President Donald Trump’s National Institutes of Health director says some employees’ critical letter to him has “fundamental misconceptions about the policy directions the NIH has taken.”.

A draft budget proposal circulating among federal officials would dramatically deepen cuts at the nation’s top health agency, eliminating some public health programs entirely and serving as a roadmap for more mass firings.

A federal panel of experts on Wednesday recommended an expansion of RSV vaccinations for adults and a new combination shot as another option to protect teens against meningitis.

A group of scientists and health groups sued the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, arguing that an “ideological purge” of research funding is illegal and threatens medical cures.

Thousands of people at the nation’s top health agencies were laid off Tuesday.

Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department received notices Tuesday that their jobs were being eliminated, part of a sweeping overhaul designed to vastly shrink the agencies responsible for protecting and promoting Americans’ health.

A surge of grant cancellations hit researchers focused on the health of gay, lesbian and transgender people last week, as the Trump administration continues to target what it describes as ideologically driven science.

Reductions to federal support for research at universities and other institutions under President Donald Trump are dimming young scientists’ prospects, cutting off pathways to career-building projects and graduate programs.

A National Institutes of Health study aims to find out whether ultraprocessed foods lead people to eat more.

The Trump administration is canceling studies about ways to improve vaccine trust and access.

Facing the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, Duke University is preparing for the worst.

Ripple effects of the Trump administration's crackdown on U.S. medical research promise to reach every corner of America.

A federal judge is preventing the Trump administration from drastically cutting medical research funding.

President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health is promising to help restore trust in medical research.

Dr. Francis Collins, a renowned geneticist, and former longtime director of the National Institutes of Health, is retiring from the government agency and urging “respect” for its embattled workers.

A federal judge is continuing to block the Trump administration’s drastic cuts in medical research funding.

About 300 protesters rallied outside the headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Department of Health and Human Services officials expected most of the agency’s roughly 5,200 probationary employees to be fired.

A federal judge blocked a new National Institutes of Health policy from going into effect in 22 states that sued the agency, but Texas wasn’t part of the suit.

Scientists warn the Trump administration’s drastic cuts for medical research endanger patients, will cost thousands of jobs and threaten America’s standing as a world leader in science and innovation.

President Donald Trump’s order declaring diversity, equity and inclusion policies illegal has thrown into doubt the future of research Kendra Dahmer has been doing on intestinal parasites in India and Benin.

A study shows blood tests that check for fetal disorders can sometimes hint at cancer in pregnant women.

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health.

Nearly two dozen retired research chimpanzees will be relocated from New Mexico to a sanctuary in Louisiana.

Federal health officials are strengthening their endorsement of RSV vaccinations for people 75 and older.

Reports of a rare nervous system disorder are “more common than expected” in older U.S. adults who got the new RSV vaccines.

Anger is a natural emotion but not dealing with the underlying issues that cause explosive outbursts of anger could lead to heart problems, according to a recent study.

An array of advanced tests found no brain injuries or degeneration among U_S_ diplomats who suffer mysterious health problems once dubbed “Havana syndrome.”.

Health officials are investigating whether there's a link between two new RSV vaccines and cases of a rare nervous system disorder.

Women are far more likely than men to get autoimmune diseases, illnesses like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis that occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks their own bodies.

It’s no secret that many people don’t have access to mental health care. Right now, members of the House of Representatives are pushing for a bill that would change that.

Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first.

President Joe Biden has tapped a cancer specialist to become director of the National Institutes of Health.

Many know drinking water is vital for health, but a new study by the National Institutes of Health in the journal eBioMedicine has discovered that hydration can potentially be a preventive approach to prolong a disease-free lifespan.

Thousands of Americans who shared their DNA for science are about to learn if they have some particularly worrisome genes.

The U.S. government will soon spend $25 million to help patients access experimental drugs for the incurable illness known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Eighty percent of people who would benefit from hearing aids don't wear them, according to the National Institutes of Health. That's because of cost, access and stigma. However, a new move by the FDA may change all of that.

We all know the saying; laughter is the best medicine. But is it actually? According to The Mayo Clinic, laughter helps not only in ways of relieving stress but can also reduce pain. It may just help you feel better mentally and physically.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, says he plans to retire by the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January 2025.

Some cancer patients can safely skip radiation or chemotherapy after surgery.

Scientists are getting their first peek at the genes of nearly 100,000 Americans in what's considered a uniquely diverse genomic database.

President Joe Biden is replacing a top science adviser who resigned under a cloud with two individuals who will split his positions on an interim basis.

A U.S. health official suggests there may never be a test to measure whether someone who had COVID-19 is still infectious.

