Health & Safety

Volunteering at the U.S.-Mexico border helped a nurse find meaning in her work

8:37am May 19, 2023

by Esther Honig

Angelina McCall talks about volunteering as a nurse at a clinic on the U.S.-Mexico border after struggling to work in the ER at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Experimental therapies for cancer can be tempting when you're sick, but many fail to offer any benefit.

Facing cancer? Here's when to consider experimental therapies, and when not to

7:01am May 19, 2023

by Jeff Stewart

It can be easy to get your hopes up about exciting new research or alternative approaches to cancer treatment. Here's an insider's guide for figuring out which ones are worth your time.

Health & Safety

Advisers to the FDA support approval of an RSV vaccine to protect infants

5:16am May 19, 2023

An expert panel advising the Food and Drug Administration has recommended approval of a Pfizer vaccine that would be the first to protect babies against RSV.

Health & Safety

More states increasingly restrict access to medical care for transgender people

5:16am May 19, 2023

Laws passed in Florida and Texas will restrict the care available to transgender persons. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Joseph Knoll, a nurse-practitioner, about how the restrictions affect his patients.

A sign for monkeypox vaccinations is shown at a vaccination site in Miami Beach, Fla.

Health & Safety

The CDC is worried about a mpox rebound and urges people to get vaccinated

7:07pm May 18, 2023

by Pien Huang

A cluster of mpox cases in the Chicago area has sparked fears of a summer wave. Health officials are pointing to new research showing the vaccine is effective and hoping people take notice.

The first vaccine to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, moved a step toward approval by the Food and Drug Administration with positive votes Thursday from a panel of experts.

Health & Safety

FDA advisers support approval of RSV vaccine to protect infants

5:53pm May 18, 2023

by Scott Hensley

At least 58,000 childern younger than 5 years old are hospitalized each year with RSV infections. A Pfizer vaccine given to pregnant people could help protect their infants from severe RSV illness.

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Conservationists rush to vaccinate California condors as avian flu strikes

5:12pm May 18, 2023

Conservationists are rushing to vaccinate critically endangered California condors against deadly avian flu. Ashleigh Blackford of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is overseeing the effort.

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Image shows harm reduction workers at a mobile clinic

Health & Safety

Guilford partnership works to stem rise in opioid deaths

4:36pm May 18, 2023

by Jeff Kirkpatrick

Guilford County is experiencing an increase in opioid overdose deaths and emergency department visits, according to county and state data.

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Firefighters work the scene of a massive fire spread across at least two structures and threatened others in Charlotte's South Park neighborhood, North Carolina, Thursday morning, May 18, 2023.

Health & Safety

Fire chief: 2 missing after massive blaze at North Carolina construction site

2:05pm May 18, 2023

by Associated Press

Two construction workers are unaccounted for after a massive, fast-moving fire broke out at a North Carolina construction site Thursday morning, the city's fire chief said.

Some older Americans got dozens of COVID tests they never ordered in the mail, just as the free test benefit was ending. It could mean they are at risk for more fraud involving their Medicare numbers.

Health & Safety

Seniors got COVID tests they didn't order in Medicare scam. Could more fraud follow?

8:16am May 18, 2023

by Susan Jaffe

Some seniors got dozens of COVID tests they never ordered. Bad actors may have used seniors' Medicare information to improperly bill the federal government — and could do it again, investigators say.