Author: Claudinne Miller
ChatGPT Health performance in a structured test of triage recommendations
Nature ChatGPT Health launched in January 2026 as OpenAI’s consumer health tool, reaching millions of users. Here, we conducted a structured stress test of triage recommendations using 60 clinician-authored vignettes across 21 clinical domains under 16 factorial conditions (960 total responses). Performance followed an inverted U-shaped pattern, with the most dangerous failures concentrated at clinical […]
Feb 25, 2026
Universal vaccine to treat colds, flu and COVID developed – and a new study suggests it just might work
The Conversation Vaccines have traditionally worked by teaching the immune system to recognise a specific virus or bacterium – in effect, showing it a wanted poster for a single suspect. But what if one vaccine could protect against dozens of different infections at once? Researchers have now developed a potential candidate for such a vaccine, […]
Feb 25, 2026
U.S. Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccination Rates Plunge, Reversing Years of Gains
MedPageToday Hepatitis B vaccination rates among U.S. newborns have fallen by more than 10 percentage points over the past 2 years, reversing 6 years of steady gains, according to an analysis of electronic health records. Among more than 12 million infants, birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination rates rose from 67.5% in January 2017 to a peak […]
Feb 25, 2026
As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks
Washington Post When it comes to infectious diseases, measles is “the canary in the coal mine,” one expert said. There are more than 900 confirmed measles cases in the United States, as of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent weekly count. It’s less than two months into the year, “and we already have over […]
Feb 25, 2026
Hospitals Fighting Measles Confront a Challenge: Few Doctors Have Seen It Before
KFF At around 2 a.m., 7-year-old twin brothers arrived at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Both had a fever, a cough, a rash, pink eye, and cold symptoms. The boys sat in one waiting room and then another. Two hours and 20 minutes passed before the two were isolated, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]
Feb 25, 2026
Why are Avian Flu cases so much higher in Midstate Pennsylvania?
ABC 27 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has recorded more than 7 million avian flu cases this year, which accounts for 80% of the cases nationwide. Why is the virus so much worse here? Governor Shapiro and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding met with poultry producers and other industry leaders on Tuesday at a roundtable in Lancaster County, one […]
Feb 25, 2026
Deadly bird flu found in California elephant seals for the first time
LA Times The H5N1 bird flu virus that devastated South American elephant seal populations has been confirmed in seals at California’s Año Nuevo State Park, researchers from UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz announced Wednesday. The virus has ravaged wild, commercial and domestic animals across the globe and was found in seven weaned pups. The […]
Feb 25, 2026
As Measles Cases Pass 1,000 for the Year, Experts Urge Vaccination
MedPageToday There are already “more than half the number of cases seen in all of 2025,” one pediatrician said. U.S. measles cases have topped 1,000 just 2 months into 2026, and outbreaks persist in a number of states, namely South Carolina and Arizona/Utah. “It is very concerning to see more than 1,000 cases in the U.S. this […]
Feb 25, 2026
‘Unbelievably contagious’: Measles cases soar nationwide: What you need to know
WTOP The United States is seeing nearly 1,000 cases of measles in the first two months of 2026, a record surge that has alarmed health care providers. More than 980 have been reported across 26 states as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s more than four times the total number of […]
Feb 25, 2026
Real-world medical questions stump AI chatbots
Science News AI chatbots may seem medical–book smart but their grades falter when interacting with real people. In the lab, AI chatbots could identify medical issues with 95 percent accuracy and correctly recommend actions such as calling a doctor or going to urgent care more than 56 percent of the time. When humans conversationally presented medical scenarios […]
Feb 18, 2026