The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis S.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports national figures show that the suicide rate in the U.S. has declined 6% since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. government scientist who helped design one of the first COVID-19 vaccines and then tackled skepticism of the shots in communities of color is getting a new research home.

This Dec. 2, 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows vials of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. (Johnson & Johnson via AP)WASHINGTON – The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two. Like other COVID-19 vaccines, the main side effects of the J&J shot are pain at the injection site and flu-like fever, fatigue and headache. All COVID-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the new coronavirus, usually by spotting the spikey protein that coats it. It’s the same technology the company used in making an Ebola vaccine, and similar to COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca and China’s CanSino Biologics.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – Days after marking a solemn milestone in the pandemic, President Joe Biden is celebrating the pace of his efforts to end it. On Thursday, Biden marked the administration of the 50 millionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine since his swearing-in. “We’re halfway there: 50 million shots in 37 days," Biden said. “We’ll have the vaccine waiting,” Biden said, predicting that point could come within 60 to 90 days. “We have a plan to roll it out as quickly as Johnson & Johnson can make it," Biden said.

A federal judge late Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, indefinitely banned President Joe Biden's administration from enforcing a 100-day moratorium on most deportations. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)HOUSTON – A federal judge late Tuesday indefinitely banned President Joe Biden's administration from enforcing a 100-day moratorium on most deportations. Biden proposed the 100-day pause on deportations during his campaign as part of a larger review of immigration enforcement and an attempt to reverse the priorities of former President Donald Trump. Even without a moratorium, immigration agencies have wide latitude in enforcing removals and processing cases. AdIt was not immediately clear if the Biden administration will appeal Tipton's latest ruling.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden wants to raise refugee admissions to 62,500 for the current budget year, overriding former President Donald Trump’s record-low limit of 15,000, a U.S. official and others said Thursday. Trump set the ceiling on refugee admissions in October when the 2021 budget year started, and it runs until September 30. Biden's proposal of 62,500 would replace that, and the president has already announced plans to raise admissions to twice that amount in 2022. Trump targeted the refugee program under his anti-immigration policies, dropping admissions yearly until they reached a record low of 15,000. Biden, who co-sponsored legislation creating the refugee program in 1980, has said reopening the doors to refugees is “how we will restore the soul of our nation.”Ad___Watson reported from San Diego.

President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Bethesda, Md. – President Joe Biden said Thursday that the U.S. will have enough supply of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the summer to inoculate 300 million Americans. He toured the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory that created the COVID-19 vaccine now manufactured by Moderna and being rolled out in the U.S. and other countries. The U.S. is on pace to exceed Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office, with more than 26 million shots delivered in his first three weeks. On the tour, Biden was shown the lab bench where researchers sequenced the virus and developed the precursor of the Moderna vaccine.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks after receiving her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, marking her first call to a foreign leader since entering the White House. The detained Canadians are a top priority for Trudeau, and Canada has pushed Washington to apply pressure on Beijing to release them. AdA senior official familiar with the call said Harris proactively brought up the two detained Canadians herself — something that was appreciated by Trudeau and Canadian officials. Canada has traditionally been the first foreign stop for new U.S. presidents, and Biden's first call to a foreign leader was to Trudeau, made the Friday after he was sworn in.

It’s called seasonal depression. The pandemic also doesn’t help seasonal depression. Doctors say resisting the urge to drink your depression away can help your depression symptoms. Seasonal depression can be caused by a lack of sun, so go outside, best time in the winter is in the early morning. If you are having serious suicidal thoughts you are urged to call the National Suicide Prevention Line 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Past studies have shown that women who go through menopause before the age of 45 have an increased risk of early death, cognitive decline, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2020, file photo Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, prepares to receive his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Dr. Anthony Fauci endorsed the decision of U.S. officials to require negative COVID-19 tests before letting people from Britain enter the U.S. He declined to weigh in on whether that step should have been taken sooner. He said the variant strain is something “to follow very carefully” and “we’re looking at it very intensively now.”He said: “Does it make someone more ill? Fauci spoke on CNN's “State of the Union.”

Click here to read the latest on the COVID-19 vaccine.) Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, and other health officials will receive their COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday amid a national rollout to help stunt the pandemic. “It’s an important moment … I feel very good about it,” Dr. Fauci says on @GMA, hours before receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that the NIH helped develop. https://t.co/S9TQsK0D1u pic.twitter.com/CGieH8Z5kN — Good Morning America (@GMA) December 22, 2020The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is the second to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine, from Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech, was approved on Dec. 11.

