Health & Safety

An aerial view shows damage to a Pfizer pharmaceutical factory in Rocky Mount, N.C., from a tornado that struck on July 19. The plant produces many drugs used in hospitals.

Health & Safety

Tornado damage to Pfizer factory highlights vulnerabilities of drug supply

5:55pm July 27, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

A tornado that ripped through a Pfizer plant in Rocky Mount, N.C., raised worries about shortages of medicines used in hospitals. The drugs include commonly used painkillers and anesthetics.

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Yet another summer COVID wave may have started in the U.S., according to the CDC

5:53pm July 27, 2023

by Rob Stein

COVID infections, hospitalizations and emergency room visits appear to have ticked up for the first time in 2023.

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Eating disorders in young men are being masked by muscle bulking and over-exercising

5:43pm July 27, 2023

For some young men and boys, body building can lead to unhealthy behaviors. NPR's Juana Summers speaks with NYU psychologist Andrea Vazzana about compulsive exercise and eating disorders in males.

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A Lone Star tick (middle) flanked by a deer tick (left) and a dog tick. The Lone Star tick is thought to be primarily responsible for an allergy to red meat, but other ticks can't be ruled out.

Health & Safety

CDC warns about red meat allergy caused by some tick bites

5:26pm July 27, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

Patients who have digestive symptoms only after eating red meat may have developed an allergy caused by ticks. The CDC says hundreds of thousands of people may have been affected over the past decade.

Many new bans on medical care for transgender children are being challenged in courts

9:24am July 27, 2023

by Morgan Watkins

Gender-affirming care bans are undergoing intense legal scrutiny and testing federal courts in new ways, setting up battles that may go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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A doctor leaves a lasting impression on a woman caring for her dying mom

5:00am July 27, 2023

When her mother was struggling with late-stage cancer, Julia had a conversation with a doctor that made her feel heard.

Here are the drugs that could be in short supply after a tornado hit a Pfizer factory

10:13pm July 26, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

A tornado that tore through a Pfizer factory in North Carolina could exacerbate drug shortages. Records obtained by NPR show the plant made dozens of products, including painkillers and anesthetics.

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Heat kills, but it doesn't have to: How the government can help

8:36pm July 26, 2023

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Kathy Baughman McLeod of the Arsht-Rock Resilience Center about why heat waves don't have the same legitimacy or federal funding as other extreme weather events.

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Why stinky sweat is good

8:36pm July 26, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Most people think sweat can be stinky. And we work hard to remove that smell. But could a stinky sweat actually be a signal of something good?

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Image shows a nurse treating a skin wound

Health & Safety

Veterinary sedative showing up in street drugs tested in NC

5:14pm July 26, 2023

by Paul Garber

State health officials are warning that a tranquilizer normally used for veterinary purposes is showing up in street drugs in the Piedmont.