May 06 Watch Persistence is key to wiping out polio outbreaks in fragile nations By PBS News Hour Signaling a new public health emergency, the World Health Organization warns that if polio is not completely eradicated it could become endemic again. Worldwide, 74 cases of the crippling disease have been confirmed this year, with Syria, Cameroon and Pakistan… Continue watching
May 06 Maternal deaths down in Afghanistan with help from community workers By Larisa Epatko One of the bright spots in Save the Children’s 15th annual ranking of the best and worst countries to be a mother, released Monday, is the progress Afghanistan has made improving maternal health. Continue reading
May 05 Watch News Wrap: UN says polio outbreak is global emergency By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Monday, the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency amid outbreaks of polio across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The U.N. agency says the number of new cases last year nearly doubled to… Continue watching
May 05 Finland gets gold in mom rankings; U.S. maternal deaths on the rise By Larisa Epatko Finland is the best country to be a mother, according to Save the Children’s 15th annual ranking released Monday, while Somalia comes in last. The United States hovers at 31 -- about the same as last year -- but is… Continue reading
May 05 Some schools push to roll back healthy lunch requirements By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Some schools say new health lunch guidelines have been expensive and difficult to put in place, and school officials are asking Congress and the Agriculture Department to roll back some of the requirements. Their main concerns: finding enough whole grain-rich… Continue reading
May 02 Officials confirm first MERS case in the U.S. By Sam Lane U.S. health officials have identified the first American infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. Continue reading
Apr 30 Correcting 5 misconceptions about who pays for health care in the U.S. By Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News Full implementation of the health law, and its wider coverage, new taxes and shifting subsidies, has renewed discussions of winners and losers, makers and moochers. Continue reading
Apr 28 Doctors worry wide use of testosterone could lead to heart problems By Sarah Varney Testosterone prescriptions in the U.S. more than tripled in the last decade, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine. But researchers suspect much of the testosterone dispensed at low T clinics isn’t tracked since it’s often bought with cash. Continue reading
Apr 21 15-minute doctor visits take a toll on patient-physician relationships By Roni Caryn Rabin By all accounts, short visits take a toll on the doctor-patient relationship, which is considered a key ingredient of good care, and may represent a missed opportunity for getting patients more actively involved in their own health. There is less… Continue reading
Apr 08 Watch Unprecedented Ebola outbreak crosses borders in West Africa By PBS News Hour More than 100 people have died so far in the worst outbreak of the Ebola virus in years, which began in Guinea before spreading to Liberia. Now health officials are investigating possible cases in Mali and Ghana. Jeffrey Brown talks… Continue watching