Health

(WASHINGTON) — On the same day that former President Barack Obama returned to the White House to witness the unveiling of the new presidential portraits, a federal judge in Texas ruled against the provisions of his Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled on Wednesday on the side of plaintiffs, businesses and individuals, who wanted to deny free coverage of the HIV medication PrEP on religious grounds.

ABC News’ senior Washington reporter Devin Dwyer sat down with the ‘Start Here’ podcast to explain the legacy of Obamacare, the recent legal challenge and how far the implications could reach.

START HERE: Devin, I think enrollment season for health insurance starts in a couple months, what was this ruling?

DWYER: Yeah, and one of the most popular provisions that’s on all of our minds as we look at those healthcare plans from our employers to pick from Brad are those free preventive care services and medications that insurers are now required to cover because of Obamacare.

Things like cancer screenings and colonoscopies, vaccines, those things covered at no cost, no co-pays, of course. Well, a federal judge in Texas, Reed O’Connor, the same one who’s taken aim at Obamacare before, delivered an opinion striking down, threatening key portions of the preventive services mandate.

He said that this board of U.S. health officials, that decides what insurance companies have to cover free-of-charge, is unconstitutional. They aren’t properly appointed and confirmed by the Senate, in his view, perhaps invalidating them in all the work they do, we’ll see. He held back on the exact scope of his decision, that’s going to come a little bit later. But he also took aim, Brad, and you mentioned it, at this very popular pre-exposure prophylaxis called PrEP. It’s a prevention medicine for HIV.

He said that requiring companies, some companies, to cover that drug could violate their religious freedom. And he sided with one company, Briarwood is its name. It’s a small company, 70 employees. They had challenged this saying in their view, that by having to cover this they are endorsing sexual activity, [and] that they cannot support sexual activity, outside of marriage, among homosexual people, and they wanted to opt out. Judge Reed O’Connor said at least in their case, they don’t have to comply.

START HERE: And I know this ruling could potentially apply to lots of drugs but while we’re on this, could you just talk about what a big deal PrEP is? Because I feel like we don’t spend enough time properly awed that well, there’s not a cure for HIV. It has effectively let people live with this disease we thought was incurable in a more normal way than we ever thought possible.

DWYER: Yeah. PReP Brad has in the eyes of the CDC been a game changer. I mean, it has dramatically slowed the spread of HIV since it was rolled out about a decade ago. And it is 90% effective when taken ahead of time at preventing an HIV infection from any sort of activity. Sexual activity, drug use, a blood transfusion. You cannot, virtually, get it if you’re on this. And if you are infected and begin taking prep after the fact it’s also very effective, according to experts.

So this has been a drug that the CDC says they want more people to take. And in fact, the latest numbers, only about a quarter of at-risk, of the millions at-risk Americans who should be taking it are doing that right now. The numbers are up, but they need, you know, to be broadened.

And the CDC says access to that medication is the key. Letting more people get it cheaply, entirely free according to the mandate under Obamacare would help. And so they’re trying to obliterate HIV and AIDS in this country using this drug, but potentially now a setback with this ruling, if it stands, and if it’s as broad as some fear it might be.

START HERE: Well, that’s the thing, you had this company who said ‘we don’t want to endorse homosexual activity, it’s our, sort of, freedom of religion. So we don’t think this should be covered under our plan.’ Of course, we should say it’s not only gay people that get HIV, it’s not only men that get HIV. But if this ruling got upheld by the future courts, that are going to see it what could happen then to even going beyond HIV? What happens to preventative care in this country?

DWYER: Well, there’s two issues in this case. If the the prep decision stands, obviously a setback, but it’s unclear whether the judge would say the government simply has to provide some mechanism for an exemption for religious companies or religious-minded people who simply don’t want to opt-in to insurance plans like this.

