Health & Safety

Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., at a wedding in Ghana. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where Duncan was being treated for the disease, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 said Duncan has died.

Liberians Wonder If Duncan's Death Was A Result Of Racism

7:03am October 19, 2014

by Rebecca Hersher

Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national, died of Ebola in an American hospital. But white American patients have survived. Some Liberians believe racism is the reason for Duncan's demise.

Health & Safety

Getting Medical Advice Is Often Just A Tap Away

6:24pm October 18, 2014

NPR's Arun Rath speaks with infectious disease specialist and HealthTap member Dr. Jonathan Po about telemedicine and hypochondria in a time of heightened health concern.

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Dallas Hospital Deals With Aftermath Of Ebola Missteps

3:46pm October 18, 2014

by Wade Goodwyn

Authorities in Texas are working to limit travel by health workers who may have been exposed to Ebola. Meanwhile, the hospital at the center of the first cases in the U.S. is trying to move forward.

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Senegalese fencer Abdoulaye Thiam (left) competed against Jason Rogers of the U.S. during the 2008 Olympics. Due to Ebola fears, a World Cup fencing event set for Senegal this month has been canceled.

Universities To Speakers Who've Visited West Africa: En Garde!

5:37am October 18, 2014

by Eleanor Klibanoff

Fears of Ebola — not always justified — have caused organizers in Africa and the United States to cancel or reschedule events they worry may lead to spread of the disease.

A view of the rewards screen on the Mango Health app.

Health & Safety

Take Your Medicine, Tap Your Phone And Collect A Prize

6:10pm October 17, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Apps offer games and rewards to keep you taking your prescription medicine. While rewards may not be for everyone, they could give some people a helpful motivational boost.

Avian influenza, or bird flu, causes an infectious and contagious respiratory disease. In the lab, several scientists have made the H5N1 strain more contagious, a controversial line of research.

U.S. To Temporarily Halt Funding For Controversial Virus Research

6:07pm October 17, 2014

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The federal government will suspend funding while it reviews the potential risks and benefits of certain experiments with three viruses: SARS, MERS and influenza.

One rationale for extending Medicaid coverage to more people is to help them get to a doctor or clinic before a minor illness becomes a medical emergency.

Spike In ER, Hospital Use Short-Lived After Calif. Medicaid Expansion

2:02pm October 17, 2014

by Lisa Aliferis

Previous research found that going on Medicaid increased a poor person's use of costly emergency room visits. Now an analysis suggests that initial spike in ER visits quickly tapers off.

Ron Klain (left), then chief of staff for Vice President Joe Biden, talks with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on Capitol Hill in December 2009.

White House Appoints An Ebola 'Czar'

1:59pm October 17, 2014

by Scott Neuman

President Obama has selected former White House adviser Ron Klain to coordinate the U.S. response to the deadly disease.

Isabella Beukes, of Santa Rosa, Calif., has been legally blind for more than 40 years. An experimental treatment derived from embryonic stem cells seems to have enabled her now to see not just color but also some shapes.

Embryonic Stem Cells Restore Vision In Preliminary Human Test

11:39am October 17, 2014

by Rob Stein

Cells derived from embryos appear to have improved vision in more than half of the 18 patients who had become legally blind because of two progressive, currently incurable eye diseases.

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A school official shows a pupil an infrared digital laser thermometer before taking his temperature in Lagos, Nigeria, in September. Starting this week, similar hand-held devices are checking foreheads for fever at some U.S. airports.

Health & Safety

How A No-Touch Thermometer Detects A Fever

11:39am October 17, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Some U.S airports scanning passengers for Ebola are using hand-held infrared thermometers to help detect fever. The devices aren't perfect but do contribute to the safety net, health officials say.