Max Barnhart

Sand flies carry the protozoan parasites that spread leishmaniasis. It was thought to be a disease of tropical climates, but leishmaniasis-causing parasites have now been found living and circulating in the United States. Science Photo Library via Science Source hide caption

Anthropologist Amber Wutich embeds in communities only at their invitation — a method she calls 'participant observation.' Much of her work focuses on alleviating water insecurity. MacArthur Foundation hide caption

An illustration of the head and mouth parts of Anopheles sp. female and male mosquitoes. The hairs (or fibrillae) on the antenna of the male enable them to hear the buzz of females in a swarm. Joe Brock/Francis Crick Institute hide caption

Protesters march outside the White House to call attention to those who have long COVID and those who have the disabling disease Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

An electron microscopic image of mpox virus particles. The mpox emergency of last summer is over. Was it a passing threat? Or is there reason to believe another global outbreak could happen. Smith Collection/Gado/Gado via Getty Images hide caption

A scene from the Brazilian film "Nurses Facing Covid" ("Na Lihna de Frente"), one of the "Grand Prix" winners in this year's Health for All Film Festival. Klimt Publicidade and the institution Conselho Federal de Enfermagem, via World Health Organization hide caption

Death cap (Amanita phalloides), Amanitaceae. De Agostini Picture Library via Getty Images hide caption

Microscope images of urinary tract cells from mice that were not given a UTI (naive) and those that were susceptible to recurrent UTIs (sensitized). Cells are outlined in green and the DNA in each cell glows blue. The cells susceptible to recurrent UTIs are smaller. Seongmi Russel hide caption

Mulikat Okanlawon of Nigeria contracted noma when she was a child. The gangrenous infection ate away at the flesh and bone in her face. She survived and has had surgery to repair scars left by the disease. Today she works at the Sokoto Noma Hospital, guiding noma patients on the road to recovery. Claire Jeantet and Fabrice Caterini / Inediz hide caption

Ndidi Nwuneli speaks at the 2022 Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards, hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in New York City. The event recognizes the work of those who help advance the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals in their communities and around the world. Mike Lawrence/Getty Images for Gates Archive hide caption

Three TikTok phenomena of 2022: the pop star Bad Bunny; an Inuit mother and daughter who teach how to say yes with your eyebrows; and one of the Iranians who cut their hair in solidarity with 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody after being detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab inappropriately. tiktok.com/Screenshots by NPR hide caption

Alexis Mukwedi tested positive for sleeping sickness during a two-day mobile screening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He had complained about nervous tics and fatigue. Xavier Vaheed-DNDi hide caption

Bonny Omara (left) works with Edgar Mujuni at Japan's Kyushu Institute of Technology on the satellite that will be used to observe land conditions in Uganda. Bonny Omara hide caption

A medical worker gestures to an Ebola patient inside an isolation center in the village of Madudu, Uganda. The country is taking several public health measures to try to stem the outbreak. Hajarah Nalwadda/AP hide caption

Aspergillus fumigatus can infect the lungs, causing pneumonia-like symptoms that can progress into more severe sickness. BSIP/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

Priti Krishtel, a 2022 MacArthur fellowship winner, says of her work to create fair drug prices for the world: "I just don't think that people's ability to heal should depend on their ability to pay." Her father worked in the pharmaceutical industry and inspired in her a love of science and finding cures. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation hide caption

Bupe Sinkala of Zambia was diagnosed with HIV shortly before her wedding, didn't tell her fiance — and later saw her life come tumbling down. With the support of family and a new job as a community health worker, she has found joy. She shared her views on the import of community health work at the U.N. General Assembly this week. Laylah Amatullah Barrayn for NPR hide caption

Sean Murphy, lead author of a new malaria vaccine study, demonstrates how participants got their dose: by placing an arm over a mesh-covered container filled with 200 mosquitoes whose bites delivered genetically modified malaria parasites. Annette M Seilie hide caption