Remember, there was a similar challenge on the law’s contraceptive mandate and similar grounds that has been challenged over the years. So perhaps there’s going to be some kind of exception. Perhaps he strikes it down altogether. We’ll have to see. But this also could potentially have a much broader impact. 140 million Americans rely and have come to enjoy, according to polls, the free preventive services, not just drugs and vaccines, but, you know, your annual physical that is supposed to be covered at no cost, no co-pay, once a year. That’s a benefit of Obamacare. If that task force, that which sets those standards is invalidated, all of that could potentially go away.

START HERE: Cause they’re the ones that sort of make the call on here’s what a regular person should have access to. All right. Fascinating stuff. Devin Dwyer, thank you.

DWYER: Thanks Brad.

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(NEW YORK) — Australia is nearing the end of its worst flu season in at least five years, which could be a sign of what’s to come in the United States heading into the fall and winter.

According to data from Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care, as of Aug. 28, there have been nearly 218,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza reported to the country’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

The season came on earlier than usual and, during its height in June, more than 30,000 cases were being reported to the NNDDS per week, according to the latest surveillance report. Comparatively, at the height of the season in 2017 there were 25,000 cases being reported every week.

Additionally, there have been 1,708 influenza-related hospitalizations — 6.5% of which were admitted to intensive care units — and 288 deaths associated with the virus in Australia to date during this season.

Meanwhile, there was just one flu-linked hospitalization and no deaths last year, health department data shows.

Researchers and modelers often look to the southern hemisphere, which experiences its flu season first — typically from May to October — to predict how the season will look in the U.S., and experts tell ABC News we should take warning from Australia.

“We often look to Australia and the southern hemisphere as a signal of what we may expect,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor. “Obviously, it’s not a perfect 1-to-1 match but, more often than not, the severity of the flu season in Australia is a good correlate of what we might expect, and it helps us prepare.”

During the last two years, not as many cases were reported in the U.S. compared to previous years due to COVID-19-related mitigation measures in place, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, as well as school and business closures.

One study from Wayne State University looking at Detroit Medical Center found there were no positive tests for influenza A or B among adults or children during the 2020-21 flu season. However, during the 2019-20 flu season, 13% of adults’ tests and 20% of children’s tests were positive for the virus.

Another study examining Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio found no cases of influenza A and just two cases of influenza B were detected during the 2020-21 season — a 99% decrease from the prior season.

But with COVID-19 expected to peak again in December 2022 or January 2023 and with less flu immunity among the population and fewer mitigation measures, this could be the first time Americans have to grapple with two respiratory viruses at the same time, which could put a further strain on hospital systems.

“Given the concerns we have about health care capacity and health care burnout, the last thing we want is to have parallel epidemics at a time when our health systems are stretched thin,” Brownstein said.

Health experts said they are highly recommending Americans get their flu shots by the end of October to get the best protection but say it is never too late, even if people get the shot later into the season.

“One of the potential things that could make flu come back with a vengeance is low immunity,” Dr. Shira Doron, an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, told ABC News. “It’s definitely important now more than ever because there’s a potential for a bad flu season and a bad COVID season.”

She added, “In fact, [Tufts was] still requiring [flu vaccination] of any new employees or vendors until June 1 because last flu season went so long, so it’s never too late.”

The experts also add that flu can lead to severe disease and death, so it’s important to lower the risk of infection as much as possible.

“While COVID has dominated headlines for years now, we have to remember that flu is a serious infection and while most who get the flu recover, we have to recognize that flu leads to tens of thousands and thousands of deaths,” Brownstein said. “A portion of flu infections could result in severe illness and death. Just like we try to mitigate risk of COVID infection, we have to try to provide a similar effort against flu infection.”

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(NEW YORK) — The newest model of the Apple Watch will offer women features to track their menstrual cycles and when they may be the most fertile, Apple announced Wednesday at a launch event at the company’s California headquarters.

Among the Apple Watch Series 8’s advanced features is a temperature sensor that offers an estimate for the last time a woman wearing the watch has ovulated.

According to the company, temperature data collected by the watch’s sleep tracking and sleep focus features is used to help determine ovulation, the process in which an egg is released from the ovary and becomes available to be fertilized.

