Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a health emergency in four counties of the state because of the Zika virus. At least nine cases of the mosquito-borne illness have been detected in Florida. Health officials believe all of the cases are from people who contracted the disease while traveling to… Read More

Sharing bacteria in the operating room normally is a no-no but in a novel experiment, researchers are giving babies born by C-section a dose of presumably protective germs from mom’s birth canal. We share our bodies with microbes — on the skin, in the mouth, in the gut — that… Read More

The World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the explosive spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, calling it an “extraordinary event” that poses a public health threat to other parts of the world. The U.N. agency took the rare step… Read More

A Detroit-area couple marketing body parts for medical training failed to disclose that heads and necks came from bodies infected with disease, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday. Arthur Rathburn and wife Elizabeth Rathburn of Grosse Pointe Park operated International Biological Inc., which rented out body parts for medical… Read More

Britain’s fertility regulator has approved a scientist’s application to edit the human genetic code using a new technique that some fear crosses too many ethical boundaries. In a statement Monday, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said it has granted a research application to a team led by scientist Kathy… Read More

The Zika virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas, which could see up to 4 million cases over the next year, international health officials said Thursday, announcing a special meeting next week to decide if they should declare an international health emergency. The warning from the World Health Organization came… Read More

If you want to improve your sense of well-being, leave the Lower 48. A new report ranking all 50 states based on residents’ sense of well-being puts Hawaii at No. 1, followed by Alaska, which held the top spot last year. Hawaii has been No. 1 in the poll five… Read More

Health officials say a Virginia resident who traveled outside the United States has tested positive for Zika, a mosquito-transmitted virus. Health Commissioner Dr. Marissa Levine said Tuesday that the resident traveled to a country where the Zika virus transmission is ongoing. She says this person poses no risk to other… Read More