public health

Woman stands at front of meeting room with microphone, one man at table raises hand

In Minnesota, a measles outbreak exposes the gaps in public health

An outbreak grabbed the headlines for Somalis in this northern state. But advocates hope it can bring more than just an emergency response.

In Minnesota, a measles outbreak exposes the gaps in public health
A pool.

There's a sweet new test for pee in the pool

There's a sweet new test for pee in the pool

Viruses at the Movies

Viruses at the Movies

Reconstructing Viruses

Reconstructing Viruses

Playing Against the Virus

Playing Against the Virus
A worker fogs the corridor

Singapore is dealing with an outbreak of locally transmitted Zika infections

At least 56 people in Singapore have contracted Zika in what is a major case of local transmission far from the Americas, where the disease has become established.

Singapore is dealing with an outbreak of locally transmitted Zika infections
Two boba milk teas, close up

Too much boba is bad for you. California's new data law could show who’s most at risk.

A bill in California will change the way the state collects data about Asian Americans, at least in the arena of public health.

Too much boba is bad for you. California's new data law could show who’s most at risk.
A "Water Pickup" sign points to a bottled water distribution center in Flint, Michigan in January. In an effort to save money, state officials running Flint's affairs implemented changes to the city's water system that resulted in widespread lead contamin

This is your brain on lead, and lots of other nasty pollutants

The water crisis gripping Flint, Michigan has exposed thousands of the city’s residents to dangerous lead levels. But Flint is hardly unique. Many other American cities have faced lead contamination in water supplies, and an expanding list of common substances, including some pesticides and flame retardants, may also be linked to significant developmental and neurological problems. Get the latest on this largely hidden crisis at a live forum from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PRI’s The World and WGBH.

This is your brain on lead, and lots of other nasty pollutants
Brazilian soldiers distribute educational flyers about the Zika virus in São Paulo, the country's largest city.

Zika is a window into a much bigger story in Brazil

It's a story about mosquitoes, public health, water and women, which is why The World has sent its Across Womens' Lives team to Brazil. They’re there to report on how Zika fits into the story of Brazilian women’s struggles to improve their lives in a time of rapid and often disturbing environmental change.

Zika is a window into a much bigger story in Brazil
Handguns

Quietly, Congress extends a ban on CDC research on gun violence

Not long after the shooting in Charleston, a US House of Representatives committee rejected a measure that would have allowed the CDC to conduct research into gun violence, leaving intact a ban pushed by the NRA back in the 1990s. That leads to odd gun violence reports that are not about guns.

Quietly, Congress extends a ban on CDC research on gun violence
Chinese tourist wearing a mask to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) takes a selfie in front of the main entrance of the Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, South Korea on June 4, 2015.

The MERS virus is scary, but South Korea is probably overreacting

A deadly virus that first emerged in the Middle East has hit South Korea, where three people have died so far. Authorities have closed hundreds of schools and universities. But is that really necessary?

The MERS virus is scary, but South Korea is probably overreacting
couple

This Iraqi couple fled ISIS but face another enemy in the US — diabetes

Being new to the US can be challenging enough. Now add managing your diabetes in a new culture and language. A project in California is offering help.

This Iraqi couple fled ISIS but face another enemy in the US — diabetes
Dr. Annelys Hernandez checks out Cynthia Louis at a Mobile Health Center at Florida International Univeristy on March 3, 2015. Louis is ineligible for health insurance because of Florida's decision to reject Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.

'The waiting is tearing me down' — low-income Americans struggle in anti-Obamacare states

While the ranks of the uninsured in the US have dropped sharply under Obamacare, around four million low-income Americans are still left out of the program in states that did not expand Medicaid. And while those states wrestle with the federal government, ordinary citizens say they're suffering.

'The waiting is tearing me down' — low-income Americans struggle in anti-Obamacare states
A baboon stakes out a walkway near the entrance of Tanzania's Udzungwa National Park. With human settlement at the base of the still wild Udzungwa Mountains growing fast, humans and wild animals are coming into ever more frequent contact, creating what on

To prevent the next Ebola, scientists try to catch new viruses before they break out

With the Ebola outbreak not yet behind us, global health workers are already scrambling to prevent what could be the next big outbreak of an emerging disease caused by a virus that jumped from animals into humans. In Tanzania, an organization is trying a new approach to tracking these new viruses and preventing another pandemic.

To prevent the next Ebola, scientists try to catch new viruses before they break out
Paris, Tennessee, is home to the self-described biggest fish fry in the world — and a high risk of health problems.

Why sit in pews when you can walk and worship? Rural churches preach better health.

Henry County, Tennessee, is so packed full of churches that it's considered an "Evangelical hub" according to census data. That data also shows an unhealthy county, and one pastor wants his flock to focus just as much on physical health as spiritual well-being.

Why sit in pews when you can walk and worship? Rural churches preach better health.