Most women’s basal body temperature — the temperature when the body is fully at rest — increases slightly during ovulation and remains elevated until the end of the menstrual cycle, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The Series 8 will come with two sensors — one on the back of the watch, close to the skin, and one under the watch display — to allow for more accurate temperature tracking, according to Apple.

Apple says that after using the watch’s sleep features for five nights, the device will begin to recognize temperature changes. After around two menstrual cycles, watch users will be able to start receiving estimates on when they ovulated during their last cycle.

Users will receive a notification of when they have likely ovulated about three to five days after ovulating, according to the company.

“Knowing when ovulation has occurred can be helpful for family planning, and Apple Watch Series 8 makes it easy and convenient by providing these estimates in the Health app,” Apple says on its website. “Temperature sensing also enables improved period predictions.”

The Series 8, available starting Sept. 16, will retail starting at $399.

Apple is offering the new features at a time when apps and wearables that collect women’s health information have been in the spotlight due to potential privacy concerns.

Pregnancy and period-tracking apps have millions of users every month who utilize the technology to better understand and help control their reproductive health. The apps can tell you when to expect your next period, if you might be pregnant and how far along you are, when you are the most fertile for conceiving and what sorts of symptoms you usually experience.

In the wake of this summer’s Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, reproductive health apps’ ability to share data with law enforcement is of particular concern for women who live in states where abortion has been limited or banned, experts say.

Apple went to great lengths Wednesday to detail its privacy protections, noting that all health and fitness data is encrypted.

The company also said that no health data is shared without users’ permission, explaining that users have to manually make the selection to share data.

Leah Fowler, a research assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center, told ABC News in August that consumers should not expect the health data they enter on apps to be protected in the same way it would be at a hospital or doctors’ office.

“When we think about data in a consumer context, it doesn’t have any of those special protections we tend to expect in other health contexts, like going to the doctor,” said Fowler, whose research focuses on health law and policy. “The information you might give an app when you’re playing Candy Crush or Angry Birds in many ways isn’t different than the type of data you’re giving an app in a health context, even if it feels particularly intimate and can become quite intimate when you’re talking about period and fertility trackers.”

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(NEW YORK) — Early onset cancers defined as cancers discovered in adults younger than 50 years old, have “dramatically increased” around the world over the last few decades, according to a new report by researchers at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Researchers said breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, and pancreas cancers among others have shown a drastic rise beginning in the 1990s.

“From our data, we observed something called the birth cohort effect. This effect shows that each successive group of people born at a later time (e.g., decade-later) have a higher risk of developing cancer later in life, likely due to risk factors they were exposed to at a young age,” Shuji Ogino, MD, Ph.D., professor and physician-scientist, said in the report, suggesting increasing risk with each generation.

According to Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s report, exposures from conception to when someone’s 19 years old play a role in cancer diagnoses before a person turns 50.

The study found that rising incidence is partially attributable to early screenings for some of these cancers, however, early life exposures such as people’s diet, weight, lifestyle, environmental exposure, and microbiome may factor into what’s contributing to early-onset cancer, but more information on individual exposures is needed, according to the report.

“Even in-utero exposures can lead to cellular reprogramming, including epigenetic alterations, that might have long-lasting effects on susceptibility to chronic diseases,” researchers wrote.

Factors such as alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancers, the report found. Between the 1960s to early 2010s, alcohol consumption increased in many countries.

Another study from April found that moderate alcohol consumption has increased the risk of cancer in women.

“We’re finding that probably anywhere between 5% to 10% of all cancers worldwide are due to alcohol use,” Dr. Suneel Kamath, a GI clinical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, told “Good Morning America” in April.

An American Cancer Society report from January found that almost 2 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, with over 600,000 Americans dying from cancer in 2022.

ABC News’ Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — With new COVID variant-specific booster shots set to roll out in the coming week, vaccine scientists argue that more research is needed to understand how a person’s early immune response — either through vaccination or infection itself — may impact future protection against a constantly evolving virus.

