Global Health

Before the government banned motorcycle taxis in several busy districts in Lagos, these vehicles, known as okadas, were a welcome option for commuters. Now they're out of luck — and so are the drivers, who risk having their bike impounded and facing arr

Health & Safety

It's definitely not a good year to be a motorcycle taxi driver in Nigeria

10:27am August 26, 2022

by Pelumi Salako

They've been banned in many districts in bustling Lagos. Commuters who rely on the taxis are in a pickle. And the drivers can't earn a living. What's behind this prohibition?

Tawonga Zakeyu of Malawi graduated from Earth University in Costa Rica in December 2021 and now teaches women farmers how to cope with the challenges posed by a changing climate. Hint: Drip irrigation using recycled plastic bottles is a big help during a

Why keeping girls in school is a good strategy to cope with climate change

10:17am August 24, 2022

by Anya Kamenetz

Education for girls brings numerous benefits when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. Oh, and it works for boys, too!

People wearing face masks are seen at an arrival lobby of Haneda airport in Tokyo on Aug. 23, 2022, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan plans to ease COVID-19 border controls in early September

5:09am August 24, 2022

by The Associated Press

Japan currently requires negative PCR test results within 72 hours of departure for all entrants.

Ukrainian refugee Anastasiia Ivanova reads the Bible on the terrace of the apartment in Prudentópolis, Brazil, where she now lives with her mother and siblings. The devout 22-year-old says her faith is what's helped her get through all of her trials. She

Health & Safety

PHOTOS: Ukrainian refugees feel surprisingly at home in Brazil's 'Little Ukraine'

12:58pm August 23, 2022

Eight families fled the war and traveled 5,000 miles to Brazil to live in a town settled by Ukrainians over a century ago. The language and customs — and kindnesses — have eased their transition.

The majority of people likely infected with the omicron variant of COVID-19 were unaware, according to a study from a medical center in Los Angeles, Calif.

Over half of people infected with the omicron variant didn't know it, a study finds

2:44pm August 19, 2022

by Shauneen Miranda

These undiagnosed infections could be a major factor in the rapid transmission of the omicron variant, the researchers said.

A health-care worker prepares to administer a free monkeypox vaccine in Wilton Manors, Florida. The question: Can vaccination slow the outbreak?

Health & Safety

There's a bit of good news about monkeypox. Is it because of the vaccine?

5:47pm August 18, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

It's basically the same vaccine used against smallpox. Here's how it works — and whether researchers think it's playing a role in the fact that the current outbreak is starting to slow down.

How do mosquitoes smell us out? And how can we stop them? A new study offers a surprising answer to the first question — and hope for better preventive strategies as a result.

Mosquitoes surprise researcher with their 'weird' sense of smell

3:13pm August 18, 2022

by Ari Daniel

That's how neuroscientist Meg Younger describes her team's findings about how skeeters hone in on human aromas. And that could lead to better ways to keep us bite- and disease-free.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Japan's alcohol industry hard, sharpening a long-running trend away from drinking. A new campaign sponsored by the National Tax Agency hopes to change that — but it's running into sharp criticism.

Japan launches a contest to urge young people to drink more alcohol

12:49pm August 18, 2022

by Bill Chappell

Governments are watching lucrative alcohol tax revenues dry up, as people drink less. In Japan, a plan to counter that trend is running into controversy.

The doctor to detect the monkeypox outbreak tried to warn about how it was spreading

4:44pm August 16, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Back in 2017, a doctor in Nigeria noticed how fast a local outbreak of monkeypox was spreading. He tried unsuccessfully to warn the world that Nigeria's outbreak could spread globally.

the Imvanex vaccine, used against monkeypox and often referred to as JYNNEOS, is manufactured by only one company: Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic. Global supplies are limited. Africa, where the current outbreak began, is shut out.

Is there enough monkeypox vaccine to go around? Maybe yes, more likely no

10:40am August 16, 2022

by Nurith Aizenman

Only one company makes the currently used monkeypox vaccine. Supply is limited in wealthy nations like the U.S. Less well-off nations, like Nigeria, where the outbreak began, have no vaccines at all.

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