Latest KFF Health News Stories
Epidemic: Speedboat Epidemiology
In Bangladesh, smallpox eradication workers went to great lengths to vaccinate even one person, sometimes traveling by speedboat, crossing rickety bamboo bridges or leech-infested paddy fields. Episode 4 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast is about what it takes to bring care directly to people where they are.
More Cities Address ‘Shade Deserts’ as Extreme Heat Triggers Health Issues
Where trees are growing — and who has access to their shade — affects health and well-being, especially in one of the hottest states in the country.
Los adolescentes publican en Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat o TikTok, fotos o videos de sí mismos con armas y montones de dinero, a veces desafiando a sus rivales. Cuando los mensajes se hacen virales, alimentados por los “likes” y los comentarios, el peligro es difícil de contener.
‘All We Want Is Revenge’: How Social Media Fuels Gun Violence Among Teens
Teens share photos or videos of themselves with guns and stacks of cash, sometimes calling out rivals, on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. When posts go viral, fueled by “likes” and comments, the danger is hard to contain.
Illustrated Report: How Gun Violence Goes Viral
As chatter and images about guns and violence slip into the social media feeds of more teens, viral messages fueled by “likes” can lead to real-world conflict and loss.
Republican Debate Highlights Candidates’ Views on Abortion
Though health policies in general got little airtime, the discussion of whether candidates support a federal abortion ban underscored how Republicans, in a post-Roe environment, face political challenges on the issue.
Timing and Cost of New Vaccines Vary by Virus and Health Insurance Status
Flu. Covid. RSV. When and how to get vaccinated against them can be confusing. Here are some of the most important things to know.
The Painful Pandemic Lessons Mandy Cohen Carries to the CDC
Mandy Cohen, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, earned praise for her leadership and communication as the face of North Carolina’s response to covid-19. People in the state’s most vulnerable communities tell a more complicated story.
Doctors Advocate Fresh Efforts to Combat Chagas Disease, a Silent Killer
Chagas disease, caused by a parasite, affects people primarily in rural Latin America. But an estimated 300,000 residents of the U.S. have the disease, which can cause serious heart problems. Patient advocates call for much more aggressive efforts to fight it.
Médicos abogan por nuevos esfuerzos para combatir al Chagas, un asesino silencioso
La enfermedad de Chagas, causada por un parásito, afecta principalmente a personas en las zonas rurales de Latinoamérica. Pero se estima que 300,000 personas en Estados Unidos viven con la enfermedad, que puede causar problemas cardíacos graves. Defensores de pacientes piden esfuerzos mucho más agresivos para combatirla.
Few Firm Beliefs and Low Trust: Americans Not Sure What’s True in Age of Health Misinformation
A new poll from KFF shows many Americans aren’t willing to embrace misinformation — but aren’t willing to reject it either. And they don’t know whom to trust.
The CDC Works to Overhaul Lab Operations After Covid Test Flop
In early 2020, U.S. public health labs received covid-19 tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were flawed, as a result of poor design and contamination. Now the CDC is overhauling its lab operations, but efforts to be better prepared for future threats won’t be easy, observers say.
In the early 1970s, public health workers buoyed by the motto “zero pox!” worked across India to achieve 100% vaccination against smallpox. This episode is about what happened when these zealous young people encountered hesitation.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On Abortion Rights, Ohio Is the New Kansas
Nearly a year to the day after Kansas voters surprised the nation by defeating an anti-abortion ballot question, Ohio voters defeated a similar, if cagier, effort to limit access in that state. This week, they rejected an effort to raise the threshold for approval of future ballot measures from a simple majority, which would have made it harder to protect abortion access with yet another ballot question come November. Meanwhile, the number of Americans without health insurance has dropped to an all-time low, though few noticed. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate McEvoy, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, about how the “Medicaid unwinding” is going, as millions have their eligibility for coverage rechecked.
Pioneering Study Links Testicular Cancer Among Military Personnel to ‘Forever Chemicals’
The military first documented health concerns surrounding chemicals known as PFAS decades ago yet has continued to use firefighting foam made with them. Despite scores of lawsuits by its personnel and high rates of testicular cancer among troops, it has been slow to investigate a connection.
The NIH Ices a Research Project. Is It Self-Censorship?
The National Institutes of Health appeared to be digging into health misinformation. But then the federal agency stepped back. It can’t quite explain why, sometimes even offering contradictory explanations.
As Many American Cities Get Hotter, Health Systems Face Off Against Heatstroke
With millions of Americans suffering under relentless heat waves this summer, more people are seeking medical attention for heat-related illnesses. As temperatures get more extreme, hospitals, fire departments, and ambulance crews are preparing to treat more patients for heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Más niños pequeños se intoxican al inhalar la nicotina líquida de los cigarrillos electrónicos
Miles de menores al año están expuestos a la nicotina líquida de los cigarrillos electrónicos, también conocidos como vapeadores. Para un niño pequeño, incluso unas pocas gotas pueden ser fatales.
Doctors Sound Alarm About Child Nicotine Poisoning as Vapes Flood the US Market
Popular e-cigarettes lack packaging that stops kids from consuming the hazardous nicotine inside.
Who gets credit for wiping smallpox from the planet? American men have been widely recognized while the contributions of South Asian public health workers have been less celebrated. Episode 2 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast tells the story of Mahendra Dutta, an Indian public health leader, whose political savvy helped usher in a transformative approach to finding and containing smallpox cases.
