Health & Safety

Illustration of a young doctor trapped in a snowglobe by Katherine Streeter for NPR.

How Working On Christmas Became A Privilege For 2 Young Doctors

5:00am December 25, 2016

by John Henning Schumann

By the end of December, medical interns are nearing the midpoint of their first year of intense, hands-on work with patients. The holiday season marks a special challenge.

John, left, and Anastazia, right, from the series Tanzanian Street children 2015 © Tom Merilion. Center: Thembinkosi Fanwell Ngwenya 2016 from the series Similar Uniforms: We Refuse to Compare © Claudio Rasano.

PHOTOS: Young People Look You In The Eye And Open Up Their Souls

11:58am December 24, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

Images of children dominate the winners of this year's Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, now on display at London's National Portrait Gallery.

Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis gets his blood pressure checked in a mobile medical unit parked at the state Capitol.

White House Sharpens Its Case For Obamacare, As Republicans Sharpen Knives

8:53am December 24, 2016

by Scott Horsley

President Obama and his advisers are trying to document the accomplishments of his signature health care law, mindful that Republicans are dead set on repeal.

Big Leaps In Gene Editing Raise Ethical Questions About Human Application

8:34am December 24, 2016

A new technique that enables scientists to edit DNA much more easily stirred big hopes this year for medical breakthroughs. But it also stirred fears.

Santa tell me? Ariana Grande performs at the Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9.

How That Holiday Song Becomes An Inescapable Earworm

5:00am December 24, 2016

by Angus Chen

There's a reason why certain songs get stuck in our brains, scientists say. They interrupt the musical patterns we expect with surprises that we can't help but notice.

Jeneyah McDonald looks over homework her oldest son Justice, 6, brought home from school while her youngest son Josiah, 2, drinks Kool-Aid from a bottle at their home in Flint, Mich., in February.

Despite Tough Year, Flint Mother Stays Strong For Her Children

5:50pm December 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

NPR's Ari Shapiro checks back in with Flint, Mich., resident Jeneyah McDonald, who says not much has improved in the year since the city declared a state of emergency over lead-tainted water.

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'Wall Street Journal' Raises Possible Conflicts Of Interest For Rep. Tom Price

5:50pm December 23, 2016

A report in the Wall Street Journal is raising questions about possible conflicts of interest for Rep. Tom Price, Donald Trump's choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. According to the newspaper, Price traded medical stocks while also working on health legislation in Congress. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Michelle Hackman of the Wall Street Journal.

Scientists Announce Ebola Vaccine

12:07pm December 23, 2016

Scientists announced Thursday that they created a safe, effective vaccine to prevent Ebola. They don't know yet how long the protection will last, but it will bring outbreaks to a screeching halt.

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From left: Emmanuel Kwame lost his sight to river blindness as a young man in Ghana; a bed net keeps mosquitoes away from a mother and child in a Somalian hospital; extracting a guinea worm from an infected person.

Wins And Losses In Global Health In 2016

11:59am December 23, 2016

by Jason Beaubien

The editor of the New England Journal Of Medicine is a big Red Sox fan. And so he framed the year in global health in baseball terms.

House Speaker Paul Ryan signed legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act on Jan. 7, 2016. President Obama vetoed the bill, but the new administration could open the door for change.

If Republicans Repeal Health Law, Paying For A Replacement Could Be Tough

11:54am December 23, 2016

by Julie Rovner

Republicans who have pledged to repeal Obamacare also said they would halt the taxes Democrats used to pay for it. Without the money, Republicans won't have nearly as much to spend on an alternative.