By Bryan Dyne, 28 January 2020
The outbreak in China has exposed the vulnerability of contemporary society to new strains of infectious disease, dangers for which no capitalist government has adequately prepared.
By Benjamin Mateus, 25 January 2020
Since the virus was first identified, more than 1,000 people have now been infected worldwide, and in the latest report the death toll has climbed to 41, all having died in mainland China.
By Trévon Austin, 24 January 2020
In an interview at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Trump said social programs would be targeted to reduce the federal deficit.
By Kate Randall, 18 January 2020
Wealthy men and women generally have eight to nine more years of "disability free" life after age 50 than the poorest American and English adults.
By Jessica Goldstein, 3 January 2020
The study found a staggering 85 percent increase in opioid deaths in counties which experienced a plant closure.
Las Vegas apartment fire kills 6, injures 13 and displaces over 50 residents
By Jacob Crosse, 23 December 2019
Residents of the Alpine Motel Apartments reported no fire alarms or sprinklers went off, forcing them to leap out of windows to escape.
Explosion at Illinois silicone manufacturing facility entirely preventable
By Jessica Goldstein, 23 December 2019
The findings of the Chemical Safety Hazard Investigation Board report demonstrate that AB Specialty Silicones is responsible for the deaths by willful negligence.
By Kevin Martinez and Evelyn Rios, 23 December 2019
As planned by the union, the strike ended with no new contract proposal.
Thousands of children in New Jersey found to have elevated blood lead levels
By Erik Schreiber, 10 December 2019
The New Jersey Department of Health's annual report shows that scandalous levels of lead contamination in public water are not limited to the city of Newark, where local officials' criminal response made headlines this year.
Five dead in Minneapolis, Minnesota high-rise fire
By Matt Rigel, 28 November 2019
Most of the victims were Somali immigrants in a neighborhood near the city's downtown area.
Social counterrevolution and the decline in US life expectancy
By Niles Niemuth, 28 November 2019
A study published this week by the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that the fall in life expectancy in the US is the product of a decades-long assault on the working class.
In the face of attacks by billionaires, Obama
Elizabeth Warren backpedals on "Medicare for All"
By Kate Randall, 20 November 2019
Less than three weeks after presenting her "Medicare for All" proposal, Warren is backtracking on virtually all of its components.
Google's Project Nightingale: The largest transfer to date of private medical data to the tech giant
By Benjamin Mateus, 18 November 2019
More than 50 million not de-identified health records spanning 21 states are being shared with Google through a secret partnership with Ascension Healthcare.
California police arrest woman for delivering stillborn baby with drugs in its system
By Dan Conway, 11 November 2019
California police arrested 25-year-old Chelsea Cheyenne Becker on a charge of 1st degree murder last week after she delivered a stillborn baby with methamphetamine in its system.
One year since the Northern California Camp Fire
An accounting of a crime
By Toby Reese, 11 November 2019
November 8 marked one year since the outbreak of the Northern California Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive fire in the state's history.
Elizabeth Warren unveils her "Medicare for All" electoral gimmick
By Kate Randall, 5 November 2019
The ruling elite will resist to the end any infringement, however minimal, on its ability to accumulate wealth at the expense of the working class.
New York University's new mental health initiative cheats students in need of counseling
By Sam Dalton, 29 October 2019
NYU has launched a wellness program that is inadequate for the mental health needs of its students.
Reports highlight rising methamphetamine health crisis across US Midwest
By Jacob Crosse, 24 October 2019
The number of meth related cases reported in the state of Wisconsin alone have surged by 450 percent over the last decade.
Major distributors and manufacturers of opioids avert trial by reaching $260 million wrist-slap settlement in Ohio
By Brian Dixon and Benjamin Mateus, 23 October 2019
The settlement is seen as a "bellwether" case for future opioid lawsuits, with the companies making no admission of guilt for the drug overdose crisis which has ravaged the US.
Continued rise in STDs highlights bipartisan attack on American healthcare system
By Erik Schreiber, 17 October 2019
As the CDC itself implies, the continuing increase in the incidence of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis is a scandal and an indictment of both capitalist parties.
As US vaping-related lung illnesses soar, FDA found negligent in enforcing e-cig regulations
By Benjamin Mateus, 7 October 2019
A report issued by the NIH's drug abuse section highlights the dramatic rise in vaping among teenagers; 37.3 percent of 12th graders reported they had vaped in the past 12 months.
