Health & Safety

This winter's temperature swings are having health consequences for homeless people

5:34pm February 26, 2024

by Frank Morris

Wild temperature swings are driving cases of trench foot and frostbite among homeless people — especially in the Midwest. As COVID surges, some people spurn shelters through extremes of cold and wet.

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Without enough aid reaching Gaza, a young Palestinian baby dies of hunger

4:41pm February 26, 2024

by Aya Batrawy

A baby in Gaza City died after going days without milk, a civil defense team says, as aid agencies warn of the risk of famine unless Israel permits much more aid to enter the besieged territory.

A photo of a ceremonial burning of medical debt at Trinity Moravian Church

Health & Safety

Winston-Salem church helps buy and forgive millions in medical debt for Wake County households

3:35pm February 26, 2024

by DJ Simmons

A Winston-Salem church has partnered with a New York-based nonprofit to purchase and forgive the medical debt of nearly 3,000 households in Wake County.

Cognitive neuroscientist Charan Ranganath says the human brain isn't programmed to remember everything. Rather, it's designed to "carry what we need and to deploy it rapidly when we need it."

When is forgetting normal — and when is it worrisome? A neuroscientist weighs in

2:25pm February 26, 2024

by Terry Gross

Charan Ranganath recently wrote an op-ed about President Biden's memory gaffes. He says forgetting is a normal part of aging. His new book is Why We Remember.

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Vials of injectable penicillin in cold storage at the Metro Public Health Department in Nashville, Tenn. Injectable penicillin is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only treatment considered safe for pregnant people with the disease.

Surge in syphilis cases drives some doctors to ration penicillin

10:00am February 26, 2024

by Catherine Sweeney

The drug is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only one recommended for pregnant people. But a shortage of the injectable drug has prompted some public health agencies to ration it.

Mary Gachoki with her son, who was diagnosed with autism. She says she cannot afford therapy sessions for the 4-year-old.

Health & Safety

Raising a child with autism in Kenya: Facing stigma, finding glimmers of hope

8:46am February 26, 2024

by Scovian Lillian

In Africa, there is a shortage of specialists and a lack of financial support for famlies who can't afford therapy. We look at how three families are coping.

Health & Safety

Asthma drug can help reduce allergic reactions for those with severe food allergies

5:13am February 26, 2024

by Allison Aubrey

The FDA approved the drug Xolair earlier this month, making it the first medication approved to reduce allergic reactions after accidental exposures.

Health & Safety

To stop fentanyl deaths in Philly, knocking on doors and handing out overdose kits

5:00am February 26, 2024

by Nicole Leonard | WHYY

In Philadelphia, canvassers are going door-to-door to warn some residents of the overdose rates in their neighborhood, and handing out Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and information on resources.

Sunita Kumari Chaudhary weaves a dinner table mat with ropes once used by climbers in the Himalayas. She and her fellow craftswomen are part of a small start-up project in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, to repurpose Everest trash.

Mt. Everest is plagued by garbage. These Nepali women are transforming it into crafts

9:19am February 25, 2024

by Tanka Dhakal

They're turning cast-off climbing ropes into handmade crafts. It's part of a fledgling effort in Nepal to repurpose mountain waste and provide economic opportunity.

California universities provide free abortion pills by law. Their students don't know

8:22am February 25, 2024

by Jackie Fortier

Why some California public universities are not making it better known that they now provide free medication abortion pills to students.