Not too long ago the Department of Health paid of visit to the New Museum's Carsten Höller Experience exhibit, which features a sensory deprivation tank, called the "Psycho Tank." Upon their departure they told the museum the tank, which visitors float around in naked, could only have one person in it at time, but overall cleared the exhibit. Now a recent visitor is claiming she contracted an ear infection from the tank, as did her boyfriend. She tells us: more ›

Health officials say a NY man has died from a listeria infection from tainted cantaloupes—and they warn that the outbreak will likely spread even more. Altogether, 21 people have died from the infection, and 109 people have become seriously ill in 23 states. The western NY man who died, whose name hasn't been released, was the first in the state to die from the infection. more ›

Oh, those crazy doctors, always carrying methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus-infested accessories! A small but vocal group of lawmakers are proposing a bill that would bar doctors and other hospital staffers from wearing neckties in clinical settings, with the hope of reducing germ transmission from the paisley-patterned cloth. But is this really necessary? more ›

New Jersey Health officials are trying to get the word out about a phony plastic surgeon whose botched “butt enhancements” have turned women’s rears into pocked “moonscapes.” Six Newark-area women, all from the Dominican Republic, visited the quack hoping to emerge with bubble butts. Instead, injections of what officials believe was silicone, petroleum jelly and “hardware-grade caulk” caused nasty infections. "What we've been hearing from the hospitals is that these women are presented with deep tissue infections and skin infections. Abscesses form in some cases," said New Jersey Health Department epidemiologist Dr. Tina Tan. more ›

With many cases stemming from an outbreak at a Jewish boys' summer camp upstate, more than 1,000 in New York and New Jersey are infected with the mumps, most of them Orthodox Jews. One camper—who caught the old-fashioned childhood disease in England where more than 4,000 are infected—spread the sickness to 25 of his bunk-mates, who then brought it home to their Orthodox communities. Many came from Borough Park, Brooklyn, where in October, 79 mumps sufferers were counted, reports CNN. But the numbers keep growing! more ›

The most recent update about the H1N1 "swine flu" on the NYC Health Department website says that there are 80 confirmed cases; the number was raised from 73 to 80, after tests confirmed the infection in seven patients with fever and cough." The city, which has noted that most cases have been mild, doesn't "provide or recommend" H1N1 testing for those with "mild flu symptoms" and emphasizes that people should cover their mouths when they cough and should wash their hands. Of course, now that the flu seems to be waning, there's criticism the government officials overreacted, though many point to the flu outbreak in 1918 that doctors and governments were unprepared for. Related: There are worrying developments about the bird flu (H5N1) and almost as worrying are people who are considering swine flu parties. more ›

The Dept. of Health is looking into why hundreds of New Yorkers were informed that they tested positive for HIV infection after an oral exam, when in fact they were HIV negative. The non-infected status was determined by a follow-up blood test that was administered immediately. Still--pretty scary. The State Health Dept. and the CDC are investigating why the OraSure mouth swab tests resulted in an approximate 50% false-positive rate (The FDA's allowable false-positive rate for HIV tests is 2%). The Health Dept. reported that it has suspended use of OraSure as an HIV-infection detector. more ›

Kids who weren't even born when AIDS was an epidemic that ravaged the American gay and IV drug-using communities are apparently oblivious to the potential toll it can take on its generation. New York City's Dept. of Health reported that the number of HIV infections among city high schoolers (between the ages of 13 and 19) rose 29% between 2004 and 2006. Current figures are not yet available, but Rep. Anthony Weiner is proposing a program to curb the spread of the virus. more ›

A 17-year-old student at Massapequa High School died of bacterial meningitis yesterday. Michael Gruber had gone to bed with flu-like symptoms on Wednesday and on Thursday morning his parents were unable to wake him up. He died at New Island Hospital. more ›

The health scare of the season continued this week with news of an outbreak of the methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) "superbug" at an Upper East Side hospital's children's ward. The New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center said that nine infants were infected with the drug-resistant strain of bacteria that killed a New York 7th Grader last month. Omar Rivera Jr. was felled by the staph infection on October 14th after being misdiagnosed at Kings County... more ›