The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
21-40 of 73 results
Even as COVID-19 has ravaged nursing homes around the country, California has managed to keep the virus at bay at its eight state-run homes for frail and older veterans. What exactly went right?
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don't have to.
The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources necessary to confront the worst health crisis in a century. An investigation by The Associated Press and KHN has found that since 2010, spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and for local health departments by 18%. At least 38,000 public health jobs have disappeared, leaving a skeletal workforce for what was once viewed as one of the world’s top public health systems. That has left the nation unprepared to deal with a virus that has sickened at least 2.6 million people and killed more than 126,000.
There is a virus that has already sickened at least 13 million Americans this winter, hospitalizing 120,000 and killing 6,600 people. You may even know of it.
Invasive mosquito species capable of carrying dangerous viruses such as Zika, dengue and yellow fever have been detected in 16 California counties. There’s no evidence the mosquitoes have transmitted these diseases within the state, but health officials urge residents to take steps to slow their spread.
The scientific use of tissue from aborted fetuses has frequently been a hot point of contention between anti-abortion forces and researchers. It heats up again as federal officials announced this week they were ending NIH research using the tissue.
So far, 72 affected babies have been born in the continental U.S. One young mother, infected in Mexico last year, and her infant face an uncertain future in rural Washington.
A Washington state woman didn’t find out for months that she was likely infected with the virus that can cause serious birth defects. Clinic officials say they’ll do better.
The Zika virus, which made its appearance in the U.S. last summer, is still not well understood, and federal and state officials are not sure what to expect this year.
California has reported more than 500 travel-related Zika infections, and five babies have been born in the state with birth defects related to the mosquito-borne disease.
Just weeks before midterm elections, a move by federal health officials spotlights a contentious issue: the use of human fetal tissue in research. Here’s what you need to know to understand the debate.
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
In a paradox, researchers say testing for a vaccine will depend on the outbreak recurring this year.
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Because of the fears about devastating birth defects, carrying a child to term can be daunting for women in the commonwealth.
Three different studies highlight the challenges ahead for the health system as it attempts to address the damage done to children who were exposed to it in utero.
Zika virus infection changes both viral and human RNA, affecting the body’s immune response, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego.
Efforts to control and track the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus have been hampered by lack of resources.
Here’s a breakdown of what women should know, and what is still unclear, regarding how Zika is transmitted, who is at risk and how to take precautions against it.
Pregnant women in South Florida can get free Zika tests through the state's health department. But delays in getting back the results are heightening worries and may affect medical options.
© 2026 KFF