Billy Joel Halts Tour Over Neuro Condition; Kennedy Promotes Lab Theory On RSV As Salmon Recall Triggers Alert; Health Headlines

Billy Joel halted his tour after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition his doctors said makes each performance feel “like a concussion.” (USA Today)

The Annals of Internal Medicine retracted a long‑COVID treatment study because of missing metformin dosing details, then published a revised version. (Retraction Watch)

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared alongside Russell Brand at the 2026 Make America Healthy Again Summit, just weeks before Brand’s sexual‑assault trial in London. (Politico)

The chair of the NIH Clinical Center’s board accused Kennedy of politicizing the hospital’s work after the health secretary opened a vaccine‑injury clinic there. (New York Times)

Kennedy continues to cast doubt on the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine and falsely claims that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) originated in a laboratory. (New Hampshire Public Radio, The Atlantic)

CDC data show more than 4,400 measles cases reported in the United States so far this year.

A Washington state resident contracted avian influenza (H5N1) after exposure to an infected dairy cow, health officials announced.

The United States agreed to a $25 million, one‑year program to provide free medicines for mothers and infants in some of the world’s poorest countries, a deal that represents a fraction of earlier Trump‑era aid cuts. (Reuters via AOL)

A woman recounted how she performed CPR twice to revive her boyfriend—now husband—after he was struck by lightning during a hike, saying, “I brought him back from death, so he’s kind of stuck with me.” (People)

Illinois’s medical‑debt relief initiative has eliminated over $1.4 billion in debt for nearly 700,000 residents. (AP)

Deaths in recent gene‑therapy trials are focusing regulatory attention on the adeno‑associated virus vector. (The Atlantic)

FDA notices announced recalls of Family Farmstead raw cheddar cheese due to possible Escherichia coli contamination and Starfish Seafood cold‑smoked salmon for potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians filed a brief supporting a lawsuit challenging recent FDA guidance that critics say would allow unauthorized e‑cigarettes and nicotine pouches to be sold.

In other agency updates, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research established a new board to oversee decisions on drug and biologics exclusivity. (Reuters via AOL)

Obamacare premiums are projected to rise by double‑digit percentages in 2027, while the number of participating insurers is expected to fall by 14%. (Washington Sun)

Commercial kitchen workers who cook with gas are exposed to high levels of air pollution, including nitrogen dioxide concentrations that exceed World Health Organization indoor‑air guidelines. (The Guardian)

More than $700 million in donor funds allocated for Ebola response in Congo remain unaccounted for, though authorities say it is too early to conclude the money was embezzled. (Reuters via AOL)

The Ebola outbreak in Congo has spread to an eighth province in the north, with at least 9,400 confirmed cases and over 4,500 deaths reported. (AP)

Kenia has recorded eight Ebola cases, but there is currently no evidence of community transmission. (AP)

The WHO reports that Saudi Arabia has identified eight cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in 2026, one of which was fatal.

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