The body learns its best defensive moves during its first encounter with a virus, according to experts. However, once a virus evolves, the immune system is slower to respond.

That is a phenomenon called “original antigenic sin,” or “immune imprinting.”

Scientists say that despite nearly three years of living amid a pandemic there are unanswered questions. For example: What’s the best way to maximize protection through vaccination? What vaccine formula would deliver the broadest immune coverage? How often should people receive booster shots?

The answers would help public health authorities decide future vaccination strategies such as the vaccine’s formula and when doses are administered.

What is original antigenic sin or immunological imprinting?

“There’s a theory that our immunological response to the first exposure to a virus may sort of imprint your immune system,” said John Brownstein, an ABC News contributor and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital.

The human immune system’s best playbook is against an invader it already knows, experts say. But the COVID virus has continued to shape-shift, evolving into new variants that are still recognizable, but slightly different from predecessors.

“In other words, the first antigens that you’re exposed to [are] the ones your immune system is most trained to recognize and respond to more strongly the next time,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the center for virology and vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

What does this all mean in terms of COVID vaccines and boosters?

Some experts say they are concerned that frequent boosting with the original version of the vaccine may have inadvertently exacerbated immune imprinting. At this point in the pandemic, some adults have received four or more doses of the same vaccine.

Although still theoretical, some scientists worry about a potential backfire, with frequent boosting handcuffing the body’s natural immune system and leaving it exposed to radically different variants that might emerge in the future.

“Where this matters is if you keep giving booster doses with [original] strain, and continue to lock people into that original response. It makes it harder for them to respond then to essentially a completely different virus,” says Dr. Paul Offit, professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia.

Other scientists disagree, arguing the immune system is adaptable and dynamic. Boosters, they argue, will not freeze the immune system in place.

Meanwhile, updated boosters are slated to roll out this week. These boosters are specifically designed against new omicron sub variants BA.4 and BA.5.

“When we have an omicron-specific booster, it doesn’t make sense not to use that,” said Dr. Anna Durbin, director, center for immunization research Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “The omicron spike protein is very, very different from the spike protein in the current vaccine.”

But even when facing new variants, studies show the original booster continued to reduce the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Those fully vaccinated with at least the primary series were five times less likely to die from COVID in the summer of 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think the worry is that if the virus keeps mutating, maybe the [original] vaccine is not going to continue to do well against that, but I suspect that we’re still going to do very well against severe disease and hospitalization,” said Dr. Paul Goepfert, professor of medicine in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases.

The timing of vaccines may also need to be taken into account, as the nation moves from original doses to updated boosters.

“It is true that the best boosts typically are the ones that are given infrequently, that immunologically, if you boost too much and too frequently, then you often have a lower immune response at the end,” said Barouch.

Does this affect the future of the pandemic?

“I don’t really think [immune imprinting] poses a threat,” said Durbin. “I don’t think it’s going to inhibit the ability of the immune system to recognize other variants or to induce immune responses to other variants, whether that’s through infection, or through vaccines.”

With the virus continuously evolving, experts note that continuous research is key to understanding how phenomena such as immune imprinting could affect the fight against COVID.

“I don’t see it as causing a problem but it’s an important line of research that needs to be investigated,” said Brownstein. “We don’t fully know whether this concept actually is harmful, or even a benefit for future, potential risks to infection.”

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(NEW YORK) — As children head back to the classroom for the academic year, new data shows that pediatric COVID-19 infection rates have increased for the second consecutive week.

Last week, more than 90,600 additional child COVID-19 cases were reported, an increase of 14% from two weeks prior, when just under 80,000 cases were reported, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).

The increase comes despite an overall plateauing of COVID-19 infections nationally.

Overall, totals remain significantly lower than during other parts of the pandemic. Since mid-May, data shows that new cases have plateaued, fluctuating between a high of about 68,000 to 112,000 cases.

However, many Americans who are taking at-home tests are not submitting their results, and thus, experts say daily case totals are likely significantly higher than the numbers that are officially reported.

