Health

A Push In California To Train More Latino And Black Nurses

12:02pm November 13, 2015

by Adizah Eghan

Though 39 percent of the state's population is Latino, only 8 percent of its nurses are. Health officials are looking to reduce health disparities by increasing diversity among health professionals.

Teresa Valko and her mother, Evelyn Wilson, in 2011.

Health & Safety

Conversations Turn Into Monologues As Alzheimer's Robs Family Of Memories

5:48am November 13, 2015

by NPR Staff

Teresa Valko's family has been battling Alzheimer's disease for generations. She remembers when her mother's memory faded: "I've essentially lost my mother, although she's still living," Valko says.

An illustration of rinderpest in the Netherlands in the 18th century. Europeans once feared the cattle virus as much as they did the Black Death.

Rounding Up The Last Of A Deadly Cattle Virus

7:42pm November 12, 2015

by Dan Charles

Rinderpest, or cattle plague, was declared eradicated in 2011. But many research institutes still have samples of the rinderpest virus in storage. Disease experts want those samples destroyed.

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HUD Proposes Nationwide Smoking Ban In Public Housing

7:42pm November 12, 2015

by Pam Fessler

Public housing residents would be banned from smoking, not just in public spaces on the premises, but in their own apartments under a proposal Thursday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposal, which is drawing criticism from many residents and being praised by others concerned about second-hand smoke.

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Screen grab from the music video, Bye Bye Ebola.

Sierra Leone Says Bye-Bye To Ebola With Rap Song And Hip Dance Moves

5:23pm November 12, 2015

by Malaka Gharib

The country celebrates its new Ebola-free status with a video in which everybody dances, from burial teams to members of the military.

Lala (center) and Milena (left) would like to see more incentives for young girls to take up soccer.

Your Questions On Period Huts, Child Brides, Girls' Soccer — Answered

5:11pm November 12, 2015

by NPR Staff

You read the stories in our #15Girls series and posed some really good questions. (Wish we'd thought of them first.) Here are answers from our correspondents.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary JuliÃ¡n Castro said Thursday the proposed rule

U.S. Proposes A Ban On Smoking In All Public Housing

4:47pm November 12, 2015

by Bill Chappell

"This proposed rule will help improve the health of more than 760,000 children and help public housing agencies save $153 million," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro says.

The bacterium that causes syphilis is spread through sexual contact. It's easily cured with antibiotics, but can be hard to diagnose.

More Babies Are Dying Because Of Congenital Syphilis

4:33pm November 12, 2015

by Angus Chen

Many pregnant women aren't getting adequate health care, so they aren't being tested for syphilis. It can kill or seriously disable babies. The 458 cases last year could have been prevented.

Yolanda Roberson, who directs the Empowerment program, teaches a class at a Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx. The classes are funded by the state of New York.

To Prevent Addiction In Adults, Help Teens Learn How To Cope

3:56pm November 12, 2015

by Elaine Korry

Many people who become addicted to drugs, tobacco or alcohol start using as teenagers. So more effort is being put into helping teenagers stop before they get in too deep.

What role do high-calorie, low-nutrition junk foods play in expanding waistlines? Two recent studies tackle that question.

Health & Safety

Are Junk Food Habits Driving Obesity? A Tale Of Two Studies

3:28pm November 12, 2015

by Maria Godoy

In the fight against obesity, junk foods have become public enemy No. 1. But some people question whether certain foods are really the culprits. Two new studies come to very different conclusions.