The U.S. is poised to give the green light as early as Friday, Dec. 18, to a second COVID-19 vaccine, a critical new weapon against the surging coronavirus. FDA’s decision could help pave the way for other countries that are considering the Moderna vaccine, the first-ever regulatory clearance for the small Cambridge, Massachusetts, company. The FDA’s main messages:--Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. --In a study of 30,000 volunteers, the Moderna vaccine was more than 94% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in people 18 and older. But there was a hint that Moderna’s shot might provide some protection against asymptomatic infection.

Moderna’s shot showed similarly strong effectiveness, providing 94% protection against COVID-19 in the company’s ongoing study of 30,000 people. Moderna’s vaccine uses the same groundbreaking technology as Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. At that one timepoint, swabs from 14 vaccine recipients and 38 placebo recipients showed evidence of asymptomatic infection, said Moderna’s Dr. Jacqueline Miller. After the FDA acts, U.S. officials plan to move out an initial shipment of nearly 6 million Moderna doses. The government’s Operation Warp Speed program has orders for 200 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine.

Alter, Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, at NIH in Bethesda, Md., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):7:30 a.m.Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should be vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible. Speaking to ABC's “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, Fauci said, “For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can." Fauci says Vice President Mike Pence should get vaccinated, too. Biden pointedly criticized President Donald Trump for threatening core principles of democracy even as he told Americans that their form of self-government ultimately “prevailed.”Read more:— In a first, leading Republicans call Biden president-elect— Biden returns to Georgia as validator for Ossoff, Warnock— Trump says Barr resigning, will leave before Christmas— Under attack from Trump, institutions bend but don’t break

SAN ANTONIO – Twenty-five million asthmatics in the U.S. can now take a collective sigh of relief after the National Institutes of Health came up with new recommendations to treat the chronic condition. The inhalers are now being recommended to treat asthma attacks. Also, for the first time ever, allergy shots also got a shot in the arm by the NIH experts, who now recommend them for allergy-related asthma. One of the devices, a fractional exhaled nitric oxide test, helps with the proper diagnosis and treatment decisions that a doctor might face. “It’s a little device that you blow into and it measures nitric oxide out of the lungs, and it correlates the elevation of nitric oxide correlates with the type of inflammation that we see in asthma,” Brooks said.

How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted. Both shots -- one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health -- are so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines, a brand-new technology. U.S. regulators are set to decide this month whether to allow emergency use, paving the way for rationed shots that will start with health workers and nursing home residents. Traditionally, making vaccines required growing viruses or pieces of viruses — often in giant vats of cells or, like most flu shots, in chicken eggs — and then purifying them before next steps in brewing shots.

Moderna said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data from an ongoing study. Moderna’s vaccine is being studied in 30,000 volunteers who received either the real thing or a dummy shot. Earlier this year, Fauci said he would be happy with a COVID-19 vaccine that was 60% effective. Moderna’s vaccine also starts off frozen, but the company said Monday it can be thawed and kept in a regular refrigerator for 30 days, easing that concern. Both Moderna's shots and the Pfizer-BioNTech candidate are so-called mRNA vaccines, a brand-new technology.

(AP Photo/Hans Pennink)BOSTON – Microsoft said it has detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers to steal valuable data from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers. Chinese state-backed hackers have also been targeting vaccine-makers, the U.S. government said in July while announcing criminal charges. Two others were North Korea’s Lazarus Group and a group Microsoft calls Cerium. The Lazarus Group posed as job recruiters while Cerium targeted spear-phishing emails that masqueraded as missives from World Health Organization representatives, Microsoft said. Optimism about a COVID-19 vaccine has grown since pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced earlier this week that preliminary data showed its vaccine to be 90% effective.

___5:30 p.m.Joe Biden is denouncing disruptive demonstrations by supporters of President Donald Trump across the country. Trump tweeted a video of the caravan and declared, “I LOVE TEXAS!” Biden also referenced reports that Trump supporters shut down a major roadway in New Jersey. ___12:25 p.m.Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris says Black voters are critical to defeating President Donald Trump and electing Joe Biden president. ___11:55 a.m.President Donald Trump is braving flurries and a stiff wind chill as he rallies thousands of supporters in Michigan. Biden’s return to Philadelphia underscores the significance of Pennsylvania, the Rust Belt state that helped deliver President Donald Trump the White House four years ago.

Now, researchers are studying a new method that helps parents help their children. Eli Lebowitz, Ph.D., Psychologist, Yale School of Medicine Child Study Center, and his colleagues, developed a method of training parents to support anxious children. Parents go through training to help their child face anxiety. Lebowitz said parents also learn to help their children by not accommodating them. In a study of 124 kids and their parents, the Yale researchers examined whether SPACE intervention was effective in treating children’s anxiety.

