Children's Health

Ashara Manns says she has to plan her meals around how much bottled water she has.

Doctors In Flint, Mich., Push A Healthy Diet To Fight Lead Exposure

3:27pm March 02, 2016

by Rebecca Kruth

Even low levels of lead in children can cause learning or behavioral problems, the CDC says. But foods packed with calcium, iron and vitamin C can help reduce the absorption of lead in kids.

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Mosquito larvae fill the cup of stale water that entomologist Luis Hernandez dips from a stack of old tires in a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Races To Stop Zika's Mosquitoes Before Rains Begin

7:55am February 29, 2016

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is an old foe, spreading yellow fever and dengue on the islands long before Zika gained a foothold. How do you stop an insect that can breed in a teaspoonful of stale water?

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With CDC Help, Puerto Rico Aims To Get Ahead Of Zika

6:55pm February 26, 2016

So far, the U.S. territory has reported 117 Zika cases, including five pregnant women. But health officials say the real test will come when April and May rains bring more mosquitoes.

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Health & Safety

Study Finds Most Young Men Aren't Aware Of Emergency Contraception

10:59am February 26, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

Although 84 percent of teenage boys and young men said they believed avoiding a partner's pregnancy was important, only 42 percent had heard of emergency contraception, researchers in Colorado found.

Scientists say they still have a lot to learn about Zika before they'll have a vaccine ready for people.

Why Scientists Hope To Inject Some People With Zika Virus

6:55pm February 25, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

There's no vaccine yet, but Zika researchers are racing to find a good candidate. After testing it in animals, checking for effectiveness in humans might include injecting Zika into healthy people.

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Most women get prenatal care from the doctor they expect will deliver the baby, which can make it difficult if the doctor and hospital are far away.

More Rural Hospitals Are Closing Their Maternity Units

11:37am February 24, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

Facilities for delivering babies are expensive to run and hard to staff. But when small rural hospitals close their birthing units, pregnant women must travel much farther for care.

Two More U.S. Cases Of Zika Virus Likely Shared Via Sex

8:55pm February 23, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

U.S. health officials say they have confirmed the two women had Zika. And their only risk factor was having slept with male partners who had recently traveled to places with active virus transmission.

Mylene Helena Ferraira of Recife, Brazil, carries her 5-month-old son, David Henrique Ferreira, who was born with microcephaly. She's returning home after a medical visit.

CDC Arrives In Brazil To Investigate Zika Outbreak

6:33pm February 22, 2016

by Rob Stein

U.S. disease detectives are launching a research project that health authorities hope will produce the most definitive evidence yet about whether the virus is really causing birth defects.

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A health worker in Lima, Peru, fumigates against the mosquito that spreads Zika virus, dengue and chikungunya.

How Scientists Misread The Threat Of Zika Virus

5:21pm February 19, 2016

by NPR Staff

Zika was ignored by infectious disease scientists for years. This happens more often than you might think, especially with diseases discovered in remote regions. A researcher says we can do better.

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Born in December, Valentina Vitoria has microcephaly, the birth defect that causes an abnormally small head and can cause brain damage as well. Her mother is 32-year-old Fabiane Lopes.

Health & Safety

Moms And Infants Are Abandoned In Brazil Amid Surge In Microcephaly

8:40am February 19, 2016

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

There have been several cases of abandoned babies already — at least three in Rio. And a psychologist believes that some men will walk out on their partner if a newborn has the birth defect.

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