COVID-19

A medida que la temporada de gripe empieza a aparecer en el centro del país, los nuevos y diferentes mensajes sobre las vacunas procedentes de Washington están provocando dudas sobre la vacunación. Y las autoridades sanitarias de Kansas City están observando una tendencia preocupante en el número de personas que contraen la tos ferina.

As flu season settles over the Midwest, new and different vaccine messaging from Washington is spurring vaccine hesitation. And Kansas City health officials are noticing a concerning trend in the number of people contracting whooping cough.

Federal Medicare and Medicaid regulations mandate staff vaccinations for employers that receive funding. But the high court ruled that Katlin Keeran was protected by a 2021 Kansas law making it illegal for employers to question the sincerity of religious beliefs for opting out of vaccines.

John Diehl admitted in federal court Thursday that he used loans that were supposed to support his law firm for personal expenses, including country club dues, college tuition, credit cards and his mortgage.

In a change from previous federal recommendations, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved this year's shots only for older people and those with underlying health conditions.

The CDC has already changed some vaccine guidelines, and the FDA may change others, which could throw insurance coverage into question and lead to fewer people getting shots.

The COVID-19 pandemic paused many HIV prevention efforts, which helped fuel last year's rise in new infections. President Donald Trump's federal funding cuts threaten to further hamper those efforts.

It's been five years since students had to wear masks in class or tap into lessons online. But Kansas educators say children who began their schooling at the start of the COVID pandemic are still at risk of falling behind.

With vaccine skepticism on the rise, immunization rates in decline and public funds disappearing, the country faces its largest measles outbreak since 2019.

The Trump administration canceled more than $12 billion in public health grants last month. Local public health departments are worried about what that will mean for Kansas Citians.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 29, but the veto was overridden by the Republican-dominated House and Senate. It opens health officials to lawsuits over quarantine decisions and removed their authority to ban public gatherings.

The 2022 Missouri law prevented pharmacists from contacting patients about the efficacy of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine — drugs promoted as COVID medications by right-wing media, despite warnings from health agencies. A judge ruled that gag order was unconstitutional.