See also my reporting on bird flu, reproductive health, and Covid-19.
> What is happening with PEPFAR? It depends on whom you ask, NPR
USAID
> Why is the Trump administration targeting USAID?, NPR
> Thousands protest USAid workers being recalled from abroad and put on leave, The Guardian
> Why does Musk want USAID ‘to die’? And why did its website disappear?, NPR
> Trump’s ‘stop-work’ order for PEPFAR cuts off anti-HIV drugs for patients, NPR; this reporting also aired on Morning Edition
> Trump pauses funding for anti-HIV program that prevented 26 million AIDS deaths, NPR
> George W. Bush’s anti-HIV program is hailed as ‘amazing’ — and still crucial at 20, NPR
Public Health
> How Bad Could Trump’s Assault on Public Health Get?, The New Republic
> How to prevent drowning: A ground-breaking report that’s startling yet hopeful, NPR
> What to Expect From Trump’s Next Term: More E. Coli and Fewer Vaccines, The New Republic
> Toilet signs give the scoop on pee and poop, NPR
> The unanswered questions about anthrax, NPR
> Bubonic plague strikes in Mongolia: Why is it still a threat? NPR
> Researchers are surprised by the magnitude of Venezuela’s health crisis, NPR
> Cholera 101: Why this ancient disease is making headlines in 2019, NPR
> Oh, the places you’ll go: Toilet signs try to help, NPR
> A frozen idea to save helpful germs from disasters, NPR
> What kills 5 million people a year? It’s not just disease, NPR
> Scientists discover the secret weapon of stomach viruses, NPR
> Some bacteria are becoming ‘more tolerant’ of hand sanitizers, study finds, NPR
> Hungry for change, China Dialogue
Vaccines & Misinformation
> My daughter could have died. I blame US insurance companies, The Guardian
> What RFK Jr’s War on Vaccines Could Look Like, The New Republic
> Trump Unleashing RFK Jr. on Public Health Would Be a Disaster, The New Republic
> ‘Verified’ anti-vax accounts proliferate as Twitter struggles to police content, The Guardian
> ‘The only logical choice’: anti-vaxxers who changed their minds on Covid vaccines, The Guardian
> AmazonSmile donated more than $40,000 to anti-vaccine groups in 2020, The Guardian
> Don’t Call It a Pandemic of the Stupid, The New Republic
Other Health & Development Stories
> Weight-loss drugs could be key reason why US obesity rates falling, experts say, The Guardian
> Kathy Pico is just getting started, Outside
> Can a woman’s rising social status bring down rates of domestic violence? NPR
> Rejection by the king Of Nepal was not the end of the road, NPR
> Therapy for torture victims has surprising economic benefit, study says, NPR
> Top US government aid partner to pay $500k damages to African American job applicants, The Guardian
> Color lines create widest pay gaps, Women’s eNews
Substance Use
> OxyContin victims fight for their share in Purdue bankruptcy case, The Guardian
> US could loosen some restrictions on prescribing opioids, The Guardian
> ‘It’s devastating’: How fentanyl is unfolding as one of America’s greatest tragedies, The Guardian; en español al DiarioAR
> ‘It’s a different beast’: US fentanyl deaths will rise, warns Narcan developer, The Guardian
> Price for drug that reverses opioid overdoses soars amid record deaths, The Guardian; interviewed about this story on The Takeaway
Mental Health
> Eating disorders among teen girls doubled during pandemic, CDC study shows, The Guardian
> The psychologist helping D.C. police put words to trauma, Insider
> How psychologists can address climate change concerns, Monitor on Psychology (print version)
> Rwanda’s genocide ended 26 years ago. Survivors are still finding mass graves, NPR
> Mental health care is becoming accessible in Nepal, Outside
> Solving the suicide crisis in the Arctic Circle, Pacific Standard
> In a land of thundering reindeer, suicide stalks the Indigenous Sami, STAT News (republished by PBS NewsHour)
> Anguish in the Scandinavian Arctic [podcast], GroundTruth Project
> The ‘anticipatory anxiety’ of waiting for disaster, The Atlantic
> She found relief for PTSD with a different kind of therapy. But does it work? The Washington Post
> Discovery of HIV variant shows virus can evolve to be more severe — and contagious, NPR
HIV/AIDS
> Is a successful HIV vaccine finally on the horizon? Leaps
> Ending HIV, Monitor on Psychology
> HIV rates are rising across the American South in states that didn’t expand Medicaid, Pacific Standard
> 9 million people are likely HIV positive and don’t know it, NPR
Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health
> ‘Now, now, now. We need help now’: US warning over breast milk shortage as donations plunge, The Guardian
> The cringiest part of Chris Pratt’s very cringey ode to his wife, Slate
> New Texas law bans abortion-inducing drugs after seven weeks pregnancy, The Guardian
> The growing toll of the global gag rule, The New Republic
> Trump’s latest target is breastfeeding parents. But Nestlé started this war decades ago., BRIGHT
> The surprisingly simple way to save babies’ lives, BRIGHT; also published by News Deeply
> Should women be paid for donating their breast milk?, The Atlantic; also published by the Huffington Post
> Premature baby, preexisting condition, Catapult
> Indian baby showers add iron-rich nutritional gift, Women’s eNews
> CEO and pregnant; Yahoo! But wait a minute . . . Women’s eNews; also published on UPI.com
> In India, daughters-in-law encouraged to speak up, Women’s eNews
Malaria
> Welcome to the new era of vaccine acceleration, The New Republic
> In Rwanda, “human bait” volunteers help battle malaria, Undark and The Atlantic; a Notable Mention in Best American Science and Nature Writing 2021
> A new kind of chemistry: Why science is rethinking the humble bed net, Mail & Guardian and Bhekisisa
> The 7 Dwarfs whistle while they work to fight malaria, NPR
Climate & Health
> Climate change is already hurting kids’ health, The New Republic
> Solving the suicide crisis in the Arctic Circle, Pacific Standard (selected as a Notable article in Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019)
> In a land of thundering reindeer, suicide stalks the Indigenous Sami, STAT News (republished by PBS NewsHour)
> Anguish in the Scandinavian Arctic [podcast], GroundTruth Project
Melody Schreiber 