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Health professionals are noting a surge in a norovirus called “winter vomiting disease,” which spreads through contaminated food and water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitors wastewater surveillance testing, which has indicated that the virus is spreading earlier and faster than usual.

Reported cases, particularly in Louisiana, Michigan and Indiana, have been surging since October. California, Alabama, Texas and Florida have also been flagged for pockets of outbreaks.

Each year, there are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks in the U.S., according to the CDC.

A variant of norovirus known as GII.17 has begun to raise concerns for health professionals after cases spiked. In 2024, the GII.17 mutation was responsible for about 75 percent of outbreaks, per the health agency.

Prior to that, the GII.4 strain dominated norovirus outbreaks for more than three decades.

“When new strains emerge, people are exposed to a strain that they have not previously been exposed to, and hence are more likely to get infected,” Lee-Ann Jaykus, a professor in the department of food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences at North Carolina State University, told Newsweek.

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A federal judge on Tuesday blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing in 22 states a provision of the Republican’s signature tax and domestic policy bill that would deprive Planned Parenthood and local affiliates that perform abortions of Medicaid funding.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston said a group of Democratic state attorneys general who had challenged the provision were likely to succeed in establishing that the law constitutes an unconstitutional retroactive condition on their participation in the Medicaid healthcare program.

Talwani called the law “impermissibly ambiguous,” and said that allowing it to remain in effect would “increase the percentage of patients unable to receive birth control and preventive screenings, thereby prompting an increase in states’ healthcare costs.”

The judge, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, issued a preliminary injunction that covers the 22 states that sued to challenge the provision led by California, Connecticut and New York, as well as the District of Columbia. But she put her ruling on hold for seven days to allow the Trump administration to appeal.

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A federal judge officially approved drug maker Purdue Pharma’s latest deal to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of the opioid epidemic and pay victims, according to multiple media reports.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane on Tuesday, Nov. 18 approved OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harms of the opioids, the AP reported. The judge's decision orders members of the Sackler family, who own the drug-making company, "to contribute up to $7 billion over 15 years."

The move comes on the heels of Reuters reporting last week that the New York-based judge said he would approve a restructuring plan for the drug maker that includes a $7.4 billion settlement.

The deal aims to resolve claims Purdue Pharma fueled the United States opioid epidemic by selling addictive pain meds linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths over the past two decades.

Some of the money will be given to people who had OxyContin prescriptions, as well as their survivors, the outlets reported.

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Cancer continues to be one of the world's top causes of death, due in part to delayed discovery of the disease. But according to a recently released study, a simple blood test may be able to identify a variety of cancers in their early stages.

In addition to earlier detection, the study from GRAIL, a biotechnology company, showed that its multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing method found cancers in organs that don't have routine screening tests. The test, known as Galleri, picked up cancer signals in 216 people, and 133 of them were found to actually have cancer. The study also found that the test correctly predicted the cancer's origin 92% of the time.

Shifting cancer screening options

Because of the lack of screening for many of the most serious cancers, they tend to be found after it is too late. But when tumors are found early on, they are more treatable and possibly curable.

There are currently established screening methods for various cancers, including mammograms, pap tests, colonoscopies, and tests for the prostate and lungs.

The FDA has not yet approved the Galleri MCED testing method; more research is currently ongoing.

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A deadly listeria outbreak connected to prepared pasta meals sold at grocery chains nationwide is worsening, federal health officials say.

As of late October, the outbreak has killed six people and sickened 27, all but two of whom were hospitalized, according to last week's update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One of those affected was a pregnant mother, resulting in a fetal loss.

Cases have been reported in 18 states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

"Since the last CDC case count update on September 25, 2025, a total of 7 new illnesses from 3 states have been reported, with 2 additional deaths reported," the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

That list has grown in recent months. The outbreak started in June, when listeria concerns prompted recalls of several brands of ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo mealsmade by FreshRealm Inc. and sold under the Home Chef brand at Kroger and the Marketside brand at Walmart.

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