Health & Safety

California is one of 20 states that allow parents to opt out of vaccination requirements for reasons of "personal belief." About 10 percent of students in the Santa Monica-Malibu school district are not immunized.

Measles + Low Vaccination Rates = Big Headaches For Schools

8:25pm February 04, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

California allows parents to opt out of vaccination requirements. Amid Southern California's measles outbreak, many schools are struggling with how best to deal with students who aren't vaccinated.

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CDC Director: 'Unfortunately, I'm Not Surprised' By Measles' Rise

7:33pm February 04, 2015

Robert Siegel talks to Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the current measles outbreak in the U.S. and the government's response.

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Jackie Carnegie immunizes Mabel Haywood in a Colorado Health Department immunization van in 1972. Shots for measles and other infectious diseases were offered.

Most People Getting Measles Are Adults. Time For A Shot?

7:27pm February 04, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

Though much of the emphasis in this measles outbreak has been on children, most of the people getting sick are adults. That has more than a few grown-ups wondering if they're vulnerable.

A lot of time and money has gone into trying to improve end-of-life care.

Pain And Suffering At Life's End Are Getting Worse, Not Better

4:39pm February 04, 2015

by Jenny Gold

Despite considerable effort to improve care for people who are dying, more people are reporting pain and depression, a study finds. Medical treatments that lengthen the process may be one reason.

David Linden is a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and is a former chief editor of the Journal of Neurophysiology. He also wrote The Compass of Pleasure.

Fingertips To Hair Follicles: Why 'Touch' Triggers Pleasure And Pain

4:39pm February 04, 2015

In his latest book, neuroscientist David Linden explains the science of touch. He tells Fresh Air how pain protects, why fingertips are so sensitive and why you can't read Braille with your genitals.

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Greg O'Brien (left), with Colleen, Mary Catherine, Conor, and Brendan O'Brien, has been grappling with Alzheimer's disease for the last five years.

After Alzheimer's Diagnosis, 'The Stripping Away Of My Identity'

1:54pm February 04, 2015

by Rebecca Hersher

Greg O'Brien talks about how his life has changed in the five years since he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. "More and more I don't recognize people," he says.

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Health & Safety

New Meds Block Heroin Craving, But Reporter Finds Treatment Centers Don't Use Them

1:52pm February 04, 2015

The Huffington Post's Jason Cherkis investigated the heroin epidemic in Kentucky, and found that the abstinence-based approach used in most treatment centers was leading to many fatal relapses.

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No oven necessary: Hu makes her pumpkin cake in the microwave.

College Life Doesn't Have To Mean Crummy Cuisine, Says Dorm Room Chef

12:22pm February 04, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

Sick of dining hall pizza, public health student Emily Hu taught herself how to cook — even with no oven. Now she's hoping to inspire her peers to pick up cooking skills and healthier eating habits.

A new study finds that strenuous labor in the sugar cane fields of Central America is contributing to a mysterious form of kidney failure. Above: Workers harvest sugar cane in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua.

New Clues To Mysterious Kidney Disease Afflicting Sugar Cane Workers

11:48am February 04, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

What's causing the ailment that has struck 20,000 farmhands in Nicaragua and El Salvador? Pesticides? Alcoholism? Rat pee spreading an infection? A study from Boston University provides some answers.

Despite Political Resistance, Florida A Leader In ACA Sign-Ups

11:39am February 04, 2015

by Greg Allen

Florida's governor and its Republican-led legislature opposed the Affordable Care Act and have resisted calls to expand Medicaid. But aided by non-profit groups and strong interest among Hispanics, Florida is one of the leaders in signing residents up for Obamacare.

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