Will Stone

Cattle are getting sick with H5N1, and one person got sick in Texas. How bad could this be for dairy farms? Could it spread among people? Here’s what scientists are learning.

“Long COVID has affected every part of my life,” said Virginia resident Rachel Beale said at a recent Senate hearing. “I wake up every day feeling tired, nauseous and dizzy. I immediately start planning when I can lay down again.”

Beale is far from alone. Many of her experiences have been echoed by others dealing with long COVID. It’s a constellation of debilitating symptoms that range from brain fog and intense physical fatigue to depression and anxiety.

But there’s new, promising research that sheds light onto some symptoms. NPR health correspondent Will Stone talks with Short Wave host Regina G. Barber about the state of long COVID research — what we know, what we don’t and when we can expect treatments or even cures for it.

Have more COVID questions you want us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we’d love to hear from you.

It’s known that obesity is linked to many cancers. A study shows metabolic syndrome, which includes factors like high blood pressure and insulin resistance, also drives increased risk.

Unless mothers are treated during pregnancy, newborns can sicken, die or face lifelong disabilities. The CDC is urging public health providers to connect more people to testing and medication.

A carefully conducted study of treatments for short-term back pain finds that opioids aren’t the best approach. The results throw into question current guidelines.

Limiting when you eat to a 6- or 8-hour window can help reduce calorie intake. While the weight loss isn’t dramatic, it may be easier to stick to than counting calories.

New research shows that the U.S. is making progress in preventing new HIV infections but the gains are happening unevenly across racial and ethnic groups.

Millions of Americans may lose access to free preventive health care services. Insurers have been required to cover those services under the ACA, but a federal judge in Texas struck that down.

The updated recommendations seek to course correct after guidelines from 2016 were criticized for harshly limiting access to needed pain medication.

Declaring a public health emergency can free up resources to help the administration respond to the monkeypox outbreak. So far more than 6,000 people in the U.S. have been infected.