National No needles required: The FDA approves an at-home flu vaccine The nasal spray option could encourage more people who have fears of doctors or needles to inoculate themselves against the flu. Alana Wise
Health Deadly high blood pressure during pregnancy is on the rise More pregnant women are being diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure, which risks the life of the parent and child. Montana is one of the states improving screening and treatment. Katheryn Houghton
Health Abortion restrictions cost Amber Thurman her life: Her story A new analysis by ProPublica found that at least two women have died because they couldn’t access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state.
Health Mayor Harrell wants to triple Seattle's spending on opioid treatment Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has unveiled his public health priorities for the 2025 budget. He proposes tripling the amount of money the city is spending on opioid treatment: from $5.33 million to $14.57 million. Eilís O'Neill
Health New research points to raccoon dogs in Wuhan market as pandemic trigger. It's controversial With genetic samples from the infamous Wuhan market, a new study makes the case that raccoon dogs are likely the animal that infected humans. Proponents of the lab leak theory are dubious. Gabriel Spitzer
Health Ukraine keeps up the fight against HIV while fighting a war Progress in preventing infections was being made in the country with Europe's second-highest number of HIV cases. Then came the Russian invasion. David Cox
Health Chemicals from food packaging leach into food -- affecting people’s health A new study finds more than 3,000 chemicals used in food packaging are getting into people's bodies. Some -- including BPA, phthalates and PFAS -- have clear health concerns; others are unstudied. Pien Huang
Health Cancer diagnoses are more common — but so is surviving A report shows rapid development of new cancer treatment and detection is helping people live longer. But more people are also getting diagnosed, and at younger ages. Yuki Noguchi
Health Overdose deaths drop for first time in decades Thousands of lives were saved, bringing hope to many after years of little progress in curbing the opioid epidemic.
National NPR Exclusive: U.S. overdose deaths plummet, saving thousands of lives After decades of devastating increases driven by fentanyl and other toxic street drugs, overdose deaths are dropping sharply in much of the U.S. The trend could mean roughly 20,000 fewer deaths in 2024. Brian Mann
