Disease

COWS GRAZING ON A FARM WITH A GEEEN MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE

Cow plague threatening ranches in southern Europe

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD, is typically found in the tropics and affects cattle, deer and other animals. But due to abnormally high temperatures in Europe, cases are now spreading quickly across Spain, Italy and France. The virus causes internal bleeding, miscarriages and sterility. It's rarely fatal, but ranchers are concerned for their animals and livelihoods.

Cow plague threatening ranches in southern Europe
man holding a sign with people passing by in the background

Spain to compensate thalidomide victims decades later

Spain to compensate thalidomide victims decades later
landfill

Trash sorters in Ghana face health and safety risks

Trash sorters in Ghana face health and safety risks
COVID-19 antigen home tests indicating a positive result are photographed in New York, April 5, 2023.

Pandemic recovery will require much focus and attention, Dr. Atul Gawande says

Pandemic recovery will require much focus and attention, Dr. Atul Gawande says
A woman walks outside of a COVID-19 testing center at the Incheon International Airport In Incheon, South Korea, on Feb. 10, 2023. 

'The pandemic is still with us': The bumpy road to the end of COVID

'The pandemic is still with us': The bumpy road to the end of COVID
As vaccination levels drop in Ghana, the threat of a measles outbreak looms.

'Red alert for child health': A nationwide vaccine shortage hits Ghana amid measles outbreak

In Ghana, a shortage of childhood vaccines has mothers traveling from hospital to hospital in search of immunizations to protect their infants. As a result, measles are breaking out in some parts of the country.

'Red alert for child health': A nationwide vaccine shortage hits Ghana amid measles outbreak
a young man in a mask

Three years into the pandemic, mask usage varies from country to country

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, and masks became a primary tool to combat the disease's spread, their usage has dropped off dramatically around the world. But many Mexicans are holding on to their facial coverings, and cultural differences are impacting mask use around the globe.

Three years into the pandemic, mask usage varies from country to country
Boats carrying mining supplies move along the Uraricoera River in Alto Alegre, Roraima state, Brazil, as some miners leave Yanomami Indigenous territory ahead of expected operations against illegal mining, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. 

Lula declares humanitarian crisis for Brazil's Yanomami territory, cracks down on illegal mining

A humanitarian crisis looms in Brazil's Yanomami territory, where communities have been ravaged by malnutrition, malaria, COVID-19 and widespread illegal mining. Now, the central government is trying to crack down on illegal mining and support these communities after years of neglect.

Lula declares humanitarian crisis for Brazil's Yanomami territory, cracks down on illegal mining
people at barbershop

A spike in ringworm cases in Spain leads to a surprising culprit: the barbershop

​​​​​​​A ringworm outbreak among Spanish teens has been traced back to barbershops and a fashionable haircut: the fade. Spanish dermatologists blame dirty electric razors.

A spike in ringworm cases in Spain leads to a surprising culprit: the barbershop
The book includes haunting photos from inside the ghetto, along with its record of the medical effects of starvation.

Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies

A researcher at Tufts University near Boston discovered an old book full of research on starvation written by Jewish doctors imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies
Haitians line up outside an immigration office as they wait their turns to apply for a passport, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 10, 2023.

‘Haiti has zero elected officials’ as cholera, gang violence persist, journalist says

As of Monday, Haiti no longer has any democratically elected government officials, after the terms for the remaining senators in government expired. Journalist Widlore Mérancourt, editor-in-chief of AyiboPost, discusses the worsening situation with The World's host Marco Werman.

‘Haiti has zero elected officials’ as cholera, gang violence persist, journalist says
cat on a chair

Desperate pet owners turn to illegal drug markets to cure a rare cat virus 

If a cat contracts feline infectious peritonitis, a chronic wasting disease, it is almost always fatal. A pharmaceutical company, however, developed a recipe for a cure. Global drug manufacturers are now marketing off-label versions of the medication — and cat owners say it works. 

Desperate pet owners turn to illegal drug markets to cure a rare cat virus 
An ambulance is parked outside Portcullis House, backdropped by the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, in London, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.

‘Winter of discontent’ for UK as nurses begin strike action

Across the United Kingdom this month, up to 100,000 nurses are predicted to take part in a series of strikes over pay and conditions. The British government has so far refused to budge, which nurses warn ultimately puts patients at risk.

‘Winter of discontent’ for UK as nurses begin strike action
woman with other women and children

Health crisis unfolding in Pakistan even as floodwaters recede 

Flooded areas have seen surges in malaria and other waterborne illnesses. 

Health crisis unfolding in Pakistan even as floodwaters recede 
Anastasia, 3, is held by her mother, as she receives treatment at a schoolhouse that has been converted into a field hospital, in Mostyska, western Ukraine, Thursday, March 24, 2022.

The war in Ukraine is hampering efforts to stop a polio outbreak

Just 10 days before the war began last February, Ukrainian officials launched a nationwide vaccination campaign to stop a rare polio outbreak in the country. But the war has made controlling the outbreak nearly impossible.

The war in Ukraine is hampering efforts to stop a polio outbreak