Former Pharma Exec Confirmed as New US Health Chief
The Senate has confirmed a former pharmaceutical industry executive as head of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Alex Azar, former president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly
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New Nicotine Delivery System Part of FDA’s Anti-Smoking Campaign
The United States Food and Drug Administration will be talking about alternatives to cigarette smoking as it deliberates whether to approve a new product offered by tobacco companies that delivers
Read MoreCigarette Smoking Rates in US Reach Historic Lows
The American Lung Association says fewer Americans smoke cigarettes now than before tobacco control policies were put in place. In its annual report, the ALA says smoking rates among adults
Read MoreSao Paulo Shuts Parks as Yellow Fever Outbreak Kills 70
Sao Paulo closed its zoo and botanical gardens Tuesday as a yellow fever outbreak that has led to 70 deaths is picking up steam. The big Inhotim art park,
Read MoreAstronauts Go Spacewalking to Give New Hand to Robot Arm
Spacewalking astronauts gave a hand to the International Space Station’s big robot arm Tuesday. As the federal government geared back up 250 miles below, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and
Read MoreNew Radiation Cancer Treatment Machine for Uganda
Uganda’s cancer patients can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the country got a new cobalt-60 radiation treatment machine. But, health officials say this may not be enough because
Read MoreWHO: Brazil’s Death Toll From Yellow Fever Triples
The number of confirmed cases of yellow fever outbreak in Brazil has tripled in recent weeks, with 20 deaths since July, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Of
Read MoreBlood Test to Detect 8 Cancers Early Gives Promising Results
Scientists are reporting progress on a blood test to detect many types of cancer at an early stage, including some of the most deadly ones that lack screening tools now.
Read MoreWHO Chief Calls for Universal Health Care
The World Health Organization’s director general is calling on the agency’s 192 member states to adopt universal health care as the best way of guaranteeing health for all. This is
Read MoreCrows ‘Hooked’ on Fast Food
Some New Caledonian crows craft hooked tools out of branched twigs, and Scottish biologists have discovered why – the birds can extract food from cracks and crevises several times faster
Read MoreFormer South Dakota Gold Mine Now an Underground Research Lab
Once a hugely productive gold mine in the western state of South Dakota, it is now being used as an underground research lab where scientists are trying to learn more
Read MoreStem Cells Used to Repair Worn Out Cartilage
Rough estimates say about 2 of every 100 people around the world have or need replacement joints. Now, some Polish doctors are using stem cell technology to rebuild worn out
Read MoreUS Group: Eradication of Painful Guinea Worm Disease in Sight
A U.S.-based center says in a new report the eradication of the painful Guinea worm disease could be in sight. The Carter Center, leader of the campaign to eliminate the
Read MoreTeaching a Computer to Diagnose Heart Disease
Heart disease kills more than 17 million people around the world every year. It’s the world’s leading cause of death. Scientists are now using artificial intelligence to help them diagnose
Read MoreBad US Flu Season Gets Worse
The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse. Health officials last week said flu was blanketing the country, but they thought there was a good chance the season was
Read MoreChrista McAuliffe’s Lost Lessons Finally Taught in Space
Christa McAuliffe’s lost lessons are finally getting taught in space. Thirty-two years after the Challenger disaster, a pair of teachers-turned-astronauts will pay tribute to McAuliffe by carrying out her science
Read MoreAnti-smoking Plan May Kill Cigarettes — and Save Big Tobacco
Imagine if cigarettes were no longer addictive and smoking itself became almost obsolete; only a tiny segment of Americans still lit up. That’s the goal of an unprecedented anti-smoking plan
Read MoreScientists Closing in on Universal Flu Vaccine
Fighting the flu usually consists of using predictive research to create a vaccine that fights the strains of the disease most likely to show up. But scientists around the world
Read MoreDebate Over Abortion, as 45th Pro-Life Rally Takes Place in Washington
The 45th annual March for Life rally takes place Friday in Washington. President Trump says he will speak at the anti-abortion event from the White House. The rally also coincides
Read MoreIn Early Attempts, Cancer-detecting Blood Test Shows Promise
Scientists are reporting progress on a blood test to detect many types of cancer at an early stage, including some of the most deadly ones that lack screening tools now.
Read MoreZambia Says New Cases Dropping in Deadly Cholera Outbreak
Zambia says it has made progress in containing a cholera outbreak that has killed about 70 people in the southern African nation since October. Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya this week
Read MoreWearable Electrodes Help Fight Brain Cancer
Every year there are an estimated 78,000 new cases of brain cancer diagnosed in the United States, and nearly 400,000 worldwide. It is a particularly challenging cancer and very seldom
Read MoreBritain Appoints Minister of Loneliness
Britain has appointed a minister of loneliness to combat social isolation experienced by one in 10 Britons. Sports Minister Tracey Crouch will add the job to her existing portfolio to
Read MoreCentury After Pandemic, Science Takes Its Best Shot at Flu
The descriptions are haunting. Some victims felt fine in the morning and were dead by night. Faces turned blue as patients coughed up blood. Stacked bodies outnumbered coffins. A century
Read MoreSoutheast Alaska King Salmon Forecasts Lowest Since 1970s
The state Department of Fish and Game has released the lowest forecasts for Southeast Alaska king salmon since record keeping began in the 1970s. King salmon numbers have been dwindling
Read MoreNew U.S. Fitness Fad Claims to Burn Fat All Day
Wearable technology is finding its way into many workouts. The thinking is that constantly monitoring their body can help people get the most out of their time at the gym.
