Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Archives

Women see rise in cancer rates as rates in men decrease: Report

January 16, 2025

A new American Cancer Society report revealed women in some age groups are being diagnosed with cancer more often than men. The findings suggested that higher cancer rates are shifting from men to women, and the gaps between sexes, as well as between older and younger adults, have narrowed greatly.

The American Cancer Society’s data also noted cancer rates in women ages 50 to 64 are now higher than in men.

In 2021, women under 50 years old had an 82% higher cancer rate than men the same age. In 2002, it was only a 51% higher rate than men.

The research showed an increase in cancer diagnoses among younger Americans.

While the American Cancer Society said it is unclear what is driving the increase in women and younger adults, it listed possible factors. Obesity, alcohol use, ultra-processed foods, smoking and environmental hazards are among possible contributors.

The American Cancer Society said racial disparities in cancer rates still exist, with minorities seeing higher rates of cancer diagnoses.

The study also found overall cancer death rates fell by 34% since their peak in the early 1990s.

2024 marks highest number of stomach illnesses on cruises in 12 years

January 2, 2025

While vacationers set sail for a getaway on the high seas, a highly contagious virus has reportedly been lurking aboard many of their cruise ships. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024 has seen the highest number of gastrointestinal illnesses reported in 12 years.

The record 1,894 passengers across multiple cruise lines have been affected by 16 outbreaks. And 13 of them were caused by norovirus, including five during the month of December. Other reported causes of illness were E. coli and salmonella.

Cunard’s Line Queen Mary 2 cruise ship is set to end its voyage Jan. 3, reporting that nearly 13% of its passengers experienced cramps, vomiting and diarrhea due to norovirus.

“In response, enhanced health protocols have been implemented, including additional deep cleaning of public areas and staterooms, and close monitoring by our medical team, to ensure the comfort, health, and well-being of all guests and crew.”

Statement by Cunard Line

The CDC said norovirus cases are rising in the U.S., with peak illness season typically running from November to April, coinciding with the time many people book their cruises.

Each year, the agency estimates norovirus causes 19 million to 21 million illnesses nationwide. On average, more than 100,000 people are hospitalized with the virus.

Crowded, shared environments are prime spots for the virus, making cruises a breeding ground for norovirus through person-to-person contact. The most recent data shows that 2012 was the last year with such a high number of stomach illnesses on cruise ships.

In response, cruise lines impacted by the outbreaks have implemented quarantine measures for sick passengers and stepped up cleaning protocols.

Health officials warn of highest whooping cough cases in a decade

December 26, 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sounding the alarm about a spike in the number of whooping cough cases in the United States. Experts said this is the most amount of reported cases in a decade.

As of mid-December, the CDC had recorded 32,000 cases nationwide. That’s the highest annual number since 2014, according to the CDC.

The 12-week period leading up to mid-December was especially bad. The number of positive cases during that time equaled the total number of cases for the entire year.

Experts attribute the jump to waning vaccine protection, lower vaccination rates and improved testing.

Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that affects the upper respiratory system. Symptoms include a high-pitched strong cough, a runny nose and a fever.

The disease’s peak time period is the fall or winter. CDC data shows New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin have more than 2,000 cases each.

Infants are most vulnerable to contracting whooping cough. Doctors also say they’re seeing more children who are not immunized coming down with the illness.

The CDC recommends children get the vaccine for whooping cough beginning at 2 months old, followed by booster shots when they turn 1 year old and again between the ages of 4 years old and 6 years old.

A different formulation of the shot called the Tdap vaccine, is recommended for preteens and adults every 10 years. Unfortunately, doctors say the vaccine’s effectiveness fades over time.

Flu numbers rising as Americans get set to gather with family over the holidays

December 24, 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 13 states have “high” or “very high” levels of flu-like illnesses. That is double the number from the week before.

According to the CDC’s website, seasonal influenza activity continues to increase nationwide. This comes as many Americans are gathering with family and friends for the holidays.

The numbers show a 9% increase in people who have tested positive for the flu. The main virus strains are H1N1 and H3N2.

Among the areas in the “high” to “very high” categories include New York City, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Kansas, Arizona, California, Oregon and Nevada.

