Health & Safety

Caroline Williams is a community organizer in New Kru Town, a suburb of Monrovia. Here's how she got her message through to Liberians about preventing Ebola: "We talk to them, talk to them, talk to them. At last they started listening to us. All the metho

Block By Block, Health Workers Lead Liberia To Victory Over Ebola

7:56pm May 17, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

People accused them of making everyone sick and threw water at them. But community volunteers pushed on, knocking on doors to stop the virus's spread. On May 9, Liberia was declared Ebola-free.

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This aerial view shows the effects of gold mining on Peru's rain forest.

Who Did This To Peru's Jungle?

3:53pm May 17, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

When the price of gold skyrocketed, illegal miners flooded into the country's Amazon basin, eager to find even the tiniest bits of the precious metal. Trees and villagers have paid a price.

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Health & Safety

Ebola Doctor To Grads: Enter The Suffering Of Others

10:44am May 17, 2015

Dr. Kent Brantly, one of the Americans who contracted Ebola last year, was invited back to his medical school to deliver the commencement address. NPR's Rachel Martin highlights some of his speech.

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What would happen if Americans and South Africans switch diets for a week? Hint: It doesn't turn out that well for the South Africans.

What If Americans Ate Like South Africans And Vice Versa?

11:43am May 16, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

In a two-week diet swap, they got burgers and fries. We got kale salad and corn porridge. Guess whose bowels fared better?

Baltimore Health Commissioner: 'Public Health Is Tied To Everything'

6:58pm May 15, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Baltimore City Health Commissioner Leana Wen about the public health needs of the city's residents and the steps she wants to take to meet those needs.

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A boot-drying rack sits empty at the Ministry of Defense Ebola Treatment Unit in Monrovia.

What Should Liberia Do With Its Empty Ebola Treatment Units?

6:58pm May 15, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Now that Liberia is Ebola-free, it has to figure out what to do with 21 Ebola treatment units built during the outbreak.

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Kale is not only loaded with nutrients, but it's become a emblem of a healthy lifestyle that's increasingly appealing to Americans ready to move away from processed, high-calorie food.

From Scornin' It To Lovin' It: McDonald's Tests Out Kale On Its Menu

6:31pm May 15, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

The green health halo hovering over kale glows brightly, and the company is putting it in breakfast bowls in nine Southern California locations. Will it help brighten up the Golden Arches?

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Moses Lasana recovered from Ebola, but he faces a range of medical issues and waves of pain. "The pain just come from one part of the body to another," he says.

Ebola Survivors Who Continue To Suffer

12:13pm May 15, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

A mysterious set of medical complications plagues some survivors: joint pain, vision loss, rashes. Doctors aren't sure why it's all happening. But they have a name for it: post-Ebola syndrome.

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Alaskans attend a rally in Anchorage for Medicaid expansion.

State Legislatures Quarrel Over Whether To Expand Medicaid

9:22pm May 14, 2015

Medicaid expansion was a big deal in a handful of state legislatures this year. Wyoming said no. Tennessee said no. But Montana said yes, and three more states are coming down to the wire.

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In a study in Lesotho, the prospect of earning a cash prize in a lottery motivated young people to practice safe sex.

What Might Make Young People Practice Safe Sex? Lottery Tickets!

9:20pm May 14, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

Researchers working in Lesotho found that offering lottery tickets to volunteers who test negative for sexually transmitted infections is a powerful motivator for safe sex.

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