Study predicts significant outbreaks of measles in Texas due to low vaccination rates
By Gary Joad, 2 October 2019
Texas, the second most populous state, grants the greatest number of vaccine exemptions for personal philosophical and religious reasons of any state in US.
Majority of West Virginia counties rank worst in US for water quality
By Naomi Spencer, 28 September 2019
A new report finds 36 of West Virginia's 55 counties rank among the worst in the country for drinking water violations.
Officials cover up lead in water crisis in Newark, New Jersey
By Shuvu Batta, 27 September 2019
Residents of Newark, New Jersey, continue to be exposed to lead in their tap water as their city and state officials attempt to lie their way out of the crisis.
US healthcare workers face rise in workplace violence
By Alex Johnson, 20 September 2019
One in four nurses is assaulted on the job on any given day as the healthcare crisis creates a toxic workplace environment.
Abrupt closures of two hospitals in West Virginia and Ohio leave region reeling
The termination of critical healthcare services will have a deeply damaging impact on the communities, and potentially deadly consequences for individuals who rely on them.
New York City mayor declares end of measles public health emergency
By Gary Joad, 16 September 2019
During a nine-month period, 52 people were hospitalized and 16 individuals placed in intensive care units. Eighty percent of those contracting measles were children.
US agency warns of lung illness epidemic among young people, attributed to e-cigarettes
By Benjamin Mateus, 9 September 2019
The FDA has issued a public warning of a rapidly developing epidemic of severe lung illnesses associated with "vaping," with 450 cases confirmed spanning 33 states.
Johnson & Johnson v. State of Oklahoma: How the courts are covering for Big Pharma
By Genevieve Leigh, 29 August 2019
The toothless ruling follows a well-worn pattern in which giant corporations, after committing horrific social crimes, get off with a relatively small fine.
Oklahoma judge finds Johnson & Johnson guilty in opioid epidemic
By Benjamin Mateus, 27 August 2019
While the $572 million judgment fell short of the $17 billion sought by the state, the court's ruling was an unambiguous finding that the giant corporation deliberately downplayed the dangers of the opioids it manufactured.
New studies reveal growing epidemic of nurse suicides in the US
By Alex Johnson, 16 August 2019
Hospital conditions and the accompanying mental health strain are driving increasing numbers of nurses to take their own lives.
Bottled water distributions begin as lead water poisoning crisis erupts in Newark, New Jersey
By Daniel de Vries, 14 August 2019
After three years of cover-up, city and state officials were forced to begin distributing bottled water to residents on Monday.
US doctors' group urges probe into child migrant deaths from influenza
By Kate Randall, 2 August 2019
According to autopsy results, at least three migrant children have died in US custody as a result of influenza and its complications since December 2018, a rate of death substantially higher than that among children in the general population.
"They opened fire as if we were animals"
AMLO's police gun down immigrant near US border
By Andrea Lobo, 2 August 2019
A migrant was shot dead while running away from police with his eight-year-old daughter hours before Trump praised Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's government at a rally in Ohio.
UAW, Ford enforce punitive attendance policies at Chicago Assembly Plant ahead of September contract expiration
By Jessica Goldstein, 31 July 2019
The UAW is now playing a critical role in disciplining workers at the behest of Ford in advance of the September expiration of the national auto contract agreement.
Merchants of death
How the pharmaceutical companies, Congress and the DEA made the opioid epidemic a billion-dollar industry
By Genevieve Leigh, 23 July 2019
Previously undisclosed government information shows how drug manufacturers and distributors responded to the emerging opioid epidemic by pumping more pills into the hardest-hit regions.
Australian cancer victim sues Bayer-Monsanto
By Frank Gaglioti, 23 July 2019
Michael Ogalirolo claims his potentially lethal cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is due to 18 years of exposure to glyphosate, the active component of the herbicide Roundup.
Global conflict situations, poverty lead to rise in mental health crises
By Alex Johnson, 9 July 2019
US imperialism and its allies bear principal responsibility for the wars and military interventions that have wrought devastation throughout the world.
Giant US healthcare corporations fear hostile takeover by high-tech companies
By Benjamin Mateus, 8 July 2019
While the US population has expanded by 75 percent since 1960, to approximately 325 million people, healthcare expenditure, in constant dollars, has risen approximately 2000 percent.
Deadly Legionella bacteria found at Ford Dearborn Truck plant
By George Kirby, 5 July 2019
While Ford and the UAW have downplayed the finding, claiming the amounts are small, the CDC says there is no safe level of the bacteria.