WASHINGTON – A high-ranking government whistleblower who alleges the Trump administration fumbled its coronavirus response resigned Tuesday, saying he has been forced out. Attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks said NIH superiors ignored a national coronavirus testing strategy that Bright developed because he had become politically toxic within the Trump administration. The Food and Drug Administration ultimately revoked emergency authority for using the malaria drug to treat coronavirus patients. Trump, infected with the coronavirus and hospitalized over the weekend, is now back at the White House. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge.” He says he plans to return to the campaign trail.

In the new guidelines posted on its website, the FDA said vaccine makers should follow trial participants for at least two months to rule out any major side effects before seeking emergency approval. That standard had been a sticking point between the FDA and White House officials, who said it could unreasonably delay the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. On Monday Trump said vaccines are coming “momentarily,” in a video recorded after he returned to the White House. The White House attempt to block the guidance followed a string of instances in which the Trump administration has undercut its own medical experts working to combat the pandemic. Beyond exposing the rift between the White House and FDA, the delay in releasing the guidelines may have had limited practical effect.

President Donald Trump is pushing for a faster timeline, which many experts say is risky and may not allow for adequate testing. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn pledged that career scientists, not politicians, will decide whether any coronavirus vaccine meets clearly stated standards that it works and is safe. In one of the largest studies yet, Johnson & Johnson aims to enroll 60,000 volunteers to test its single-dose approach in the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. J&J’s vaccine is made with slightly different technology than others in late-stage testing, modeled on an Ebola vaccine the company created. Going forward, “we need uniformity throughout the country.”In a testy exchange, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky insisted public health officials were wrong that a lockdown could change the course of the pandemic.

SAN ANTONIO A new study that UT Health San Antonio researchers are participating in is providing some new details about the inflammatory condition associated with children who get COVID-19. Dr. Alvaro Moreira, a neonatologist at UT Health San Antonio, said what was previously thought about MIS-C has changed dramatically in the months since it first showed up in New York in March. It's tricky since the latest research shows that 19% of the children had no symptoms of COVID-19 whatsoever, only to sicken suddenly weeks later. One more thing researchers at UT Health San Antonio are concerned about is an unusual surprise they find among the children who test positive for COVID-19. For a more detailed look at the new information regarding children and COVID-19 from UT Health San Antonio and the National Institutes of Health, click here.

Final-stage testing of the vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., began with volunteers at various U.S. sites given either a real shot or a dummy without being told which. In Washington, the White House disclosed that national security adviser Robert OBrien has the coronavirus the highest-ranking U.S. official to test positive so far. In Binghamton, New York, nurse Melissa Harting received one of the first injections of the Moderna vaccine candidate. But the U.S. requires its own tests of any vaccine that might be used in the country. Every month through the fall, the government-funded COVID-19 Prevention Network will roll out a new study of a leading candidate, each with 30,000 volunteers, to test not only whether the shots work but whether they are safe.

Many scientists dont expect a coronavirus vaccine to be nearly as protective as the measles shot. If the best COVID-19 vaccine is only 50% effective, "thats still to me a great vaccine, said Dr. Drew Weissman of the University of Pennsylvania. About 15 experimental COVID-19 vaccines are in various stages of human studies worldwide. Nothing is going to be easy.The Oxford shot, with a 10,000-person study underway in England, already encountered that hurdle. EXPECT IMPERFECT PROTECTIONAnimal research suggests COVID-19 vaccines could prevent serious disease but may not completely block infection.

The National Institutes of Health announced Saturday that it has halted a clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for adults hospitalized with Covid-19. The trial enrolled more than 470 adults patients hospitalized with coronavirus, or in an emergency department with anticipated hospitalization. The study found that those patients who were randomly assigned to receive the hydroxychloroquine treatment didn't benefit from the drug, compared to those in the placebo group. The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday revoked its Emergency Use Authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat hospitalized patients with coronavirus, saying it was unlikely to provide any benefit based on the latest scientific research. INTERACTIVE: Tracking Covid-19 cases in the USStarting in mid-March, Trump became a frequent cheerleader for hydroxychloroquine.

Dozens of research groups around the world are racing to create a vaccine as COVID-19 cases continue to grow. Inject a vaccine containing that code, called messenger RNA or mRNA, and people’s cells produce some harmless spike protein. Corbett’s team grew spike protein in the lab — lots of it -- and stored it frozen in vials. A MERS vaccine that Inovio designed the same way passed initial safety studies in people, paving the way for testing the new COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Last year, it performed a successful safety test of experimental antibodies designed to fight MERS.