outbreak

Wednesday October 4, 2017

Why 'Plague Season' Is A Big Worry In Madagascar This Year

Workers spray to kill fleas in a public school in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital. A bite from an infected flea can spread the plague, which has stricken 157 people in the island nation since August. Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

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Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Why 'Plague Season' Is A Big Worry In Madagascar This Year

October 4, 2017 • The number of cases has prompted a ban on public gatherings — and concern from the World Health Organization. The disease is spreading in cities and has claimed 30 lives so far.

Sunday February 7, 2016

Do You Know What 'Vector' And 'Endemic' Mean? We Can Help — Sort Of

Katherine Du/NPR

Goats and Soda

Do You Know What 'Vector' And 'Endemic' Mean? We Can Help — Sort Of

February 7, 2016 • When it comes to talking about infectious diseases, researchers have their own special jargon. But even they aren't always 100 percent sure of the definitions.

Tuesday April 21, 2015

Iowa Farm To Kill 5 Million Chickens In Effort To Contain Avian Flu

A farm in Iowa plans to slaughter more than five million chickens in response to an outbreak of bird flu. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption

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Charlie Neibergall/AP

The Two-Way

Iowa Farm To Kill 5 Million Chickens In Effort To Contain Avian Flu

April 21, 2015 • This is the worst outbreak since the H5N2 influenza was first detected in December. The disease has been found in seven other states over the past five months.

Thursday August 14, 2014

A Virtual Outbreak Offers Hints Of Ebola's Future

Kenyan health officials take the temperatures of passengers arriving at the Nairobi airport on Thursday. Kenya has no reported cases of Ebola, but it's a transportation hub and so is on alert. Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

A Virtual Outbreak Offers Hints Of Ebola's Future

August 14, 2014 • As the Ebola outbreak rages in West Africa, it is also unfolding — in a virtual sense — inside the computers of scientists trying to predict how far the outbreak will spread and when it will end.

A Virtual Outbreak Offers Hints Of Ebola's Future

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Thursday December 12, 2013

Why Meningitis That Hit Princeton Is Hard To Beat With Vaccines

Developing a vaccine for meningitis B was tricky. Even the existing vaccine doesn't protect against all B strains. Josef Muellek/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Josef Muellek/iStockphoto.com

Shots - Health News

Why Meningitis That Hit Princeton Is Hard To Beat With Vaccines

December 12, 2013 • It turns out that the bacteria that are responsible meningitis B have a sugar coating that makes them look a lot like human cells. That similarity makes development of a vaccine against the germs especially tricky.