Global Health

Health & Safety

What Happened Today: Relief for Farmers, Contact Tracing Questions

9:26pm April 17, 2020

by Jason Beaubien

NPR's global health and development correspondent answers listener questions about contact tracing, the World Health Organization and flattening the curve.

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Women wearing face masks stand at a safe distance to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, as they wait for food assigned to their children outside a school in Xesuj, Guatemala, where many residents depend on remittances, largely from the U.S. The

COVID-19 Is Cutting Into Vital Money U.S. Migrant Workers Send Back Home

5:24pm April 17, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

A remittances expert estimates the money sent back to Latin America and the Caribbean could decline by 7%.

Children are not allowed to leave their homes under Spain's strict coronavirus measures. Some regional governments want to loosen the restrictions but need central government approval first.

In Spain, Pandemic Restrictions Mean Children Aren't Allowed Outside Their Homes

4:45pm April 17, 2020

by Lucía Benavides

Under Spain's state of emergency, kids aren't allowed outside their homes. Many have not been out since mid-March. Some local laws would loosen the restrictions, but need central government approval.

Mammoth Biosciences and researchers at the University of California, San Francisco are working on a coronavirus test that could run multiple samples at once, with results in 35-40 minutes. Even better, they say, it doesn't require the sophisticated, expen

CRISPR And Spit Might Be Keys To Faster, Cheaper, Easier Tests For The Coronavirus

4:45pm April 17, 2020

by Joe Palca

Researchers are racing to develop quick, home-based tests for the virus that could deliver test results in minutes. None do that yet, but several under development hold promise, scientists say.

Coronavirus FAQs: Can Sunlight Kill The Virus? How Risky Is An Elevator Ride?

3:57pm April 17, 2020

In this week's installment, we also look at how to handle that inevitable moment — you need a plumber or electrician or another repairperson to come to your home.

A street is seen empty during a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ramallah, West Bank on April 1.

Palestinians In The West Bank Improvise Checkpoints To Help Fight Coronavirus

3:41pm April 17, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

In the shadow of Israeli watchtowers and settlements, Palestinians have set up improvised checkpoints to enforce a Palestinian Authority lockdown in areas where Palestinian police can't patrol.

Dozens of worshippers outside the Haidari Mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Pakistan Limits Worshippers At Mosques. Many Worshippers Are Defiant

1:56pm April 17, 2020

Pakistani authorities have called for a maximum of 5 worshippers in a mosque. Many in the religious community disagree — and the issue will only become more heated as Ramadan approaches.

Indonesians at a traditional market in Bekasi, West Java, on Thursday appear to be ignoring social distancing rules the government put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Indonesia Now Has The Most Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Southeast Asia

1:33pm April 17, 2020

by Ashley Westerman

Health experts say low rates of testing and refusal to enact strict lockdowns have allowed the virus to infiltrate all 34 provinces of the archipelago nation.

A man carries a box of protective masks to emergency workers Thursday in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The West African country has seen relatively few confirmed cases of the coronavirus to this point — but global health officials fear that won't alway

U.N. Agency Fears 'Vulnerable' Africa May Suffer At Least 300,000 COVID-19 Deaths

1:22pm April 17, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

And that's the best-case scenario laid out by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The commission said the continent, in the worst case, may see up to 3.3 million deaths this year alone.