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Wednesday

Middle East Coronavirus Called 'Threat To The Entire World'

A nurse walks towards the Roger Salengro Hospital in Lille, France, where two patients were diagnosed with a coronavirus related to SARS. Michel Spingler/AP hide caption

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Michel Spingler/AP

Shots - Health News

Middle East Coronavirus Called 'Threat To The Entire World'

All told, the fatality rate for confirmed infections with the virus has been more than 50 percent. But the true fatality rate won't be clear until the fuller extent of cases, some probably much milder, becomes known.

Thursday

Wednesday

Polio Outbreak In Kenya: A Threat To Global Eradication

A baby receives a polio vaccine at the Medina Maternal Child Health center in Mogadishu, Somalia. The country has one of the lowest immunization rates in the world. Ben Curtis/AP hide caption

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Ben Curtis/AP

Shots - Health News

Polio Outbreak In Kenya: A Threat To Global Eradication

A handful of polio infections in Kenya and Somalia could set back efforts to wipe out the virus worldwide, health workers warned Wednesday. The last time there was polio in this region, the virus spread throughout the Horn of Africa into the Middle East and eventually into Indonesia.

Saturday

The Unsafe Sex: Should The World Invest More In Men's Health?

A man smokes a cigarette as he takes a break at a fruit market in Hyderabad, India. Smoking tobacco is eight times more prevalent among Indian men than women. Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

The Unsafe Sex: Should The World Invest More In Men's Health?

The world's top health problems are more common in men than women. But recent global funding has been skewed toward women's issues. Some health economists say more effort should go toward stopping men's risky behaviors, like smoking and drinking.

Thursday

Monday

Thursday

Using Bacteria To Swat Malaria Inside Mosquitoes

More than a hundred different species of Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit malaria to people. Adam Cole/NPR hide caption

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Adam Cole/NPR

Shots - Health News

Using Bacteria To Swat Malaria Inside Mosquitoes

Infecting mosquitoes with a specific type of bacteria makes the insects resistant to malaria. Now scientists have figured out how to get the mosquitoes to pass the infections on to their offspring. If it can done reliably, it might help interrupt transmission of malaria to humans.

Wednesday

Why Bill Gates Thinks Ending Polio Is Worth It

There's no better deal than getting polio cases down to zero, philanthropist Bill Gates says. Marie McGrory/NPR hide caption

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Marie McGrory/NPR

Shots - Health News

Why Bill Gates Thinks Ending Polio Is Worth It

The Microsoft founder and philanthropist is putting his money and time where his passion is: eradicating polio. Gates talks with NPR's Robert Siegel about why it makes sense to spend an estimated $5.5 billion to wipe out the disease once and for all.

Why Bill Gates Thinks Ending Polio Is Worth It

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Officials Prepare For Another Flu Pandemic — Just In Case

Scientists in the U.S. are growing the H7N9 virus in the laboratory to help with vaccine development. James Gathany/CDC/Douglas E. Jordan hide caption

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James Gathany/CDC/Douglas E. Jordan

Shots - Health News

Officials Prepare For Another Flu Pandemic — Just In Case

Those people who have contracted the H7N9 virus have become very sick. And unlike the older bird flu virus, this one shows some adaptation to mammals, making it a matter of concern. But it doesn't make chickens sick, posing unique difficulties in fighting this kind of flu.

Officials Prepare For Another Flu Pandemic — Just In Case

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Tuesday

What's In A Flu Name? H's And N's Tell A Tale

Influenza covers it's shell with two types of accessories: the H spike, blue, and the N spike, red. Here the flu particle is sliced open to show its genetic material. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases hide caption

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

Shots - Health News

What's In A Flu Name? H's And N's Tell A Tale

With the new H7N9 virus spreading through China and H5N1 popping up every now and then in Southeast Asia, it's tough to keep track of all the flu viruses. Here's a quick guide to what those H's and N's mean, and why viruses with these letters cause the most concern.

Saving Newborns: 'Kangaroo Care' Could Go A Long Way

A health worker weighs a Somali baby on scales at a medical clinic in Mogadishu. Babies in Somalia have the highest risk of dying within the first 24 hours after birth. Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Saving Newborns: 'Kangaroo Care' Could Go A Long Way

Each year more than a million babies die within the first 24 hours after birth, a study finds. But there are some simple, inexpensive things that could save these infants, like early breast-feeding and teaching moms to hold their newborns close.

Wednesday

Ratting Out TB: Scientists Train Rodents To Diagnose Disease

Abdullah Mchumvu has been training African giant pouched rats for more than a decade in Morogoro, Tanzania. Jonathan Kalan for NPR hide caption

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Jonathan Kalan for NPR

Shots - Health News

Ratting Out TB: Scientists Train Rodents To Diagnose Disease

For more than a decade, a nonprofit in Tanzania has been using the rat's keen sense of smell to detect buried land mines around the world. Now the group is training the critters to help diagnose tuberculosis at rural clinics.

Friday

A $5.5 Billion Road Map To Banish Polio Forever

A baby receives a polio vaccine at the Medina Maternal Child Health center in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday. Somalia has one of the lowest immunization rates in the world. Ben Curtis/AP hide caption

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Ben Curtis/AP

Shots - Health News

A $5.5 Billion Road Map To Banish Polio Forever

The World Health Organization released a six-year plan to wipe out the remaining pockets of polio and ensure the virus doesn't come back. With fewer than 20 polio cases so far this year, the world is closer than ever before to eradicating polio.

A $5.5 Billion Road Map To Banish Polio Forever

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Friday

With Bird Flu, 'Right Now, Anything Is Possible'

A health worker collects pigeons from a trap at People's Square in Shanghai, China, earlier this month. So far, workers have tested more than 48,000 animals for the H7N9 flu virus. ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images hide caption

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ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

With Bird Flu, 'Right Now, Anything Is Possible'

An international team of disease detectives are in China to investigate an outbreak of a new strain of bird flu, H7N9. The biggest puzzle right now is where these infections are coming from, as testing poultry has turned up very few infected birds.

With Bird Flu, 'Right Now, Anything Is Possible'

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