Patricia Fantis

Two families are suing AI companies after they say chatbots contributed to their children's deaths.

“We in Maryland remain committed to using evidence-based guidelines to keep Marylanders healthy,” Department of Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani.

Preventing measles, polio and whooping cough is as simple as getting a shot, but fewer children are getting vaccinated, leaving some communities vulnerable to outbreaks of preventable diseases, doctors say. The News4 I-Team looked at student vaccination rates as the new school year begins. Doctors are sounding the alarm about an old disease that’s making a comeback: measles. “As a…

A Maryland family’s yearslong search for a cure for a rare disease may become more challenging with proposed cuts to medical research. Most doctors have never seen or heard of 19-year-old Elouise Sloan’s condition — H-ABC, a genetic disorder that targets an area of the brain that’s crucial for controlling movement and gets worse over time. “The rare disease space…

At 63, Robin Baxter was in limbo: homeless, moving between family and friends, with no real place to live. “I just felt embarrassed,” Baxter said. “I didn’t really believe this was something that I was dealing with.” But a quiet rooftop at Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center in Northwest D.C. changed all of that. With the help of the Friendship…

Have you or your kids tried ZYN? The nicotine pouches are small, smokeless and easy to hide, and college students told News4 that’s the point. “People like to take them before classes, to take them before events and stuff, just for a little buzz,” one student said. “You’ll definitely see them everywhere you go,” another student said. The synthetic fiber…

Changes to the federal government’s guidance on fluoride in drinking water nationwide could have impacts on the D.C. region. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to stop recommending fluoridation in drinking water nationwide. He’s creating a task force to study the issue. The announcement comes as the Environmental…

People who have depended on off-brand versions of Wegovy and Ozempic will likely have to pay more now that a nationwide shortage of the weight-loss and diabetes drugs has ended. Drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s supply of the popular GLP-1 prescriptions now meets or exceeds demand, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday. In 2022, the FDA declared increased demand caused a…

More people are using wearable glucose monitors as the appetite for personalized health data grows beyond smartwatches and fitness trackers. For years, people with diabetes have used continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, to track their blood sugar levels. Now they’re available over-the-counter without a prescription for anyone looking for extra insight into their health. D.C.-area native Shannon Menezes, 28, is…

A procedure called a laparoscopic robotic prostatectomy involves using a precise robotic tool to carefully remove the prostate gland. It’s now the gold standard treatment for prostate cancer.