Protesting nurses speak out in Long Beach, California
By Rafael Azul and Kimie Saito, 28 June 2019
"Patients are not numbers! Maximum patients + minimum nurses = maximum profits. And the costs are passed on to the consumers and us."
Union works to sabotage unity of Minnesota nurses' struggle
By Matt Rigel, 28 June 2019
The Minnesota Nurses Association is working to sell out nurses in Minneapolis-St. Paul metro region by negotiating contracts at some hospitals while others remain unsettled.
New petrochemical complex could create a "cancer alley" on Ohio River
By John Ashbrook, 28 June 2019
The Trump administration is backing a tri-state effort to build a huge fossil fuel processing facility that threatens public health and the environment.
No more lies!
The way forward in the struggle against the poisoning of Flint
By the WSWS editorial board, 28 June 2019
The following statement is being distributed to a community meeting in Flint Friday night.
"Sully" Sullenberger testifies that the 737 Max 8 was "fatally flawed"
The airline captain's statement to Congress exposed the negligence of Boeing and questioned the relationship between the company and regulatory agencies.
Unreported releases from coal ash ponds may be more widespread in US than previously known
Millions of people are potentially exposed to toxic coal ash, which can cause bone cancers, leukemia and nervous system and brain damage.
Minnesota Nurses Association announces sellout tentative deal at Children's Hospitals in Minneapolis-St. Paul
By Jonas Boquist, 17 June 2019
It has been many decades since the unions have launched a nationwide strike in any industry. In its place they have adopted the program of union-management collaboration."
Suicide rates for doctors and young physicians among highest in the US population
By Alex Johnson, 17 June 2019
Doctors are often hesitant to seek treatment, due to the stigma associated with mental health problems.
The Commonwealth Fund's 2019 Scorecard
Rising US "deaths of despair" driven by health care costs, lack of access to care
By Kate Randall, 14 June 2019
A new study shows that one of the major underlying causes of "deaths of despair" is social inequality, in particular lack of access to health care and the associated financial struggles.
"We went out with the nurses, we should go back with the nurses"
Mercy Health strikers in Toledo, Ohio denounce UAW sabotage of their struggle
By Shannon Jones, 3 June 2019
In an act of blatant strikebreaking, the UAW organized a vote by support staff and technicians at Mercy Health St. Vincent in order to isolate striking nurses and force them back to work.
Class action lawsuit brought in US against generic-drug makers for colluding to fix prices
By Benjamin Mateus, 30 May 2019
The soaring cost of prescription drugs is directly linked to criminal practices by giant corporations.
Kalamazoo, Michigan: "I don't like the idea of selling my blood plasma for money, but I have to do what I've got to do"
US blood plasma industry targets poor and working class
By Carlos Delgado, 28 May 2019
An increasing number of US workers are selling their plasma to cover basic necessities like food, rent, gas and diapers.
Los Angeles universities quarantine 280 as US measles cases reach record levels
By Kate Randall, 27 April 2019
The CDC reports the number of measles cases has spiked to at least 695 so far this year, the highest number since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.
Forty hospitalized after toxic chemical leak in Chicago suburb
By Jessica Goldstein, 26 April 2019
Residents of Beach Park, Illinois were ordered to stay inside and 40 people were hospitalized after toxic anhydrous ammonia leaked into the air during a chemical spill.
New York City declares public health emergency over measles outbreak
New York City has seen 285 confirmed measles cases since the outbreak began in the fall, with 21 requiring hospitalizations, including five admissions to intensive care units.
Trump backs court action to end health coverage for 25 million people
While the Trump administration targets Obamacare for full repeal, the Democrats are dropping calls for "Medicare-for-all" in favor of billions more for the private insurance companies.
Houston chemical fire: Residents ordered to "shelter-in-place" due to benzene danger
By Jacob Crosse, 22 March 2019
Residents of Deer Park and Galena Park, east of the Texas city, have been the most affected by the fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company.
US studies: More misery brought to you by Big Pharma
Sharp rise in fentanyl overdose deaths, ADHD-drug-induced psychosis, prescription drug rationing due to cost
By Kate Randall, 22 March 2019
A week rarely passes without the publication of a major study documenting the misery unleashed on Americans by the US pharmaceutical industry and its rapacious drive for profits.
Obesity-related cancers rise among US millennials
By Alex Johnson, 18 March 2019
One of the principal factors contributing to the rise in obesity rates among American adults is the lack of access to healthful foods among low-income and rural populations.
