Health & Wellness News

Strep throat is common this time of year among children, but as cases are on the rise a local doctor stresses the importance of getting kids tested and on medication. The bacteria can also cause a condition called scarlet fever.

Two live reindeer visited residents at the Fellowship Community continuing care retirement community in Whitehall Township on Tuesday.

Sara Frassinelli of Allentown finds strength during her breast cancer battle from a number of areas, especially from her 7-year-old son.

A local pediatrician says they’ve had to narrow the number of Lehigh Valley children who can receive a new RSV preventative antibody treatment because of a shortage of the product. She believes the treatment maker underestimated the demand.

Holiday parties and drinking go hand-in-hand, but when does it become a problem? A local emergency room doctor talks about the short and long term impacts of alcohol consumption.

The Alzheimer’s Association recently teamed up with the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley to hold an informational event for Spanish speaking seniors. A language barrier can stop people from getting the information they need.

The inflation Reduction Act went into effect this year, which caps the price of 10 prescription drugs for Medicare recipients at $35 per month. Now, Congresswoman Susan Wild is talking about a few more bills to make medications more affordable.

Christmas tree, oh dusty Christmas tree: how dirty are those branches and how do you clean it? A pulmonologist settles the debate of whether a real or fake tree is better for your health.

Fighting AIDS Continuously Together, or FACT, is hosting its 35th annual Snow Ball on Sunday to raise money to help people in the Greater Lehigh Valley with HIV and AIDS.

Hosted by LehighValleyNews.com health and wellness reporter Brittany Sweeney, guests include patients, physicians, a nutritionist and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley.

A medical device component company is expanding in the Lehigh Valley. The Palmer Township operation is opening a new facility and adding more positions.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Proposed federal budget cuts would impact programs such as the free summer meal program for children in the Allentown School District.

The $2.75 million payment to the federal government resolves allegations that a pharmacy technician stole controlled substances on about 40 occasions and the health network failed to institute proper controls.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

A generous donation from a Lehigh Valley native and others funds free swim lessons for children and adults in the River Crossing YMCA's Safety Around Water, or SAW, swim education program.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Known as "tranq" on the streets, an animal tranquilizer named xylazine infiltrated drug supplies throughout Pennsylvania since 2019. Its presence in the Lehigh Valley has grown, with deadly consequences.

A regionwide wastewater plan and a hazard mitigation plan both advanced with staff review approvals by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.