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Goats and Soda

STORIES OF LIFE IN A CHANGING WORLD

Infectious Disease

Wednesday

Black Death survivors gave their descendants a genetic advantage — but with a cost

Researchers extracted DNA from the remains of people buried in the East Smithfield plague pits, which were used for mass burials in 1348 and 1349. Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) hide caption

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Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)

Infectious Disease

Black Death survivors gave their descendants a genetic advantage — but with a cost

Nearly half of Europeans died from the plague. Now a new study shows a protective gene mutation that survivors passed on to help with future outbreaks might cause other problems.

Black Death survivors gave their descendants a genetic advantage — but with a cost

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Monday

Critics say 'monkeypox' is a racist name. But it's not going away anytime soon

People protest during a rally calling for more government action to combat the spread of monkeypox at Foley Square on July 21, 2022 in New York City. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images hide caption

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Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

Infectious Disease

Critics say 'monkeypox' is a racist name. But it's not going away anytime soon

Scientists call the name "discriminatory and stigmatizing." The World Health Organization agrees. But no progress has been made on finding a new name. And some say the name doesn't need changing.

Friday

Wednesday

Polio is found in the U.K. for the first time in nearly 40 years. Here's what it means

Aerial view of the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works in London. Between February and May, U.K. scientists found several samples containing closely related versions of the polio virus in wastewater at the plant. mwmbwls/Flickr hide caption

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mwmbwls/Flickr

Infectious Disease

Polio is found in the U.K. for the first time in nearly 40 years. Here's what it means

Scientists in Britain have detected multiple versions of the virus in wastewater. Officials say the risk to the public is extremely low and urge people to ensure their polio vaccines are up to date.

Friday

Thursday

Dogs trained to sniff out COVID in schools are getting a lot of love for their efforts

Freetown Elementary School students Mason Santos, left, and Mila Talbot, right, pet Huntah the dog after she finishes checking a classroom. Jodi Hilton for NPR hide caption

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Jodi Hilton for NPR

Infectious Disease

Dogs trained to sniff out COVID in schools are getting a lot of love for their efforts

A school in southeastern Massachusetts latches onto a novel program that uses canines to sniff out COVID on surfaces. The idea is to help protect kids from the virus and keep the school open.

Dogs trained to sniff out COVID in schools are getting a lot of love for their efforts

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Monday

Coronavirus FAQ: I got COVID. Then I got it again. What's the deal with reinfection?

A positive result on a home COVID test. If you catch it once, can you catch it again? Turns out the answer is: Yes. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

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Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Infectious Disease

Coronavirus FAQ: I got COVID. Then I got it again. What's the deal with reinfection?

People who catch COVID may feel as if they won't get it again, at least not for a long time. Their immune system should be primed to fight it off in the future. Right? Well, let's see.

Friday

Wednesday

5 big ideas for the White House's Global COVID Summit

President Joe Biden speaks at the virtual Global COVID-19 Summit on Sept. 22, 2021, in Washington, D.C. On May 12, the White House will host the second Global COVID-19 Summit. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Infectious Disease

5 big ideas for the White House's Global COVID Summit

We asked experts from around the world: What would they like to see on the agenda for this virtual event. Their ideas include fair pay for all health workers — and a makeover for foreign aid.

Tuesday

How the U.S. case might tie into the global upswing in polio

A child receives a polio vaccine in Kampala, Uganda, on Jan. 14, 2022. Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images hide caption

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Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

Infectious Disease

How the U.S. case might tie into the global upswing in polio

Countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia are counting more cases of vaccine-derived polio. Now there's a likely U.S. case. Researchers are looking for ways to stop it.

How the U.S. case might tie into the global upswing in polio

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Friday

Thursday

Iraq has enough doses of COVID vaccine for everyone. But many Iraqis don't trust it

Hussein Raad, a 22-year-old college student, gets his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Zayoona Mall in Baghdad. Ahmed Kusy Mostafa hide caption

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Ahmed Kusy Mostafa

Infectious Disease

Iraq has enough doses of COVID vaccine for everyone. But many Iraqis don't trust it

The vaccination rate is only 17%. People are scared and skeptical for many reasons. Now government health workers are trying to up the numbers. One strategy: vaccination booths in the mall.

Iraq has enough doses of COVID vaccine for everyone. But many Iraqis don't trust it

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Sunday

Before COVID, TB was the world's worst pathogen. It's still a 'monster' killer

Health workers share information about tuberculosis with residents of aslum neighborhoods in New Delhi. India has the greatest number of TB cases in the world. Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images

Infectious Disease

Before COVID, TB was the world's worst pathogen. It's still a 'monster' killer

It was under control. And then it wasn't. In her new book Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped History, VIdya Krishnan shows how "we repeat the same disease-spreading mistakes over and over."

Sunday

Friday

Discovery of HIV variant shows virus can evolve to be more severe — and contagious

A colorized electron microscope image from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a single human immunodeficiency virus budding from a human immune cell. AP hide caption

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AP

Infectious Disease

Discovery of HIV variant shows virus can evolve to be more severe — and contagious

Findings from a new study help answer questions about why some people get more severe and transmissible HIV than others — and serve as a reminder that viruses don't always weaken over time.