https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Flu shots will no longer be required for every U.S. service member. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pentagon-flu-vaccine-requirement-military.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:20:02 EDT news696075027 Wanted: a cheap, multipotent treatment for viral infections. Must be able to handle new or unfamiliar strains, or (even better) a broad range of viruses—whatever comes along, in other words. Must be impervious to viral attempts to evolve resistance to it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-explore-approach-multivirus-drug.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:40:05 EDT news696075150 Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) does not reduce hospital admissions or deaths in vaccinated adults at higher risk of severe COVID-19, despite helping them recover faster, according to results from two national trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine. With COVID-19 still causing significant illness and death, clinicians urgently need to know which patients benefit most from early antiviral treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-covid-antiviral-recovery-doesnt-hospitalization.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:00:07 EDT news696071461 For people who see a neurology clinician for the first time, a new study has found that being seen virtually vs. in person made no difference in how soon they needed more care. The work is published in Neurology. For the study, researchers reviewed electronic medical record data from three academic health systems to identify first-time patient visits with a neurology clinician between September 2020 and December 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-virtual-person-neurology-patients-impact.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:00:09 EDT news696007442 A federal report pointing out the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines may never be released, according to multiple people familiar with the decision. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cdc-covid-vaccine-blocked.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:20:02 EDT news696082714 After decades of struggling to find a way to treat pancreatic cancer, researchers have developed several promising new drugs that could offer rare hope to patients given this particularly deadly diagnosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pancreatic-cancer-treatments-months-life.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:13:44 EDT news696085947 A new Yale study published in JAMA Network Open finds that the virus that causes COVID-19 does not linger in placental tissue weeks to months after a pregnant woman recovers from infection—offering important reassurance for clinicians and patients alike. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-covid-placental-virus-maternal-recovery.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:20:03 EDT news696075289 Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), long known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is now recognized as a complex, multi-system disease. However, it remains a medical enigma whose underlying causes are poorly understood, leaving those affected with few effective treatment options. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-glimmer-people-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:20:02 EDT news696072421 The COVID-19 lockdowns were difficult for everyone. Many people were stuck at home all day every day dealing with their uncertainty for the future, and some found it hard to avoid frequent eating and snacking habits during lockdown. For many, the effects of this were marginal, but the risks in such a situation are higher for people with glucose intolerance, a group of metabolic conditions that includes diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lockdown-patients-real-blood-sugar.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:40:07 EDT news695989558 A study from University Hospitals Connor Whole Health has found that pediatric patients with long-term COVID report a high symptom burden that meets or exceeds that of other chronic health conditions. The study describes patient characteristics, care delivery, and provides a novel description of symptom severity. The findings are published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-interdisciplinary-approach-pediatric-patients-covid.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:20:05 EDT news695915402 The WHO declared the global health emergency associated with the COVID-19 pandemic to be over in 2023, as most individuals had developed immune protection against the virus through vaccination and/or infection. However, even after 2023, the virus has continued to generate new variants that evade antibody responses and spread globally. This pattern may now be changing in a sustained way. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-covid-takeover-pattern-ba32-children.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:00:07 EDT news695911810 Teen cannabis use in Northern California increased following the legalization of adult recreational cannabis and later declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Kaiser Permanente published in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-teen-cannabis-rose-california-legalization.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:00:06 EDT news695645903 The advent of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the Nobel Prize–winning technology is being adapted to fight cancer, with mRNA vaccines in clinical trials for melanoma, small-cell lung cancer and bladder cancer, among others, opening the door to new ways of preventing and treating the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-mrna-cancer-vaccines-destroy-tumors.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:00:02 EDT news695564913 Often diagnosed in the teenage years, childhood-onset lupus is a serious, potentially fatal autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself. For as many as 10,000 U.S. youths, it can bring extreme fatigue, mood changes, pain and inflammation that affect many parts of the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-therapy-kids-lupus-sessions.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:00:02 EDT news695564219 A team of researchers led by the University of Aberdeen has found that private gardens played a vital role in supporting people's well-being during the U.K.'s first COVID-19 lockdown, when access to public green spaces was significantly restricted. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-private-gardens-covid-lockdown.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:00:05 EDT news695564874 A study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil reveals that tissues such as the tonsils and adenoids can serve as hiding places for the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold and is responsible for most respiratory infections worldwide. Using samples from 293 children who underwent surgery to remove these tissues, the study showed that the pathogen can infect immune cells known as lymphocytes and remain there for long periods without causing symptoms. This allows the virus to potentially be transmitted to others without warning. The findings are published in the Journal of Medical Virology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cold-virus-tonsils-adenoids-people.