Pien Huang - NPR
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 got a head start.
In a pandemic milestone, the NIH ends guidance on COVID treatment
The National Institutes of Health is sunsetting its COVID-19 treatment guidelines, used by millions of doctors to guide care during the pandemic.
Respiratory illnesses are on the rise after the holidays
Nationally, levels of respiratory syncytial virus appear to have plateaued, while COVID-19 levels are elevated and expected to climb higher.
How rumors and conspiracy theories got in the way of Maui’s fire recovery
In the absence of clear, reliable information on the Maui wildfires, rumors grew and cast suspicion on emergency response efforts.
U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Here’s who is most at risk.
The worst outcomes were among Black women, Native American and Alaska Native people.
Pfizer asks FDA to greenlight new omicron booster shots, which could arrive this fall
Pfizer has submitted data on its bivalent COVID-19 booster shot that specifically targets the latest omicron subvariants. If authorized, the company says the shots could be ready as soon as September.
The new U.S. monkeypox vaccine strategy offers more doses — and uncertainty
Missteps and delays have hampered the U.S. effort to vaccinate people against monkeypox. Now state health officials and community members are trying to adapt to a controversial "dose sparing" plan.
With new guidance, CDC ends test-to-stay for schools and relaxes COVID rules
Revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looks to minimize COVID-19's disruption of daily life while conceding that the pandemic isn't over.
Monkeypox: The myths, misconceptions — and facts — about how you catch it
Is it a sexually transmitted disease? Can you get it on a crowded bus? Trying on clothes? NPR talks to specialists about how this virus is transmitted and what kinds of precautions are warranted.
CDC extends transportation mask mandate until May 3
The Biden administration will continue to require travelers to wear masks on planes and other forms of public transport.
It’s safe to unmask in many places, says the CDC. These experts aren’t quite ready
Infectious disease specialists surveyed by NPR say they're not ditching their masks just yet.
CDC says Americans can now go unmasked in many parts of the country
The federal health agency released new guidance for when Americans need to mask up indoors, saying about 70% of the population lives in a place where it's safe to go mask free.
The CDC says a test to get out of COVID isolation is not needed, resisting pushback
Despite pressure from health experts who advocated for adding a testing requirement, the agency is standing by its original guidance that a negative test is not needed for people who are fever-free and whose symptoms have improved.
New CDC isolation guidelines raise concerns among health experts
Cutting the isolation for positive cases to five days could lead to more infections if people don't take masking seriously. A testing requirement, would have made the policy safer, experts say.
How to keep your child safe from the delta variant
Some public health experts are also parents of little kids, and have to strategize to keep those too young to be vaccinated safe from getting or spreading the delta variant. Here are their tips.