Dec 09 Watch 5:08 Why the FDA's approval of revolutionary sickle cell gene therapy is a 'big deal' By John Yang, Claire Mufson, Harry Zahn Sickle cell disease is a chronic, debilitating condition that affects nearly 100,000 Americans, most of them with African ancestry. Now, the FDA has approved a groundbreaking treatment for it that uses the gene-editing tool CRISPR. John Yang speaks with Yale… Continue watching
Dec 08 Watch 8:47 Racial disparity in addiction treatment access highlights inequities of opioid epidemic By William Brangham, Dorothy Hastings, Mike Fritz The CDC says synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, contributed to about 75,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2022. It's a crisis that hits every demographic group, but there are large racial disparities between who is offered the most effective… Continue watching
Dec 08 Pregnant woman in Kentucky sues for the right to get an abortion By Bruce Schreiner, Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press The suit, filed in state court in Louisville, says Kentucky's near-total prohibition against abortion violates the plaintiff's rights to privacy and self-determination under the state constitution. Continue reading
Dec 08 How uninsured adults can still get vaccinated against COVID By Laura Santhanam To address disproportionately low levels of COVID vaccine protection among adults who are uninsured or underinsured, the CDC in September launched the Bridge Access Program, a $1 billion effort to deliver free COVID vaccine doses to a group of people… Continue reading
Dec 08 Missouri lawmakers propose allowing homicide charges for women who have abortions By David A. Lieb, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press It's a step no state has taken since the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade last year caused rapid shifts in the nation's abortion landscape. Continue reading
Dec 08 The Christmas Eve bonfire tradition that almost wasn't By Roby Chavez A statewide burn ban, which was a response to unusually dry weather, threw into question whether this year’s 300-year-old tradition of lighting up bonfires would move forward in Louisiana. Continue reading
Dec 08 Gene therapies for sickle cell disease approved in U.S. By Laura Ungar, Associated Press Regulators on Friday approved two new gene therapies for sickle cell disease that doctors hope can cure the painful, inherited blood disorder that afflicts mostly Black people in the United States. Continue reading
Dec 08 Chronic fatigue syndrome is more common than previously understood, CDC says By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's number is larger than previous studies have suggested, and is likely boosted by some of the patients with long COVID. Continue reading
Dec 05 Students around the world suffered huge learning setbacks during the pandemic, study finds By Collin Binkley, Associated Press The state of global education was given a bleak appraisal in the Program for International Student Assessment, the first study to examine academic progress in dozens of countries during the pandemic. Continue reading
Dec 04 France's parliament considers a ban on single-use, disposable e-cigarettes By Associated Press The legislation aims to protect the health of youths and mitigate the environmental impacts of the increasingly popular disposable products known as "puffs."… Continue reading