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:40:04 EDT news695569141 Imagine you and your partner are sitting in the waiting room of your doctor's office, waiting for your appointment to get birth control—and instead of calculating how many other people will be called before you, or perusing old magazines, a nurse hands you a digital tablet and encourages you to play a game. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-health-video-game-bridge-communication.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:20:07 EDT news695561102 A significant number of Brazilians engage in improper food hygiene and handling practices at home. Examples include washing meat in the kitchen sink and failing to properly wash vegetables. These findings were revealed by a nationwide survey that examined food hygiene, handling, and storage habits in 5,000 households of various income levels across all regions of Brazil. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-poor-hygiene-food-bacterial-outbreaks.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:00:03 EDT news695486225 Doctors recommend getting your flu shot annually, since the specific influenza strain it targets varies from year to year. But what if the shot could be more effective while protecting against more strains? Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine are one step closer to making this happen. When the immune system sees a new strain of a familiar virus, it typically focuses on the parts it "remembers" most, even if those regions have changed. "Epitope-spanning antigenic variation reprograms immunodominance and broadens immunity in sequential influenza vaccination" was recently published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-flu-shot-epitope-widen.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:00:03 EDT news695491082 Extending vaccination opportunities, involving community members alongside health care professionals in communicating about vaccines, and providing financial incentives are among the most effective ways to increase vaccine uptake, finds an analysis of international trial evidence published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-vaccination-access-community-outreach-incentives.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:06 EDT news695467686 Pregnancy-related deaths in the United States increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the greatest impact seen among Black women, a new study suggests. While rates have since returned to pre-pandemic levels for most groups, they remain significantly higher for Black mothers, according to the Michigan Medicine research in Obstetrics & Gynecology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pregnancy-deaths-rose-pandemic-elevated.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:20:07 EDT news695400362 The average human has about 1.8 trillion immune cells. These cells patrol the body for bacteria, viruses, cancers, and other threats. Vaccines enhance this security system by teaching our immune cells to target specific pathogens. According to the World Health Organization, vaccine-induced immunity saves about six lives every minute. But how long does this protective immune "memory" last? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-closer-immune-memory-spur-lethal.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:00:04 EDT news695403061 The federal policy requiring states to keep Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic extended postpartum Medicaid coverage nationwide and sharply increased the number of individuals remaining insured after childbirth, according to a Rutgers Health researcher. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-postpartum-medicaid-coverage-pandemic-gains.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:00:01 EDT news695360821 We're keeping an eye on new influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viral variants. Here's what we know about those viruses—and your immune system's ability to fight back. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-flu-covid-variants-immune-defenses.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:00:01 EDT news695313435 University of Colorado Denver Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Chelsea Magin is developing a lung model to help advance the treatment of lung diseases which affect men and women differently. The artificial lung is made by combining donor cells and tissues with synthetic materials. The result behaves like a real lung—soft when healthy, stiff when sickly—allowing researchers to study diseases like pulmonary fibrosis and cancer more accurately. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lung-fresh-air-personalized-treatment.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:20:01 EDT news695305435 NTU Singapore is working with China's Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and Swedish biotechnology company Lipigon Pharmaceuticals AB to develop a new inhaled treatment aimed at helping patients recover faster from severe lung infections. The treatment is designed to reduce excessive inflammation in the lungs, which can continue even after viruses or bacteria have been cleared from the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-inhaled-rna-therapy-lung-inflammation.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:20:01 EDT news695309641 A health report on COVID-19 vaccines has been delayed after concerns about how the study was conducted. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cdc-covid-vaccine-effectiveness.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:00:08 EDT news695044119 A new study suggests that COVID-19 may slightly increase the risk of lung cancer by triggering a biological chain reaction in the lungs, driven by the virus's spike protein, that promotes inflammation, scarring, and tumor-friendly conditions, especially in higher-risk groups like smokers; while the individual risk remains small, the findings are important because they reveal a plausible mechanism and potential targets for prevention and treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-covid-lingering-shadow-molecular-link.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:00:05 EDT news695043841 With baby Arthur too young for the measles vaccine and a sibling due in June, the Otwells grew nervous when the threat of the highly contagious virus started factoring into their grocery run. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-young-mmr-shot-babies-ducks.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:07:20 EDT news695012784 Two new vaccines to prevent tuberculosis (TB) are safe for use in adults and children, but they do not offer protection against all forms of TB, finds a large trial from India published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-tb-vaccines-safe-fall-short.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694949221