Fentanyl overdose deaths spark debate over treatment
As the drugs fentanyl and xylazine spread, 2023 emerged as a devastating year for Americans struggling with addiction.
Health & Safety
Health workers struggle to prevent an infectious disease 'disaster in waiting' in Gaza
Public health experts say conditions in war-torn Gaza are ripe for the spread of infectious disease. Health workers are struggling to spot and contain outbreaks, even as the health system teeters.
Concern grows over infectious disease outbreaks in Gaza
The war between Israel and Hamas has devastated Gaza's health infrastructure and overwhelmed the remaining hospitals. Health professionals are growing concerned about infectious disease outbreaks.
Virtual reality gives a boost to the 'lazy eye'
To treat amblyopia, or lazy eye, doctors typically prescribe a patch to cover the stronger eye and make the brain learn to work with the weaker one. Virtual reality offers a new approach.
'Jane Roe' is anonymous no more. The very public fight against abortion bans in 2023
As the first full year since Roe v. Wade was overturned closes, the abortion landscape in the U.S. has changed legally, politically and medically.
A new push for hockey neck guards
In the New Year, both the NHL and NCAA will discuss making neck guards for hockey players mandatory. That's after the death of hockey players injured in games the last two years.
Iowa, Nebraska won't participate in U.S. food assistance program for kids this summer
The federal program gives $40 per month to each child in a low-income family to help with food costs while school is out. A Democratic Iowa lawmaker called it a "cruel and short-sighted decision."
For people with special needs, visiting Santa can lead to sensory overload
Visiting Santa at a busy mall can be overwhelming for some autistic kids, but sensory-friendly events can make it easier. Hundreds of those events are held across the country.
Sickle cell patient's journey leads to landmark approval of gene-editing treatment
In early December, the Food and Drug Administration approved a gene-editing treatment for sickle cell disease, the first for any illness. One patient helped pave the way.
Alabama mom is 1-in-a-million, delivering two babies, from two uteruses, in two days
Kelsey Hatcher, 32, was born with a double uterus, which made it possible for her to deliver two babies, from two uteri on two separate days.