Children's Health

HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer and other cancers by fending off the virus that causes them. But it's been a tough sell with doctors and parents.

Early Push To Require The HPV Vaccine May Have Backfired

3:26pm July 20, 2015

by Robin Marantz Henig

The HPV vaccine has failed to gain market share compared to other new vaccines, even though it's great at preventing cancer. Concerns about teen promiscuity and attempts to require it may be why.

Health & Safety

'Consumer Reports' Says Laundry Pods Are Too Risky To Recommend

5:08pm July 17, 2015

by Scott Hensley

More than 6,000 incidents involving children and liquid laundry packets have been reported to poison control centers so far this year. The health problems include respiratory distress and vomiting.

Slum dwellers near Calcutta get their water from a municipal pipe. Water coming out of the tap on the left is for bathing and so is untreated. The blue Zimba chlorinator is hooked up to the tap on the right, which is used for drinking water.

What Do A Chlorinator And A Condom Tied To A Catheter Have In Common?

5:00pm July 17, 2015

by Ina Yang

They're both featured on a list of 30 innovations that could save millions of lives over the next 15 years.

"What has happened in the last ten years, has been a remarkable increase in actual number of people who are dying or are not able to get better because they carry a resistant infection."--Ramanan Laxminarayan

How Did A Medical Miracle Turn Into A Global Threat?

9:30am July 17, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Antibiotics save lives, but we rely on them too much. Eventually, the drugs may stop working. Economist Ramanan Laxminarayan asks us to think twice before reaching for this double-edged resource.

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Even Mild Mental Health Problems In Children Can Cause Trouble Later

1:31pm July 15, 2015

by Ina Yang

Children with mental health issues are more likely to struggle with jobs, family and social life as adults. And that's true even for children whose problems aren't severe enough to be diagnosed.

Waiting To Pick Your Baby's Name Raises The Risk For Medical Mistakes

5:32pm July 14, 2015

by Katherine Hobson

If parents don't have a name teed up, hospitals often give babies temporary ones, like Babygirl. But those generic names can be dangerously confusing, especially in the neonatal intensive care unit.

In some Indian states, efforts to serve eggs to malnourished children are a political minefield. See the related animation, "Power Lunch: India's Mid-Day Meal Program," produced by Mathilde Dratwa for the Pulitzer Center and based on Rhitu Chatterjee's re

Egg War: Why India's Vegetarian Elite Are Accused Of Keeping Kids Hungry

5:20pm July 14, 2015

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Serving eggs in free school meals could boost the protein-deficient diets of poor, lower caste Indian school kids. But in some Indian states, powerful vegetarian politicians have thwarted these plans.

Would Banning Headers In Soccer Solve The Concussion Problem?

12:32pm July 14, 2015

by Jessie Rack

Most concussions in youth soccer happen during heading the ball. But it isn't the ball's fault, researchers say. Rather, it's player collisions. Avoiding aggressive play would help reduce injuries.

Should More Women Give Birth Outside The Hospital?

12:48pm July 13, 2015

by Dianna Douglas

The British medical system says healthy women with normal pregnancies should give birth at home or in a midwife-led facility. But 99 percent of babies in the U.S. are born in hospitals.

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Genetic Tweaks Are Restoring Hearing In Animals, Raising Hopes For People

8:02am July 10, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

The latest accomplishment for gene therapy involves mice with inherited deafness. Meanwhile, the drugmaker Novartis is conducting the first trial of gene therapy for people with hearing loss.

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