Trump declares U.S. will withdraw from the World Health Organization The newly inaugurated president announced his intention to terminate U.S. membership in the U.N.'s global health agency. Gabrielle Emanuel
4 key global health decisions expected from Trump Four key decisions await Trump: reinstating the Mexico City Policy; withdrawing from WHO, abandoning the Pandemic Prevention Treaty and de-authorizing PEPFAR, the HIV prevention program. Gabrielle Emanuel
How soda is changing the world A new study establishes that soda consumption is doing ever more damage to health — with rising rates of diabetes in regions where soda-drinking is on the rise, like sub-Saharan Africa. Rachel Carlson
Why are so many indigenous Panamanians contracting HIV — and dying of AIDS? The government provides HIV medicines free of charge. Yet in one indigenous territory, cases and deaths are increasing at an alarming rate. Adam Williams
They were going to be doctors. Instead, they had to dodge bombs and flee war The war in Sudan has taken a toll on the medical profession. Health workers have fled the country, and those seeking to complete their medical education are finding it an increasingly impossible task. Maria Isabel Barros Guinle
We asked global thinkers how to improve life on earth in 2025. Here are their wishes What's one thing humankind can do to help heal the world? The wishes cover everything from upholding Jimmy Carter's legacy to cleaning up Mt. Everest. Readers, we'd like to hear your wishes as well. NPR Staff
How do you keep monkeys from making mischief? In one Indian town, monkeys will steal your glasses — and give them back if you toss them a container of mango juice. It's one more sign of the impact of urbanization on the wild. Omkar Khandekar
What was 'Disease X' and what can we learn from it? Four weeks after a puzzling outbreak was reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization has identified the cause. Gabrielle Emanuel
How Jimmy Carter helped bring Guinea worm infections from 3.5 million to 14 per year President Carter helped lead a global health effort to eradicate the Guinea worm, a painful parasite which once infected more than 3 million people a year. Cases now number about a dozen a year. Samuel Whitehead
9 countries said goodbye to a devastating disease in 2024 Nine countries eliminated a disease in 2024. Here's how Pakistan pulled it off — fulfilling a young boy's dream of eliminating blindness caused by bacterial infections. Gabrielle Emanuel
