Rat and human lives have long intersected, but there’s little relatively little research about them. Thanks to advances in genomics and paleoarcheology mean a lot more study may be on the horizon.
public health
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For people with opioid addiction, Medicaid overhaul comes with risks
More than a million Americans use Medicaid to get addiction treatments like methadone. But as states update their systems, some patients have lost coverage. Even a short gap can be life-threatening.
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How a California county got PFAS out of its drinking water
Water utilities across the country will have to comply with EPA limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water by 2029. Orange County, Calif., got a head start.
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Could bird flu spread at state fairs? Here’s why health experts advise caution
Corn dogs, deep-fried Twinkies, butter sculptures and influenza virus? Here’s why state fairs could be potential breeding grounds for viral mutation.
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Her son died of an overdose in his dorm room. Where was the Narcan?
Drug overdoses on college campuses are not tracked, and rarely publicized, as colleges cite health privacy laws. But advocates are working to make overdose reversal treatment widely available on campus.
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Black hospitals vanished in the U.S. decades ago. Some communities have paid a price
Hundreds of Black hospitals in the U.S. closed after passage of the Civil Rights Act when health care became integrated. Black communities lost a source of employment and pride.
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Is COVID endemic yet? Yep, says the CDC. Here’s what that means
The nation — and Olympic athletes, like Noah Lyles — are in another summer surge of COVID infections. CDC officials say the virus has become endemic. That means it is here to stay in a predictable way.
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Public health advocates push Olympics to drop Coca-Cola sponsorship
The soft-drink giant is one of the Olympics’ biggest sponsors. But advocates argue pushing sugary beverages promotes obesity and diabetes worldwide, and is inconsistent with the values of the games.
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We’re not ‘out of the woods’ in the youth mental health crisis, a CDC researcher says
The latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey says 40% of high school students report feeling persistently sad and hopeless. Still, that’s down from 42% two years ago, a small but significant change.
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Abortion with no medical help? It nearly doubled in 2023, study shows
A study looks at the rate of self-managed abortion since Roe v. Wade fell. The study found that the use of mifepristone to self-manage abortion has nearly doubled from 6.6% in 2021 to 11.0% in 2023.
