Health & Safety

Amy Thomson holds 2-month-old Isla in Seattle Children's Hospital in early 2014. When the Thomson family learned Isla's heart was failing, they took an air ambulance from Butte, Mont., to Seattle to get medical care.

Lifesaving Flights Can Come With Life-Changing Bills

10:34pm January 18, 2016

by Corin Cates-Carney

People in big, sparsely populated states like Montana rely on air ambulances to get to medical specialists they need. But the lifesaving flights can be hugely expensive and not covered by insurance.

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Can't Focus? It Might Be Undiagnosed Adult ADHD

6:16pm January 18, 2016

by Patti Neighmond

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is most commonly diagnosed in children. But older adults may find that what they had worried was early dementia is actually ADHD.

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Health & Safety

Zika Disease Is On The Rise: Here's What You Ought To Know

6:31pm January 17, 2016

Zika disease has been on the rise in tropical countries like Brazil, where it's suspected of causing birth defects. Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, explains more.

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What's Being Done To Address The Country's Backlog Of Untested Rape Kits

11:37am January 17, 2016

by NPR Staff

Tens of thousands of rape kits sit, untested, in evidence rooms. While a new push to clear the backlog has brought urgency the issue, what's taken so long — and why does it exist in the first place?

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The Hammetts smooth out stray strands of hair on Francis' head.

After The Diagnosis: How Families Experience Autism

8:33am January 17, 2016

by NPR Staff

Raising a child with autism can test families financially and emotionally. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with parents of children with autism, and a young woman who was diagnosed later in life.

Yonta, 6, rests with her sister Montra, 3, and brother Leakhena, 4 months, under a mosquito bed net during monsoon season in July 2010, in Pailin province, Cambodia.

Obama's Upbeat Message About Ending Malaria Omits Discouraging Signs

5:02am January 17, 2016

by Susan Brink

His State of the Union address said we should be able to wipe out malaria. Progress has been enormous — but researchers are alarmed by new twists.

Flint Combats Lead-Contaminated Water Effects On Child Development

3:55pm January 16, 2016

Pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha discovered alarming levels of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Mich. NPR's Scott Simon asks her about an initiative she's leading to help the children affected.

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A giant inflatable toilet in front of U.N. headquarters marked World Toilet Day on November 19, 2014.

Check Out Every Single One Of The U.N.'s Special Days

7:00am January 16, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

March 21 is especially popular — it's got five "international days," from World Poetry Day to International Day of Forests.

You Won't Believe How Many Special Days Are On The U.N. Calendar

7:00am January 16, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

The answer: 129 (give or take). They range from serious (victims of slavery day) to seemingly silly (toilet day). Do the days really make a difference?

Emmanuel Kwame, who lost his sight to river blindness, in his cashew grove.

The Story Behind The River Blindness Story: Itching, Weeding, Snipping

7:00am January 16, 2016

by Marc Silver

NPR reporter Jason Beaubien talks about his trip to Ghana to report on river blindness — and how a farmer who lost his vision is still able to weed his garden.