Health & Safety

Guinea's Health Minister Says Ebola Situation 'Improving'

5:22pm January 18, 2015

Guinea's health minister says schools will re-open on Monday after being closed because of the Ebola outbreak. Correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcton talks to NPR's Arun Rath from the capital, Conakry.

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A year after his cancer diagnosis, Henning Mankell is working on a new novel, and he just directed Shakespeare's Hamlet in his adopted country of Mozambique.

'Wallander' Author Henning Mankell On The Catastrophe Of Cancer

9:11pm January 17, 2015

by Martin Scholz

The famed Swedish author of the Kurt Wallander mystery novels was diagnosed a year ago — "a catastrophe for me," he says; since then, he's talked more about the disease than the drama of forensics.

Children with albinism, a genetic condition that can cause vision problems, study at a school for the blind in Tanzania. Because albinos are often attacked, the school is a rare sanctuary.

Can A New Ban On Witchcraft Protect The Albinos Of Tanzania?

3:24pm January 16, 2015

by Linda Poon

Media reports this week said the Tanzanian government was going to go after "witch doctors" who attack albinos. But what, exactly, is a "witch doctor"? And why are they targeting people with albinism?

Ebola was out of control in Liberia in August, when this picture was taken.

14 Takeaways From The 14-Part WHO Report On Ebola

2:20pm January 16, 2015

by NPR Staff

Angry mobs that targeted health workers. A single funeral that infected 365 people. No isolation wards in Liberia. These are some of the striking points in WHO's new analysis.

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Health & Safety

Gluten-Free Craze Is Boon And Bane For Those With Celiac Disease

12:28pm January 16, 2015

by James S. Fell

Many people who don't have celiac disease have ditched gluten, thinking it will improve their health. That's created more dining options — and more derision — for those with the autoimmune disorder.

Electrical impulses generated by a pacemaker-like device are transmitted to the vagus nerve by electrodes.

A Weight-Loss Device Aims To Curb Hunger By Zapping A Nerve

11:56am January 16, 2015

by Alison Bruzek

A surgically implanted device similar to a pacemaker gained FDA approval after showing some weight loss in people who are obese. But people in a study who had sham devices lost weight, too.

Pope Francis holds a Virgin Mary statue as he arrives at the Mall of Asia arena in Manila, Philippines, on Friday. The pontiff has issued a strong statement supporting the church's teachings on artificial contraception.

Pope, On Visit To Philippines, Defends Catholic Ban On Contraception

11:01am January 16, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Francis, on the second day of his visit to the predominately Catholic nation, called for families to be "sanctuaries of respect for life."

Martin Pistorius sometime between 1990 and 1994, when he was unable to communicate.

Trapped In His Body For 12 Years, A Man Breaks Free

10:43am January 16, 2015

by Lulu Miller

Martin Pistorius spent more than a decade unable to move or communicate, fearing he would be alone, trapped, forever. NPR's new show Invisibilia tells how his mind helped him create a new life.

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Tilda the orangutan, relaxing between gabfests at the Cologne Zoo.

From The Mouths Of Apes, Babble Hints At Origins of Human Speech

8:56am January 16, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

You say banana; this orangutan says ... well, it's hard to tell what she's saying. But the rhythmic, speechlike sounds of the zoo-dwelling ape have started scientists talking.

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Alaska: home to Denali National Park and Preserve, grizzly bears and some very pricey health insurance.

Health Insurance Prices: Highest In Alaska, Lowest In Sun Belt

8:56am January 16, 2015

by Jordan Rau

A look at the 10 least and 10 most expensive places for health insurance shows a wide gap in prices for the same level of coverage.