health care

'High Highs And Deep Lows': 5 Days With Doctors Without Borders In South Sudan

6:10pm May 26, 2016

In the past year, dozens of hospitals run by the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, have been attacked. NPR spends a week with two doctors in a hospital inside an enormous refugee camp in South Sudan to find out why they work in dangerous places, and what the work is like.

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Maureen LoCascio, with the mosquito control team in Hudson County, N.J., uses a backpack sprayer to spread insecticide against mosquito larvae.

To Kill Mosquitoes That Spread Zika, Strike Before They Fly

6:07pm May 26, 2016

by Hansi Lo Wang

Cities and towns are preparing for mosquito season and the threat of the Zika virus by spreading pesticides. It worked for the West Nile virus but may not be as effective for controlling Zika.

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GOP Congressman Defends House Zika Funding Package

4:37pm May 26, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma about why the House funding package is enough for now to confront the spread of the Zika virus in the U.S.

Pharmacists in California will have to give women a short health consultation before providing contraceptives without a prescription.

It's Still Hard To Get Birth Control Pills In California Without A Prescription

8:49am May 26, 2016

by Kelly O'Mara

California law now permits pharmacists to sell many types of hormonal birth control methods without a doctor's OK. But good luck finding a drugstore that will dispense the contraceptives that way.

There will be about 55 percent more people with diabetes as baby boomers become senior citizens, a report finds.

Baby Boomers Will Become Sicker Seniors Than Earlier Generations

3:30pm May 25, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

The seniors of tomorrow will have much higher rates of diabetes and obesity than the seniors of today, according to a data analysis. That means higher medical bills for them — and for taxpayers, too.

A startup called Opternative offers online vision tests using a computer and a smartphone.

Online Eye Exam Site Makes Waves In Eye Care Industry

10:44am May 25, 2016

by Bradley George

Need a vision test? Now you can do it online with a computer and a smartphone. The site has attracted a lot of attention in the tech world, but eye care professionals have concerns.

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WHO Plans To Reshape Itself To Better Handle International Outbreaks

7:14pm May 24, 2016

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Health officials have warned for years that the world is not ready for the next big pandemic. Leaders at the World Health Organization are meeting this week to try to change that.

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Small Ohio Town Passes Progressive Parental Leave Policy

5:09pm May 24, 2016

The Village of Newburgh Heights, outside Cleveland, is a working class community of about 2,500 residents.

Former White House Ebola Czar Urges Congress To Act Faster On Zika

4:32pm May 24, 2016

NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Ron Klain, former White House Ebola response coordinator, about his op-ed piece in the Washington Post about the Zika virus. He says the U.S. needs to create a public health emergency management agency, like FEMA for health emergencies, so our country is ready to act quickly without having to wait for Congress.

For simple care and prescriptions, veterans in Northern California can go to 14 CVS MinuteClinics.

To Cut Wait Times, VA Tries MinuteClinics In Northern California

4:16pm May 24, 2016

by Barbara Feder Ostrov

Veterans can visit 14 CVS MinuteClinics in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, Calif., for simple care, lab tests and prescriptions. Will the experiment work well enough to go nationwide?