Read MoreWorld’s Largest Sea Turtle Could Come Off US ‘Endangered’ List
Federal ocean managers say it might be time to move the East Coast population of the world’s largest turtle from the United States’ list of endangered animals. An arm of
Read MoreInfants in War-torn Yemen Dying at Alarmingly High Rate
A report by the U.N. children’s fund finds babies born in war-torn Yemen are dying at an alarmingly high rate because of the collapsing health system, lack of food and
Read MoreWHO: All of Sao Paulo State at Risk for Yellow Fever
The World Health Organization has added all of Sao Paulo state to its list of areas at risk for yellow fever. That puts the megacity of Sao Paulo on the
Read MoreScientists: Conflict in Ukraine Escalated Spread of HIV
Fighting in Ukraine that erupted in 2014 escalated the spread of HIV throughout the country as millions of infected people were uprooted by violence, a study published Monday found. Conflict-affected
Read MoreScientists: Cooperation to Curb Asia’s Climate Risks Still Too Rare
When heavy monsoon rains triggered unprecedented flooding last August in the area around western Nepal’s Babai and West Rapti rivers, the swollen waters crossed the border into India within a
Read MoreOpen Source Medical Tech Making Life Easier for Diabetics
For Type 1 diabetics their disease requires them to constantly monitor their blood sugar. Now some of them are creating some home-made tech to help monitor their status. VOA’s Kevin
Read MoreFrench Dairy Recalls Infant Milk from 83 Countries
More than 12 million boxes of French baby milk products are being recalled from 83 countries for suspected salmonella contamination. The recall includes Lactalis’ Picot, Milumel and Taranis brands. The
Read MoreHow Tech Affects Kids a Concern at Consumer Electronics Show
Kathryn Green and her husband prevented their young son from playing on screen devices until he was 2 years old. Then they handed him a Square Panda, a screen that
Read MoreTech’s Effects on Kids a Concern at Consumer Electronics Show
Even at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there is ambivalence about the ways technology affects children. VOA’s Michelle Quinn talked to people about the benefits and costs
Read MoreBlueberries Give Boost to Cervical Cancer Therapy
Can blueberries help treat cancer? A new study indicates the answer is “yes.” Faith Lapidus has details. …
Read MoreClimate Change Affecting Gender of Endangered Green Sea Turtles
Researchers say climate change is responsible for the vast majority of green sea turtles in the northern Great Barrier Reef off Australia being female. Scientists from the U.S. National
Read MoreYoga Face-toning May Compete With Fillers, Face-lifts
To his toolbox of Botox, fillers and plastic surgery, cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Murad Alam has added a new, low-cost, noninvasive anti-aging treatment: facial yoga. Dermatologists measured improvements in the appearance of the faces
Read MoreNew Ways to Stay Fit in the New Year
Only 1 in 3 U.S. children are active every day. And less than 5 percent of U.S. adults exercise at least 30 minutes every day. But that is not stopping
Read MoreTrump’s First Presidential Check-up: What to Expect
The president will undergo several hours of testing Friday at Walter Reed military hospital in Maryland President Donald Trump will be the patient, not the commander in chief offering comfort,
Read MoreCanada Lynx No Longer Threatened by Extinction, US Wildlife Agency Says
The Canada lynx, a wild cat found in just a handful of mostly western U.S. states as well as Canada, no longer needs federal protection from extinction in the Lower 48 states, U.S.
Read MoreNew York City Suing 5 Oil Companies Over Global Warming
New York City is making a move against the fossil fuel industry on two fronts. Democratic Mayor Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday the city is suing five big oil
Read MoreU.S. Flu Season Gets Into Full Swing, ER’s See Spike In Visits
Doctors say this year’s flu season in the U.S. is moderately severe and could get worse. It’s sending scores of patients to the hospital, and a number of people have
Read MoreQuarter Of World’s Land To Become ‘Significantly Drier’ If Warming Exceeds 2°C
Over a quarter of the world’s land could become significantly drier over the coming decades, according to new research from Britain’s University of East Anglia and China’s Southern University of
Read MoreCholera Vaccination Campaign Gets Underway in Zambia
The Zambian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization are beginning a cholera vaccination campaign January 10 to help stop an outbreak of this deadly disease. Latest official figures
Read MoreBritain Bans Plastic Microbeads that Can Harm Marine Life
The United Kingdom is now banning the manufacturing of tiny plastic microbeads used in products such as cosmetics, toothpaste and shower gels because they could hurt marine animals. The move
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