Doctors reported two pediatric deaths associated with the seasonal flu in the past two weeks. In total, four children have died from the flu this season.

Overall, the CDC estimates just under 2 million illnesses, 970 deaths and 23,000 hospitalizations so far for the 2024-2025 flu season.

The CDC recommends people aged 6 months and older get a flu shot. There are prescription anti-viral drugs if someone contracts the flu. Experts say these drugs should be taken as early as possible, especially if you are a high-risk patient.

Mother, 10-year-old daughter sue McDonald’s over E. coli outbreak

December 19, 2024

Just a few weeks after the Centers for Disease Control announced a deadly E. coli outbreak involving onions served at McDonald’s was over, the fast-food chain has now been hit with a lawsuit. A Colorado mother and her 10-year-old daughter filed the lawsuit in an Illinois court.

On Oct. 22, Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of yellow onions distributed to McDonald’s for its quarter-pounder burgers. The fast-food chain stopped using the onions at some of its restaurants. The company also stopped sourcing from a Colorado Springs Taylor Farms factory indefinitely.

According to the CDC, the outbreak sickened at least 104 people in 14 states. At least one person died in Colorado. The state had the largest number of those sickened in the outbreak, at least 30.

On Dec. 16, two of those Colorado residents who allegedly got sick from eating the onions sued McDonald’s and Taylor Farms.

According to the lawsuit, 29-year-old Geovanna Zambrano and her 10-year-old daughter ordered the burgers from McDonald’s on Oct. 17.

The next day, the two experienced signs of E. coli poisoning, including nausea and stomach cramps. According to the lawsuit, doctors diagnosed the two with viral gastroenteritis at a hospital. The symptoms continued for several more days.

In the filed complaint, Morgan & Morgan attorneys John Morgan and Aaron Clite said, “The most basic duty of the companies that grow, package, cook and prepare our food is to not make us sick. We allege that McDonald’s, which touts itself as the world’s largest fast-food chain, has failed to meet that baseline expectation.”

McDonald’s said it doesn’t comment on active litigation but directed local news stations to comments made by its U.S. president, Joe Erlinger, in October 2024

“On behalf of the McDonald’s system, I want you to hear from me, we are sorry,” Erlinger said. “For those customers affected, you have my commitment that led by our values we will make this right. As we move forward, I want to reassure you that customers can continue to count on McDonald’s to always do the right thing.”

The suit by the Colorado mother and daughter follows a class action lawsuit filed against Taylor Farms in November 2024 and another against McDonald’s filed in December 2024.

Attorneys said this newest lawsuit is the first related to the outbreak to include a child plaintiff.

US life expectancy hits highest level since COVID-19 pandemic

December 19, 2024

The U.S. life expectancy jumped significantly in 2023, hitting its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic. The new findings come from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on Thursday, Dec. 19, revealing life expectancy among Americans rose to 78.4 years last year, up nearly an entire year from 77.5 years in 2022.

Health officials say a one-year jump in life expectancy was previously unheard of before the COVID-19 pandemic. They attribute the rise in life expectancy largely to a decline in COVID-19 deaths, which, from 2019 to 2021, had caused U.S. life expectancy to drop from 78.8 years to 76.4 years.

COVID-19 went from the fourth leading cause of death in 2022 to 10th in the United States in 2023. COVID-19 deaths dropped last year from 350,000 deaths in 2020 to 76,000 in 2023.

The biggest decrease in COVID-19 deaths is reportedly among Hispanic men and women, who saw a more than 10% decrease in COVID-19 deaths.

The CDC also found that overdose deaths decreased last year for the first time since 2018.

The rate of overdose deaths dropped from nearly 33 in every 100,000 people to a little more than 31 per 100,000 people. The group seeing the largest drop in drug overdose deaths was 15 to 24-year-olds, who saw a drop of more than 10%.

The top five causes of death last year in the United States were heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Rates for 9 of the 10 leading causes of death reportedly fell in 2023 while cancer deaths remained largely unchanged.

Elton John: Legal marijuana one of the ‘greatest mistakes of all time’

December 13, 2024

Elton John, the award-winning musician, has come to the stage in opposition to legal marijuana. Now 34 years sober, John reflected on his life as a performer and his time as an addict during an interview with TIME Magazine, which named him 2024’s Icon of the Year.

“Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time,” John said in the article released Wednesday, Dec. 11.

He said he “maintains” marijuana is addictive and that it can lead a person to experiment with other drugs.

Adults in Canada have legally used marijuana, with possession and distribution restrictions, since its passing in 2018. In the U.S., 24 states allow its recreational use, with even more having legalized it for medicinal purposes.

Over the years, the majority of Americans’ views on the drug have shifted. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center poll, 88% of Americans believe marijuana should be legal, whether it’s recreational or medicinal.

John also said that users can’t properly think when under the influence of marijuana, something the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reflected on in a 2024 report analyzing its effects.

The CDC said marijuana use can impact the brain’s function, including memory and decision-making. The agency also notes long-term use could increase a person’s risk of mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, though it clarifies that “scientists don’t yet fully understand the relationships between these mental health disorders and cannabis use.”

Over the summer, the Biden administration announced plans to reclassify marijuana in the hopes of decriminalizing the drug.

Flu vaccination rates plummet among kids even as deaths rise

December 12, 2024

A record number of children in the United States died from the flu last year, yet vaccination rates continue to plummet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest report published Wednesday, Dec. 11, 37% of kids have gotten flu shots this season. That’s down significantly from the 43% who’d got the shot at the same time last year.

Kids’ flu vaccination rates have been decreasing for a while. During the 2023-2024 flu season, only 55% of kids got the shot, the lowest rate in 12 years.

In that season, 205 children reportedly died from the flu. However, the CDC says the toll was likely much bigger since not all children who die are tested for the flu. The CDC estimated that around 724 children died from the flu last year.

This year’s flu shot covers the two main strains of the virus circulating so far, H1N1 and H3N2.

Annual drug overdose deaths decreased by greatest number in US history: CDC

December 11, 2024

Drug overdose deaths fell 17% between July 2023 and July 2024, according to a new report released on Wednesday, Dec. 11, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although drug overdose death numbers won’t be added up until the end of the year, the CDC said the drop would represent the largest decrease in overdose-related deaths over a one-year period in U.S. history.

Still, since 2021, more than 100,000 people have reportedly died from drug overdoses each year. 2022 set a record for overdose deaths with more than 108,000 people who died. Overdose deaths went down in 2023 and continued to fall throughout 2024.

The White House credited the drop in deaths to its efforts like making Naloxone, a medicine designed to reverse opioid overdoses, available over the counter and cracking down on fentanyl production.

Most overdose deaths reportedly involve opioids, including fentanyl, and there has been a decrease in deaths associated with these drugs. However, a CBS News investigation previously found a rise in deaths involving other drugs like meth and cocaine.

Drug overdose survivor advocates also warn the Biden administration against taking a “premature victory lap.” They noted the fall in overdose deaths is good news but also acknowledged that the numbers overall remain much too high, especially among minorities.

Mental health and addiction experts also argued that the U.S. government still needs to invest in more recovery, treatment and prevention programs.

Health panel lays out guidelines for self-administered cervical cancer screening

December 11, 2024

New guidelines could change the way women get screened for cancer-causing HPV. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force added the option for women to take their own samples for the test on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

The Food and Drug Administration approved self-collection in May, but this is the first time it’s actually been recommended. Under the guidelines, women in their 20s should still get a traditional Pap test every three years, but once they hit 30, they can switch to self-collection HPV tests every five years.

The task force said other screening options for those 30 and older are continuing with traditional Pap tests every three years or getting a combined Pap smear and HPV test every five years, but getting an HPV screening every five years is the ideal method. The task force also said women should get tested even if they’ve been vaccinated against HPV.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the leading cause of cervical cancer, which is one of the top preventable causes of death in the U.S. Despite that, the National Cancer Institute estimates about one in five American women are overdue for cervical cancer screening.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 11,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed every year in the U.S., while about 4,000 women die from it annually. One study found nearly two out of three cervical cancer cases are diagnosed in women who did not get screened within the recommended interval.

These new recommendations have not yet been finalized. The task force is accepting public comments through Jan. 13.