Courtenay Harris Bond
Courtenay Harris Bond is the staff writer covering health for PhillyVoice. She enjoys writing about behavioral health, maternal health and inequities in the healthcare system, as well as human rights and criminal justice. A veteran daily newspaper reporter, Courtenay has also written for national outlets, including KFF Health News, Undark Magazine and Filter. She was a 2018 Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism and has master's degrees from Columbia Journalism School and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.
August 29, 2024
Women's Health
Women who get their tubes tied are more likely to get pregnant than previously thought, study finds
New research suggests 3% to 5% of U.S. women who get their tubes tied have unplanned pregnancies. These rates are higher than the less than 1% of women previously reported as getting pregnant after tubal litigation.August 29, 2024
Illness
Listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head meat products is the deadliest since 2011
The listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head meat products has caused nine deaths and hospitalized 57 people, making it the deadliest listeria outbreak in 13 years. In 2011, a listeria outbreak tied to cantaloupe caused 33 deaths and 147 infections.August 28, 2024
Parenting
Parenting has become so stressful that it's now a public health issue, U.S. surgeon general warns
Parents face so many stressors that their well-being has become a public health concern, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy warned in an advisory Wednesday. He said American society needs to shift the way it views raising kids so that is on par with the way work is valued, noting parenting is critical to the health of our society.August 27, 2024
Adult Health
Zepbound, a popular weight-loss drug, is getting a price cut
The price for Zepbound, the popular weight-loss drug sold by Eli Lilly, is getting reduced. A four-week supply of the 2.5 mg dose will cost $399; the 5 mg dose will cost $549. Eli Lilly says those prices are half the cost of competing obesity drugs.August 27, 2024
Prevention
Free COVID-19 test kits to be available again this fall, U.S. health officials say
U.S. households will be able to order up to four free COVID-19 tests on COVIDtests.gov beginning in late September, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. Amid another COVID surge, the federal government is reviving a program that first offered free tests in 2022.August 22, 2024
Illness
More mosquitoes are testing positive for West Nile virus than is typical for this point in the summer
Two Philadelphia residents have been infected with West Nile virus this year, and already more mosquitoes are testing positive for the virus than in past seasons, health officials say. The Philadelphia residents with West Nile virus were hospitalized last month with acute flaccid myelitis, a serious neurological condition, said Dr. Shara Epstein, medical director of the Division of Disease Control at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.August 21, 2024
Prevention
New COVID-19 shots will be available soon, and Philly doctors say most people should get them
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are up in Philadelphia, but coronavirus-related deaths have not increased. That mirrors the situation in much of the United States. The FDA is expected to approve updated vaccines shortly. Infectious disease doctors in Philly say most people should get them.August 21, 2024
Women's Health
Even smoking once a day shortly before pregnancy increases risk of serious health issues for newborns
There is no safe level of smoking in the months before pregnancy, new research shows. Smoking even one or two cigarettes a day in the months leading up to pregnancy – or during pregnancy – significantly increases the risk of severe health problems in newborns, researchers found.August 21, 2024
Health News
U.S. fertility rate continued downward trend in 2023, CDC data shows
The U.S. birth rate declined in 2023 compared with the previous year, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, continuing a downward trend that began in 2007.August 20, 2024
Depression
Consuming vinegar each day may help your mood, study finds
Consuming two tablespoons of red wine vinegar twice a day for four weeks significantly improved self-reported depression scores in a group of overweight adults who were otherwise healthy, a new study from the University of Arizona suggests.Just In
- VJ Edgecombe doubtful for Sixers-Hawks on Saturday
- Montgomery County resolution blocks ICE from using property it owns
- Philly filmmaker to premiere animated short film at South by Southwest
- Americans desire long, healthy lives, but mistakenly rely on external factors to reach their goals
- SUV driver killed in crash with SEPTA trolley in West Philly
- The Flyers' trade deadline moves, as they happened
Must Read