More than 14.5 million children have tested positive for the virus since the onset of the pandemic, and since the beginning of 2022, approximately 6.65 million reported cases have been added. Children represent about a fifth of all reported cases on record.

Despite the uptick in infections, with COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools still virtually nonexistent, millions of children remain completely unvaccinated.

Overall, about 43.1 million eligible children remain completely unvaccinated, according to federal data.

Most of the nearly 30 million children who have received at least one shot are older children. The vast majority of the youngest Americans under the age of 5 — or just 1 million out of the 19.5 million children in that age group — have yet to receive a COVID-19 shot, according to federal data.

AAP and CHA said there is an “urgent” need to collect more age-specific data to assess the severity of illness related to new variants, as well as potential longer-term effects.

“It is important to recognize there are immediate effects of the pandemic on children’s health, but importantly, we need to identify and address the long-lasting impacts on the physical, mental and social well-being of this generation of children and youth,” the organizations wrote.

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(NEW YORK) — Throughout much of the pandemic, there has been a constant shifting in terms of which COVID-19 variants are most dominant, at a given time, in the U.S.

However, for the last five weeks, federal data shows that there has been little to no growth in the different proportions of COVID-19 variants in the country.

For more than nine months, the omicron variant, and its subvariants, have been dominant in the U.S. But now, health experts say it is unclear why the growth of the omicron strains appears to have stagnated, or why it is that no other significant variants have emerged to challenge its dominance.

“Unlike previous variants, BA.5 appears to have more staying power. A mix of higher transmissibility, waning immunity and relaxed restrictions likely contribute to the ability of this variant to find more hosts to infect,” said John Brownstein, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor.

BA.5 is currently estimated to account for about 88.6% of new COVID-19 infections — a share that has plateaued over the last five weeks, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

BA.4 currently accounts for an estimated 2.8% of new cases in the U.S., and a recently identified subvariant, BA.4.6, is estimated to account for 8.4% of new cases — up slightly from last week when the subvariant accounted for 7.6% of new cases.

Combined, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants account for nearly 100% of new cases in the U.S., according to the CDC data.

The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants appear to have a transmission advantage over the original omicron strain, according to the World Health Organization, and thus, scientists have been closely monitoring the increase in reported cases. At this time, it does not appear as though BA.5 has an increase in severity.

The slowing of the omicron strain’s growth pattern leaves many questions unanswered as to whether there will be viral resurgence in the fall and winter.

“We still have open questions as to what this means for a fall surge and the opportunities for a new variant to displace it,” Brownstein said.

The stagnation of growth with the omicron variants comes as the U.S. appears to experience a parallel plateauing of new COVID-19 infections. The nation had been reporting consistent declines throughout the late summer, but in recent weeks, that number has been hovering around 84,000 new cases each day, according to the CDC.

As previously reported, dozens of states have moved to shutter public testing sites, with more at-home COVID-19 tests now available. Most Americans are not reporting their results to officials, and thus, experts suggest that infection totals are likely significantly undercounted.

Just over 400,000 tests are being reported each day, marking the lowest number of confirmed tests since the onset of the pandemic.

Although new case rates are still dropping in parts of the West, across areas of the Northeast, the Midwest and even parts of the South, case rates have plateaued at a high level or are showing signs of increasing again.

Hospital admission levels also appear to be plateauing nationally. About 5,100 virus-positive Americans are entering the hospital each day, down by about 3.7% in the last week, according to CDC data.

Death rates also remain persistently high, with hundreds of Americans still losing their lives to the virus each day. According to the CDC, the average number of daily COVID-19-related deaths remains more than 400 deaths reported each day.

Thousands are still losing their lives every week, and over the last seven days alone, the U.S. has reported more than 2,800 deaths — still one of the highest weekly totals in months.

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(NEW YORK) — Black and Hispanic Americans make up the majority of monkeypox cases in the United States but are underrepresented when it comes to vaccine distribution.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Aug. 31, people of color make up more than two-thirds of reported cases in the nation with 29% of cases reported among Hispanics and 37.8% reported among Black people.

