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Thursday

Wednesday

Violence, Chaos Let Polio Creep Back Into Syria And Horn Of Africa

The Ethiopian government has set up about a dozen vaccination booths along its thousand-mile border with Somalia. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption

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Jason Beaubien/NPR

Shots - Health News

Violence, Chaos Let Polio Creep Back Into Syria And Horn Of Africa

The number of polio cases globally sank to an all-time low in 2012. But outbreaks in Syria and Somalia this year are jeopardizing efforts to eradicate the virus. A recent visit to the Somali-Ethiopian border highlights just how easily polio can regain a foothold in rural, insecure communities.

Violence, Chaos Let Polio Creep Back Into Syria And Horn Of Africa

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Sunday

How The World Backed Polio Into A Corner

A young girl stands in the doorway of a home in Uttar Pradesh, India. The markings on the door show that a polio immunization team vaccinated children in the home. Alyce Henson/Courtesy of Rotary International hide caption

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Alyce Henson/Courtesy of Rotary International

Shots - Health News

How The World Backed Polio Into A Corner

Just a few decades ago, polio was crippling more than a thousand children each day. Now the paralyzing virus remains endemic to only three countries. A timeline shows how polio went from one of the most feared illnesses to a disease on the ropes.

Thursday

Slaying 'Little Dragons': Guinea Worm Moves Toward Eradication

Hawah Alhassan, 5, contracted Guinea worm in a village near Tamale, Ghana, in 2007. The country eliminated the parasite in 2011. Wes Pope/MCT/Landov hide caption

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Wes Pope/MCT/Landov

Shots - Health News

Slaying 'Little Dragons': Guinea Worm Moves Toward Eradication

Known as the "affliction with little dragons," Guinea worm is a nasty parasite that can grow up to 3 feet inside a person. A decades-long campaign to eliminate the worm is starting to pay off. There were only about 500 cases worldwide in 2012, and 89 cases in the first half of 2013.

Wednesday

A Toddler Remains HIV-Free, Raising Hope For Babies Worldwide

HIV-positive babies rest in an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Treatment right after birth may make it possible for HIV-positive newborns to fight off the virus. Brent Stirton/Getty Images hide caption

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Brent Stirton/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

A Toddler Remains HIV-Free, Raising Hope For Babies Worldwide

The news that a baby born HIV-positive in Mississippi stayed HIV-free even though her mother stopped giving her anti-retroviral drugs sparked skepticism earlier this year. But a new report says that the girl is still virus-free at age 3. This could jumpstart a global study on super-early treatment of HIV-positive newborns.

Haitian Cholera Strain Spreads To Mexico

A nurse treats a cholera patient at the Juan Pablo Pina Hospital in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, in August. Health officials say that the strain of cholera circulating in the country— the same one that first appeared in Haiti three years ago — has also caused outbreaks in Cuba and now Mexico. Erika Santelices/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Erika Santelices/AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Haitian Cholera Strain Spreads To Mexico

A cholera outbreak in Mexico has been traced to the same strain that first appeared in Haiti three years ago. It has appeared in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, too. So far nearly 9,000 people have died in the four countries, and health authorities think it will spread farther in the Americas.

Haitian Cholera Strain Spreads To Mexico

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Monday

First Polio Cases Since 1999 Suspected In Syria

Syrian opposition fighters sit on the front line in the city of Deir Ezzor on Oct. 13. Ongoing violence has ravaged the city since March 2011. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

First Polio Cases Since 1999 Suspected In Syria

Syria used to have one of the highest rates of polio vaccinations in the region. But since the civil war began, rates have plummeted. Now the crippling virus has likely returned to the country, health officials say. Initial tests indicate that polio has paralyzed at least two children.

First Polio Cases Since 1999 Suspected In Syria

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Friday

To Prevent HIV Infection, Couples Try Testing Together

David Lozano (left) and Kevin Kreinbring stand in front of a painting created by Lozano. The couple says they get tested for HIV together every six months. Courtesy of David Lozano hide caption

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Courtesy of David Lozano

Shots - Health News

To Prevent HIV Infection, Couples Try Testing Together

The majority of new HIV infections among gay men in the U.S. these days occur within committed couples. So researchers are piloting a strategy that's been successful in Africa. Gay couples in several cities have tried it and say the benefits are unexpected.

Thursday

Wednesday

Activists Sue U.N. Over Cholera That Killed Thousands In Haiti

Haitians protest against United Nations peacekeepers in Port-au-Prince in 2010. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

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Activists Sue U.N. Over Cholera That Killed Thousands In Haiti

A cholera outbreak in Haiti was likely triggered by United Nations peacekeeping forces stationed there after a 2010 earthquake. A human rights groups wants the U.N. to take responsibility for the cholera outbreak and to compensate Haitian families.

Tuesday

Shifting Resources To Front Lines Could Protect Polio Workers

Avez, 2, is held by his mother, as he receives the polio vaccine in the Khyber Tribal Region in northwest Pakistan. Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Shifting Resources To Front Lines Could Protect Polio Workers

Bombs targeting polio vaccinators have threatened the global effort to stamp out the disease once and for all. The attacks are likely to continue, researchers warned, unless there's a change in eradication strategy toward local action.

First Malaria Vaccine Moves A Step Closer To Approval

A health worker administers the malaria vaccine at a clinical trial in Kilifi, Kenya. Joseph Okanga/Reuters /Landov hide caption

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Joseph Okanga/Reuters /Landov

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First Malaria Vaccine Moves A Step Closer To Approval

A decades-long effort to prevent one of the world's leading scourges has resulted in a vaccine with only modest efficacy. Still, the shot has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. So its developers are seeking regulatory approval in 2014.

First Malaria Vaccine Moves A Step Closer To Approval

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Sunday

Wednesday

A DEET-Like Mosquito Spray That Smells Like Jasmine Or Grapes?

Scientists have discovered four new DEET-like mosquito repellents. Three of them are safe to eat. Courtesy of Pinky Kai/University of California, Riverside hide caption

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Courtesy of Pinky Kai/University of California, Riverside

Shots - Health News

A DEET-Like Mosquito Spray That Smells Like Jasmine Or Grapes?

Scientists have figured out how DEET repels mosquitoes. The finding has led the researchers to candidate repellents that are safer and cheaper than DEET and may provide new weapons against mosquito-borne scourges, such as malaria and dengue fever.

A DEET-Like Mosquito Spray That Smells Like Jasmine Or Grapes?

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Thursday

A Penicillin Shortage Hinders Treatment For Rheumatic Fever

Streptococcus pyogenes shouldn't be taken lightly. Left untreated, an infection with germ can trigger an autoimmune disease that damages the heart. NIAID/Flickr.com hide caption

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NIAID/Flickr.com

Shots - Health News

A Penicillin Shortage Hinders Treatment For Rheumatic Fever

In some countries, it's easier to get HIV drugs than an old-fashioned form of penicillin that prevents heart damage from rheumatic fever, scientists say. The world's supply of this type of penicillin has dwindled over the past few decades, but rheumatic fever hasn't.