It’s the third record-breaking year in a row for the exemption rate, and the vast majority are parents withholding shots for nonmedical reasons.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires settled over Chicago Thursday, with air quality reaching “unhealthy” levels for everyone. Air quality was far worse in parts of Canada closer to the fires.

The particles are likely the result of the degradation of plastic-filled objects such as carpet, curtains, furniture and textiles and the plastic parts of car interiors, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.

Compared with eligible people who were not participating in the U.S. Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, SNAP participants showed a slower decline in cognitive function during a 10-year period, essentially maintaining up to three additional years of cognitive health, according to a new study.

Some Chicago hospitals that have been on the forefront of providing gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 19 have pulled back on those services.

Environmental advocates, elected leaders and workers at the Environmental Protection Agency gathered at Federal Plaza downtown Monday to push back against the president’s reported plans to repeal a key federal determination that allows the EPA to help combat climate change.

The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has adopted a recommendation to remove thimerosal from all influenza vaccines distributed in the United States, even though there is no clear evidence of harm from the mercury-based preservative.

In Illinois, the 988 hotline’s LGBTQ+ youth specialized services program supports more than 1,600 calls and 600 chats or texts per month, according to a news release.

Sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies are particularly common for college-aged people. A 2023 report from the CDC found that nearly half of all reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were among people aged 15 to 24.

At least two dozen bills have been introduced across 15 states this year. Most of the legislation is related to insurance coverage for menopause care, awareness and education, clinician training or menopause in the workplace.

Scientists who study and treat diabetes noted that CDC officials released only a 600-word online summary of their new findings — not the raw data nor a peer-reviewed published paper describing how they arrived at the new figure.

For nearly a decade, national guidelines have recommended introducing safe forms of peanut-containing foods to infants to help reduce allergy risk; however, a new study by Northwestern Medicine found that many families aren’t receiving that guidance from their pediatrician.

With funding at risk, hospitals are warning they might have to close — and leave communities without badly needed access to care.

The CDC said the national case count surpassed 2019, when there were 1,274 cases for the year and the country almost lost its status of having eliminated the vaccine-preventable illness. That could happen this year if the virus has nonstop spread for 12 months.

Nearly 30,000, or more than 40%, of Planned Parenthood of Illinois patients use Medicaid to access health care services at Planned Parenthood’s health centers, according to the organization.