However, the share of monkeypox vaccines that minorities have received tells a different story. Only 22.1% of first doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine have been administered to Hispanic Americans and 10.4% have been given to Black Americans, data from the CDC shows.

Comparatively, white and Asian Americans make up 27.4% and 2.9% of cases, respectively, and have received 44.2% and 7.6%, respectively, of monkeypox vaccine first doses.

“Unfortunately, it’s not that surprising,” said Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, an ABC News contributor and an associate professor of dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — who has treated monkeypox patients. “History kind of repeats itself. We see heath disparities across so many aspects of medicine and to think that this wouldn’t be one of them is a little naïve.”

He added, “I mean we saw it with COVID. It speaks to the fact that we have a lot of work to do to meet people where they are.”

Similar trends in racial/ethnic disparities can be seen on a city level.

In Philadelphia, Black or African American residents make up 55% of all monkeypox cases but just 24% of vaccinations, city data shows. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 16% of all cases but 12% of vaccinations.

Meanwhile, white Philadelphians make up 24% of cases but have received 56% of first doses.

Similarly, in New York City, as of Sep.1, Hispanics account for 32.7% of monkeypox infections and Black people account for 26.3% of infections. However, Hispanic residents have only received 23.3% of vaccine doses and Black residents have received 12.0%. according to data from the city’s Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.

By comparison, 24.2% of monkeypox infections in the Big Apple are among white residents but this population has received 45.5% of available first vaccine doses.

“The problem with infectious diseases is they often get a head start on attacking our communities before even a lot of people are aware,” Abdelmalek said. “So, these viruses already have a head start and then when you put into the equation, the fact that there might be certain populations like Black and Hispanic that have less access to medicine, the gap becomes even wider.”

Abdelmalek said a few ways to narrow these gaps include the medical community partnering with local businesses to get the word out about populations at-risk and vaccines and making sure social media platforms have messages that are targeted at traditionally underserved communities.

He also recommends people reach out and ask their doctor if they are eligible for the monkeypox vaccine and, if so, how they can receive.

“We should encourage [people] that you’re not bothering your doctor by calling them and asking them about could you get the vaccine,” Abdelmalek said. “Especially if you’re part of an underserved population. You can be empowered to call your doctor and advocate for yourself.”

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(TULSA, Okla.) — An Oklahoma news anchor and a TV actress are raising awareness about women’s stroke risk at any age by sharing their own experiences.

Julie Chin, an anchor for Tulsa, Oklahoma, NBC affiliate KJRH, was anchoring a live broadcast on Sept. 3, when she began to experience difficulty speaking.

“I’m sorry,” Chin said, interrupting the broadcast to throw it to the station’s meteorologist. “Something is going on with me this morning and I apologize to everybody.”

Chin later shared an update on Facebook, writing that her doctors believe she suffered the “beginnings of a stroke” while on the air.

“The episode seemed to have come out of nowhere. I felt great before our show. However, over the course of several minutes during our newscast, things started to happen,” she wrote. “First, I lost partial vision in one eye. A little bit later my hand and arm went numb. Then, I knew I was in big trouble when my mouth would not speak the words that were right in front of me on the teleprompter. If you were watching Saturday morning, you know how desperately I tried to steer the show forward, but the words just wouldn’t come.”

Chin wrote that her coworkers called 911, and she was hospitalized for several days while undergoing multiple medical tests.

“There are still lots of questions, and lots to follow up on, but the bottom line is I should be just fine,” she wrote, adding, *Most importantly* I’ve learned that it’s not always obvious when someone has a stroke, and action is critical. This acronym helps identify the symptoms to look for: BE FAST and then if needed, be fast and call 911.”

“BE FAST” is a version of the acronym “FAST,” which is intended to help people remember the different signs of a stroke and what to look for, according to the American Stroke Association. It stands for “face drooping” or numbness of the face; “arm weakness” or numbness of the arms or legs on one side of the body; “speech difficulty” or slurred speech; and “time to call 911,” which reminds people to act quickly if you — or someone else — are experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms.