"Deaths of despair" continue to soar
US deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide at all-time high
By Kate Randall, 8 March 2019
The devastating toll of 150,000 Americans dying from alcohol and drug-induced fatalities and suicides in 2017 is seen by the political establishment and pharmaceutical CEOs as the "cost of doing business."
Rise in drug abuse among women and heterosexual men diagnosed with syphilis
By Benjamin Mateus, 27 February 2019
Many of those affected lack steady employment, health care and stable housing, and face an abusive penal system.
Study links abuse-deterrent OxyContin with rise in hepatitis C infections
By Brian Dixon, 11 February 2019
According to a new study published in Health Affairs, Purdue Pharma's switch to a new abuse-deterrent formulation of OxyContin in 2010 led to a rise in hepatitis C infections as addicts switched to injecting heroin.
FDA advisor criticizes agency's response to opioid epidemic
By Brian Dixon, 6 February 2019
The chair of the FDA's opioid advisory committee claimed the agency is manipulating data in favor of the pharmaceutical companies seeking approval for new opioid painkillers.
Boston jury hears testimony of how Insys Therapeutics pushed opioid painkiller and killed hundreds
By Kate Randall, 5 February 2019
Prosecutors told jurors that Insys executives were guilty of running a kickback and conspiracy scheme that bribed doctors to routinely subscribe Subsys, a highly addictive fentanyl nasal spray.
More US drug price hikes in 2019
By Alex Johnson, 4 February 2019
According to Reuters, drug manufacturers raised the prices of more than 250 prescription drugs, including the world's top-selling medicine, Humira.
US: Measles outbreak in Washington state prompts state of emergency
In addition to the US, there has also been an uptick of people contracting measles in Canada and across Europe due to people foregoing the vaccine.
US drug company payments to doctors linked to opioid overdose deaths
By Brian Dixon, 22 January 2019
A study published last week in JAMA Network Open found that counties where doctors received payments from drug companies later experienced higher rates of overdose deaths from opioids.
Opioid overdose deaths triple among US teens and young children
By Kate Randall, 31 December 2018
The depth of the opioid crisis facing young people points to the woefully inadequate response of the government to this social catastrophe as it spirals out of control.
Federal judge in Texas rules Affordable Care Act unconstitutional
The ruling was opposed by healthcare groups and, if upheld, threatens to throw insurance markets into chaos and strip coverage from tens of millions of Americans.
West Virginia: Task force concludes without a "fix" for public workers' insurance
By Clement Daly, 17 December 2018
Throughout the strike and pro-forma hearings, teachers and public service workers demanded that health care be funded through increased taxes on the state's oil and gas industry.
Public health expert speaks on the crisis of American healthcare
Cases like Hedda Martin's heart transplant denial "will continue to happen"
By Nancy Hanover, 3 December 2018
Workers and young people nationwide decried Martin's callous treatment, donating generously out of their own pockets, after Spectrum Health's Richard DeVos Heart and Lung Transplant Clinic told her to make "a fundraising effort of $10,000."
The centenary of the "Spanish Flu"—Lessons for today
Part one of a two-part series
The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 was the deadliest outbreak of disease in human history, killing as many as 100 million people.
Detroit Medical Center doctors fired after speaking out for patient safety
By Joseph Lorenz, 9 October 2018
In a statement announcing his resignation from the medical staff, Dr. Ted Schreiber said, "Unfortunately, the current focus of some in health care is on profits and stock holder value."
Congress readies band-aid measure for opioid crisis
By Tom Eley, 28 September 2018
The bill will do little to slow the growing epidemic of opioid addiction and death.
New Trump coal regulations will kill as many as 1,400 Americans annually by 2030
By Alec Andersen, 25 August 2018
According a report by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the agency's recent rule change will lead to 1,400 more premature deaths by 2030.
Studies: US life expectancy drops as mortality rises among younger adults
By Kate Randall, 21 August 2018
While many other countries saw a rebound in life expectancy in 2016, the US and the UK saw declines for two consecutive years.
Texas firefighters denied workers compensation for cancer
By Todd Denton, 21 August 2018
More than 90 percent of firefighters in Texas are being refused medical coverage and paid sick leave for cancer caused by on-the-job toxic exposures.
New CDC estimates: A record 72,000 US drug overdose deaths in 2017
The catastrophic toll of opioid deaths, which is driving falling life expectancies, casts a grim light on the state of America in the 21st century.
Hepatitis A outbreak worsens in West Virginia, Kentucky
By Naomi Spencer, 4 August 2018
Over 1,900 people across West Virginia and Kentucky have been diagnosed with Hepatitis A in the past few months, and at least 10 people have died. Hepatitis C and HIV are likewise on the rise.
