PBS News Hour - Health

The number of Americans taking a GLP-1 drug for weight loss is on the rise. A new Gallup poll shows 11% of adults say they are currently using one, a dramatic increase from just two years ago when just 3% said they were using them. That number could climb even higher as Medicare has cleared the way for some patients to access the drugs. William Brangham discussed more with Juliette Cubanski. PBS N...

It's summertime, and ticks are out in full force. While in certain parts of the country, ticks have long been an issue, they're now spreading to new regions and bringing new threats. William Brangham discussed the blood-sucking terrors with Holly Gaff, a mathematical ecologist who studies ticks at Old Dominion University. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hoste...

Americans across the East Coast are preparing for one of the hottest Independence Days in recorded history. Triple-digit temperatures have disrupted travel, strained the energy grid and forced some communities to change or cancel planned celebrations. Meanwhile, health authorities in Europe have now linked thousands of excess deaths to record heat. Jeff Goodell joins Amna Nawaz to unpack it all. P...

There's a new museum in Philadelphia, but its building and mission date back to before this country was founded. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown went to see how the past and present meet at the Pennsylvania Hospital Museum. It's part of our ongoing coverage of health and arts for our CANVAS series. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See...

A growing body of research suggests popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also help treat or prevent certain cancers. It's the latest unexpected benefit to be associated with GLP-1s, which are now taken by one-in-eight American adults. William Brangham reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

A majority of Republicans continue to oppose abortion, but there's been a shift in opinion among other Americans. More Democrats and independents now say abortion should be legal, and there are even conservatives questioning their own views in response to state bans. Special correspondent Sarah Varney brings us the story of one Arkansas woman whose own pregnancy changed how she sees abortion. PBS...

For years, national conversations about cancer have often focused on the so-called "Cancer Alley" in the Deep South or Appalachian states with high smoking rates. But recently, a different state has grabbed headlines. Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence in the country and is one of only three states where rates are rising. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports. PBS News is supp...

For the first time in more than 25 years, the FDA has approved a new active ingredient for over-the-counter sunscreens. It clears the way for manufacturers to begin using bemotrizinol, or BEMT, an ingredient that's been used in Europe and Asia since the 1990s. Amna Nawaz discussed why this change took so long and what people should know about it with dermatologist Dr. Rachel Nazarian. PBS News is...

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is escalating quickly. There are growing warnings that, without a stronger response, this Ebola outbreak could become one of the deadliest. William Brangham takes a closer look with Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International. In 2014, he ran USAID's foreign disaster assistance when Ebola broke out in Africa. PBS Ne...

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "catching up" with the spread of the virus. But health officials warn the crisis is far from over with more than 340 cases already confirmed and the outbreak crossing into neighboring Uganda. Chris Ocamringa reports from DRC's capital Kinshasa. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs...

A medical breakthrough in the fight against pancreatic cancer is showing promising results after decades of research. The experimental drug, taken once a day, extends patients' lives by slowing the progression of one of the deadliest cancers. Dr. Rachna Shroff, associate director of clinical investigations at the University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, joins Stephanie Sy for more. PBS N...

In Central Africa, authorities are still struggling to get their hands around an Ebola outbreak with more than 900 suspected cases. A Kenyan court temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to open a quarantine facility there to treat Americans exposed to or infected with the virus. William Brangham discussed the latest with Dr. Craig Spencer, who contracted Ebola during a 2014 outbreak....

There is a new name and understanding of a health condition affecting many women. Roughly 10% to 13% of women around the world are affected by a hormonal condition formerly known as PCOS. It's now called PMOS, or polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome. Stephanie Sy reports on how the changes could improve diagnosis and care. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders....

Drug-resistant infections are a major public health threat around the world. To fight them, scientists are constantly trying to find and develop new antibiotics. Now, researchers say artificial intelligence is helping speed their search. Miles O'Brien reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

At least 220 people are believed to have died from the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. The World Health Organization says that it is spreading so quickly that response efforts are struggling to keep pace. The epicenter remains in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where mistrust of health authorities is complicating efforts. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Dr. Celine Gounder of KFF Health News....

Settle In is going on a brief summer break. We're gearing up to return later this summer with more of the candid interviews you've come to enjoy. Until then, here are five of our favorite moments from Settle In so far with Dave Chappelle, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Jon Meacham, Michael Harriot and Lena Dunham. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. Se...

When he left the presidential race, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. galvanized his supporters to vote for Donald Trump. Trump promised to let Kennedy "go wild" on health care policy. But as fans of Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement have learned, that promise has limits. And now some MAHA voters are feeling disillusioned. Ali Rogin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/...

The Trump administration is moving to roll back limits on some PFAS, the toxic "forever chemicals" found in the drinking water of millions of Americans. The Biden-era rule set the first national drinking-water limits for several PFAS compounds. But industry groups argued the standards were legally flawed and too costly to meet. William Brangham reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.o...

Health officials are racing to contain a rapidly expanding outbreak of Ebola in Africa. At least 116 suspected deaths and more than 300 other cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda. The CDC says an American medical missionary has contracted the disease. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Dr. Craig Spencer, who contracted Ebola during a 2014 outbreak. PBS Ne...

The Supreme Court again extended access to mifepristone, for now. Thursday, justices extended a pause on a lower court ruling that would have blocked telehealth prescriptions and mail distribution of the abortion pill. Amna Nawaz discussed what this means for people seeking the medicine and the legal fight still to come with Mary Ziegler of the University of California Davis School of Law. PBS New...

It's not just your kids. Author and historian Helen Zoe Veit's latest book, , "Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History," explores how U.S. culture has shaped selective palates. In this episode of Settle In, she sat down with Amna Nawaz to discuss what she's learned, including tips and tricks to parents hoping to teach their kids to learn to love more food. PBS News is su...

In our news wrap Monday, the Supreme Court extended access to the abortion pill mifepristone as justices consider an emergency request to halt a lower-court ruling that would restrict access to the drug, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner pleaded not guilty and a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine expires on Monday. PBS...

The ship at the epicenter of the hantavirus outbreak has been evacuated, and 16 Americans have now been transported to a specialized quarantine unit in Nebraska. Two are at a similar unit in Atlanta. The virus has claimed the lives of three people, including a Dutch couple and a German citizen. William Brangham discussed the virus with Dr. Ashish Jha. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org...

More than 1 million women in the U.S. start menopause every year, yet this biological certainty is too often shrouded in secrecy or ignored by many mainstream researchers. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores what we do and don't know about menopause with Dr. Sharon Malone and Dr. Lauren Streicher. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See...

In our news wrap Wednesday, three patients were evacuated from the ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak with two of them confirmed to have the disease, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced questioning from the House Oversight Committee over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaking a unilateral ceasefire and severe winter weather hits Colorado. PBS New...