FACT CHECK: Rand Paul backtracks on vaccines, college
By CHARLES BABINGTON As Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky eyes a presidential race, he’s likely to face questions about several contested or disproven statements he has made on various…
Diseases and conditions
Vaccine skeptics find unexpected allies in conservative GOP
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI As vaccine skeptics fight laws that would force more parents to inoculate their kids, they are finding unexpected allies in conservative Republicans. Though the stereotype of a…
Toddler food often has too much salt, sugar, CDC study says
By LINDSEY TANNER Many packaged meals and snacks for toddlers contain worrisome amounts of salt and sugar, potentially creating an early taste for foods that may contribute to obesity and…
Tide turning in Ebola fight after hard lessons
By KRISTA LARSON and MARIA CHENG A top U.N. official in the fight against Ebola greeted just three patients at one treatment center he visited this week in Sierra Leone.…
New govt standards target pathogens in poultry products
By MARY CLARE JALONICK A favorite staple of American diets — chicken breasts, legs and wings — could become safer to eat. Standards proposed Wednesday by the Agriculture Department aim…
AP poll: Police killings of blacks voted top story of 2014
By DAVID CRARY The police killings of unarmed blacks in Ferguson, Missouri, and elsewhere — and the investigations and tumultuous protests they inspired — was the top news story of…
Muhammad Ali hospitalized with pneumonia
By BRUCE SCHREINER Boxing great Muhammad Ali was hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia that was caught early and should result in a short hospital stay, an Ali spokesman…
Dangerous practices spread Ebola in Sierra Leone
By RODNEY MUHUMUZA Dr. Michael Mawanda saw some disturbing behaviors when he was in Sierra Leone helping fight the Ebola epidemic, including relatives removing patients from the hospital where he…