For the first time since 1988, the U.S. is not officially commemorating World AIDS Day Noting the decision not to mark the day, the State Department stated: "An awareness day is not a strategy." Activists in the fight to end the ongoing AIDS epidemic disagree. Gabrielle Emanuel
These Zika mothers went to battle — and their cry was heard After the Zika outbreak ended in Brazil, many families faced a new reality: a child whose life was irrevocably altered after the mother contracted the virus while pregnant. Here's what happened next. Ari Daniel
Our readers' tales of kindness will surprise you, warm your heart and make you smile We invited you to share acts of kindness. The topics include new shoes, a basket of berries that aren't very tasty and an unexpected twist for someone treating the person behind them in line. Laurel Dalrymple
Can vaping help wean people off cigarettes? Anti-smoking advocates are sharply split Many think it's a dangerous ploy by the tobacco industry. But some say, with millions of deaths each year attributed to smoking cigarettes, it's the lesser of two evils. Gabrielle Emanuel
Are there lessons for the U.S. in this European country's struggle with measles? In 2024, Romania, an upper middle income European country, had over 30,000 cases — putting it on the world's top ten measles list. Its vaccination rate hovers around 60%. How did this happen? Michal Ruprecht
World Toilet Day is today! Um ... is that really the best name? Nov. 19 is World Toilet Day — officially declared by the United Nations to bring attention to the 3.4 billion people who live without "safely managed sanitation." Marc Silver
A 'breakthrough' drug to prevent HIV, an 'unprecedented' rollout The drug lenacapavir will be distributed to Eswatini and Zambia — the first step toward providing at least 2 million doses to the countries with the highest HIV burden, largely in Africa, by 2028. Jonathan Lambert
A stock of U.S.-bought birth control, meant for sub-Saharan Africa, goes bad in Belgium Millions of dollars worth of contraceptives have been stored in Belgium since the U.S. froze foreign aid. A local official says some products were stored improperly and are largely unusable. Rachel Treisman
If you're going to be kind to another human, today is the day to do it! November 13 is World Kindness Day. Its goal is to encourage acts of kindness. (After all, one kind day is better than none.) Here's a look at the nature and nurturing of human kindness. Kamala Thiagarajan
