FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Climate change is bringing diseases once considered tropical afflictions to the United States, and new research warns that a parasite spread by sand flies may be the latest to join this growing list.The Leishmania parasite causes several forms of the disease leishmaniasis, including cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores. Cutaneous leishmaniasis infects up to 1 million people each year, mainly in the Middle East, central Asia, northern Africa and Latin America.Another potentially life-threatening form of the disease, visceral leishmaniasis, affects the spleen, liver and bone marrow, and a new study suggests this form may be gaining a foothold in U.S. sand flies when they feed on infected dogs brought into the country by well-meaning...

FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- CVS Health plans to pull cold medications that contain phenylephrine from its store shelves after federal regulators determined recently that the decongestant doesn’t work. Oral phenylephrine is an active ingredient in such well-known products as Sudafed and Dayquil. An FDA advisory committee ruled last month that the ingredient was useless in easing congestion."We are removing certain oral cough and cold products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient from CVS Pharmacy stores," the company told CBS MoneyWatch."Other oral cough and cold products will continue to be offered to meet consumer needs," the company added.Another drugstore chain, Walgreens, said it "follows FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] regulations,”...

FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Tens of thousands of U.S. children received burns over a decade from beauty devices found in many homes: curling irons.“Hair styling tools are a timeless piece of our everyday routine, helping to create the picture-perfect look. Yet they have the greatest propensity to create a not so picture-perfect accident when not handled with care,” said Dr. Brandon Rozanski, lead author of a new study and a pediatric resident at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.“Electric hair styling tools can reach temperatures as high as 450 degrees F in a matter of minutes, creating potential situations of unintentional burn injury for both the device user and surrounding bystanders,” Rozanski said in a news release from the American Academy of...

FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Despite warnings and public education campaigns, kids continue to suffer injuries from swallowing small but strong magnets, according to a new study.Children are also inserting high-powered, rare-earth balls into their ears and noses, even in households where parents fully understand the dangers of the toys, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).“High-powered, rare-earth magnetic balls or beads are often sold as fun, stress-relieving toys, but they are among the most dangerous toys when kids eat them. It doesn't matter what the child's socioeconomic or racial background is, whether the child is being watched, or if supervising adults know the magnets are dangerous — kids still manage to eat them and many of them need surgery...