Health & Safety

A group of people with connections to two cities in North Carolina and Alabama have been diagnosed with a rare eye cancer called ocular melanoma. Medical experts are trying to determine the cause of the cases.

Doctors Stumped By Rare Eye Cancer Cases In North Carolina, Alabama

5:04pm May 04, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

Ocular melanoma typically affects 6 out of every 1 million people, but doctors have found dozens of cases where the patients have connections to either Huntersville, N.C., or Auburn, Ala.

Why Few Of The Millions Of Elder Abuse Cases Get Reported Each Year

4:43pm May 04, 2018

It's hard to measure the total cost to society of scammers and family members who prey on the elderly. Journalist Nick Leiber reports that a conservative estimate is $37 billion every year. Leiber talks about his reporting for Bloomberg with NPR's Audie Cornish.

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An average of 13,776 inmates in 45 California counties were on psychotropic medications in 2016-2017, a recent report found. That is up from 10,999 five years ago.

Big Jump Seen In Number Of Inmates Prescribed Psychiatric Drugs In California

4:16pm May 04, 2018

by Anna Gorman

Amid a severe shortage of psychiatric beds and community-based treatment throughout the state and nation, county jails have become repositories for people in the throes of acute mental health crises.

This bacterium is the cause of the mystery illness in Liberia. We don't want to give it away ... so you'll have to read the story to find out what it is.

When A Mystery Outbreak Strikes, Who You Gonna Call?

2:33pm May 04, 2018

by Jason Beaubien

It all started with a funeral in Liberia. Guests fell ill but no one knew why. Time to summon the "disease detectives."

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Health & Safety

North Carolina Flu-Related Deaths Reach Modern-Day Record

10:15am May 04, 2018

by Associated Press

State officials say flu-related deaths in North Carolina have reached a modern-day record this season.

Veterans Groups Concerned That Lack Of VA Leadership Will Hurt Millions Of Veterans

6:21pm May 03, 2018

by Quil Lawrence

The Department of Veterans Affairs still lacks a secretary and many inside and outside the vast agency say a lack of leadership is affecting its mission.

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Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt arrives at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 13.

British Health Services Failed To Send Mammogram Notices And Some Women May Have Died

6:13pm May 03, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Nearly half a million English women around age 70 did not get notified that they were due for a mammogram because of a "computer algorithm error," the health secretary says.

A camel handler rides his beasts out of the water after bathing them to get rid of ticks and fleas.

How Worried Should You Be About A Disease You've Never Heard Of?

12:43pm May 03, 2018

by Nadia Whitehead

Earlier this spring, there were scary stories in the Saudi media about Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever. To find out what was really going on, we interviewed a specialist on tick-borne viruses.

Under the Affordable Care Act, many insurance plans are required to cover a range of essential services, such as hospitalization and prescription drugs. But reimbursement for certain medical equipment — such as crutches or a leg boot after an injury —

Sprained Your Ankle? The Cost Of A Walking Boot Could Sprain Your Wallet

5:00am May 03, 2018

by Michelle Andrews

Your health insurance plan might not cover items such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, boots and braces. The cost is small compared with many medical bills, but adds up if you pay out-of-pocket.

A Temperature Roller Coaster Could Be Coming

4:58pm May 02, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

Global warming has so far seen a gradual rise in average temperatures. But that may change, with extreme variations. And poor countries could bear the brunt of it.