“NCIS” star Pauley Perrette also revealed recently that she nearly died from a “massive stroke” a year ago at the age of 52.

Perrette, now 53, took to Twitter on Sept. 2 to share an update on her recovery.

“I feel good. Been through a lot in the last two years, things that are harder than having a stroke … but I am still here,” said Perrette, who suffered the stroke not long after she lost her father to COVID-19.

The actress told ABC News she had one of the major warning signs of stroke — numbness in half of her body — but that she was not aware that it was a warning sign.

In addition to sudden numbness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, other warning signs of a stroke include facial drooping, vision changes, dizziness or loss of balance and difficulty speaking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death for women in the United States. One in 5 women between the ages of 55 and 75 will have a stroke, according to the CDC.

“Women need to be aware of this. Women of all ages need to be aware of this,” ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said Tuesday on “Good Morning America.” “This isn’t just something that happens to men and older men.”

Ashton said that for both men and women, common risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes. Women have other risk factors, including hormones.

“Any hormonal state — being pregnant, taking birth control pills, taking hormone replacement therapy, we call it a class effect. It increases the risk of clotting,” said Ashton. “That doesn’t mean we don’t use those medications. That doesn’t mean women avoid pregnancy to avoid stroke, in most cases, but you need to know.”

The highest rates for stroke remain among older populations, and women generally live longer than men, but over the past several decades the stroke rates for younger adults have increased by more than 40%, according to the American Heart Association.

Signs of a stroke can develop quickly over hours and even days, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Symptoms can also depend on the type of stroke and the area of the brain that’s affected, the institute also reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 4 in 5 strokes are preventable in women. Ashton said that women can prevent strokes or lower risk factors by creating healthy habits.

“If you smoke, do everything in your power to quit,” said Ashton. “You want to control your blood pressure, know what both of your numbers are and control it in a safe range and then [maintain a] healthy lifestyle — moderate or no use of alcohol, exercise and eating well, they are massively important.”

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(NEW YORK) — A mysterious outbreak that sickened 11 people in Argentina, killing four, has been solved.

Health authorities said the illness was likely caused by Legionella, the bacteria that leads to Legionnaires’ disease.

The outbreak has been contained to a health clinic in San Miguel de Tucumán, which is the capital city of Tucumán province and is located 670 miles northwest of Buenos Aires.

Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti said during a press conference Sunday that four samples — including blood, respiratory and tissues samples — of the deceased patients tested positive for the bacteria.

“The genome of the Legionella bacterium was detected,” she told reporters. “The suspicion is that it is Legionella pneumophila.”

However, she said the results are preliminary and further testing is being conducted.

Legionnaires’ is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling the bacteria in small droplets of water or accidentally swallowing water containing Legionella.

The disease is not contagious, but outbreaks can spread if the bacteria get into a building’s water supply including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters and other plumbing systems.

Although most people recover from Legionnaires’ with antibiotics, certain patients — including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases — can develop complications that can be fatal.

According to the World Health Organization, the cases appeared between Aug. 18 and Aug. 25 with patients complaining of fever, muscle aches, abdominal pain and difficulty breathing along with pneumonia symptoms.

Of the 11 cases, eight were among the clinic’s health workers and three were among patients. Three of the four deaths occurred among health workers.

The median age of the cases is 45 and seven are male, according to the WHO. Ten people had underlying conditions that put them at risk for severe disease, including the four deaths.

As of Sept. 3, four people remain hospitalized and three are recovering at home.

Argentinian health authorities said they are conducting contract tracing to prevent further spread of the disease. Of the contacts that have been identified so far, none have developed symptoms.

“Sporadic outbreaks of legionellosis pneumonia have been reported in Argentina before,” the WHO said in a statement. “There are robust surveillance activities being implemented in the affected health facility.”

The statement continued, “Nonetheless, in the absence of an identified source of Legionella bacteria, the risk of developing Legionellosis for people working or hospitalized at the same health facility is currently moderate.”

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