US hospitals fail to prevent unnecessary maternal deaths and injuries
By Brian Dixon, 30 July 2018
Based on recent data, a USA Today article last Thursday concluded that the United States was the most dangerous country in the developed world for women to give birth.
Trump administration proposes more cuts to drug discount program for safety net hospitals
By Kate Randall, 28 July 2018
The Trump administration and pharmaceuticals' opposition to the 340B program is based on boosting the profits of the drug companies and clawing back any government regulations on them.
017 Trump and Medicare payments
Rates of black lung highest in 25 years among Appalachian coal miners
By Tom Hall, 23 July 2018
Decades after the deadly disease was nearly eradicated, more than one in five veteran coal miners now suffer from black lung disease.
Report exposes rise in alcohol-related deaths among Millennials in US
By Isaac Finn, 20 July 2018
The increase is one part of a rising number of "deaths of despair" caused by suicide and drug and alcohol abuse, which have contributed to declining life expectancy in the US.
Boston subway rider victimized by aged train and the high cost of medical services
By John Marion, 6 July 2018
A woman stepping off a 40-year-old subway train had her leg cut to the bone, then begged her fellow passengers not to call an ambulance due to the cost.
Trump administration supports lawsuit challenging Obamacare's pre-existing conditions protections
The action is the latest effort to chip away at the legislation after two failures to repeal it outright.
Health risks found in over 80 percent of NYCHA apartments
By Philip Guelpa, 17 April 2018
Residents are exposed to peeling paint, mold, damaged plaster, rodents, insects, inoperable appliances, severe electrical hazards, lack of heat, and malfunctioning smoke detectors.
More US states imposing Medicaid work requirements
Some states are considering expanding Medicaid while at the same time imposing work requirements, premium payments and drug testing of recipients.
Mississippi governor signs the nation's most restrictive anti-abortion measure
By Shelley Connor, 24 March 2018
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed into law the toughest restrictions on abortion currently seen in the US, banning all abortions past 15 weeks gestation.
Trump demands death penalty for drug dealers as answer to opioid overdose crisis
By Niles Niemuth, 20 March 2018
Trump blamed the crisis on America's supposedly lax drug laws and pointed to countries which have "zero tolerance" policies, including the death penalty for dealers and traffickers.
Cluster of 125 people infected with HIV and syphilis discovered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
By Benjamin Mateus, 12 March 2018
While health advocates have called the outbreak an epidemic requiring immediate attention, city officials have been slow to respond to the situation.
Hospital workers protest layoffs in Michigan
By Carlos Delgado and Esther Galen, 10 March 2018
Two giant hospital chains, Ascension and Tenet, have announced layoffs and unit closures
Mental health crisis descends on Puerto Rico's working class
By Ali Abu Elhassan, 9 March 2018
Suicides have increased by 30 percent on the island of Puerto Rico since Hurricane María made landfall almost six months ago.
Industrial tannery dump contaminates drinking water in west Michigan community
By Carlos Delgado, 2 March 2018
The levels of toxic PFOA and PFOS chemicals found in drinking water near the dump site are among the highest ever recorded in the United States.
Johns Hopkins researchers find toxic levels of heavy metals in e-cigarette vapors
Electronic cigarettes have high concentrations of heavy and toxic metals in their vapors caused by the release of these metals from the heating coils.
Records show neglect of Florida school gunman's mental health
By Trévon Austin, 19 February 2018
Cruz's counselor told the Florida Department of Children and Families that he was reported to have "an emotional behavioral disability" and was diagnosed with autism.
Report details psychological and health impact of deportation on children
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 17 February 2018
According to the medical journal Frontiers in Pediatrics, fear of deportation causes large scale socio-psychological trauma among immigrant children.
"This is a national health emergency"
WSWS interviews Fulbright scholar Chris Fradkin on impact of mass deportations
By our reporters, 17 February 2018
Fradkin authored an article in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics titled "Fear of massive deportations in the United States: Social implications on deprived pediatric communities."
Scientists produce new treatment to block the development of breast cancer
A team of researchers successfully used an inhibitor called HET0016 to block a chemical known as 20-HETE, which can promote the growth of breast cancer cells.
Texas woman, 38, falls victim to US flu epidemic and exorbitant drug costs
By Kate Randall, 13 February 2018
Heather Holland's death casts a grim light on the deplorable state of the US health care system and the government's lack of preparedness and funding in the face of this season's deadly flu epidemic.