctor when talking about health, at any age,” Vignatelli said. “We need to raise public awareness about insomnia and its treatment and ensure that sleep is included in health promotion programs in our communities, schools, and workplaces.”
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide — free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.
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(NEW YORK) — Los Angeles County is seeing the highest number of West Nile virus cases in nearly a decade, health officials said Monday.
The county has reported 100 cases so far this year. This is the highest figure since 2017 when 268 cases were recorded for the entire season.
The number of current cases is also greater than the five-year average during the same period, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LA County DPH).
So far, 94 people have been hospitalized and five people have died, the health department said.
Of the 100 cases, 96 were symptomatic with the most recent onset of illness occurring on Sept. 4, according to LA County DPH.
The health department said that one-third of infected patients live in the East Los Angeles area, about a quarter live in the San Fernando Valley area and about a fifth live in the South Bay region.
It comes as the California Department of Public Health is reporting the highest levels of West Nile virus activity in five years, local health officials said.
So far, the U.S. has seen 671 cases this year across 42 states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The true number of infections is likely higher because cases typically peak in August and September and reporting is delayed.
Public health officials have been warning that rising temperatures have allowed mosquitoes to thrive, increasing the risk of the diseases they spread, including West Nile.
West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental U.S., according to the CDC.
Mosquitoes typically become infected with the virus after feeding on infected birds and then spread it to humans and other animals, the federal health agency said.
Risk increases with older age; certain medical conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure and kidney disease; and a weakened immune system.
Most people infected are believed to have lifelong immunity but those with certain conditions may have their immunity wane over time.
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. Most symptoms disappear, but weakness and fatigue may last for weeks or months.
About one in 150 patients will develop severe disease leading to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis, inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Both can lead to death, the CDC says.
Each year, about 2,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with West Nile virus, but the CDC says this is likely an undercount because most people either don’t develop symptoms or believe their mild symptoms were caused by another illness.
More than 1,300 people develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system, the CDC says.
There are no licensed vaccines or medications that protect against the virus. The CDC recomemnds using insect repellant, wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants, treating clothing and gear and taking steps to control mosquitoes. The last step includes putting screens on windows and doors, using air conditioning and emptying out containers with still water.
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