PBS NewsHour - Health

According to the American Psychiatric Association's latest monthly poll, 1 in 3 Americans said they felt lonely at least once a week over the past year, with younger people more likely to report these feelings than other age groups. Edward Garcia, head of the nonprofit Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness, joins Ali Rogin to discuss the cause and how communities can work to combat it. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

For years, eating disorders were thought to predominantly affect women and girls. But it's estimated that 1 in 3 people with the condition is male, and that 10 million American boys and men will struggle with it at some point in their lives. John Yang speaks with Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician specializing in eating disorders at the University of California, San Francisco, to learn more. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Saturday, Alexei Navalny's mother is pressing for details of how the Russian opposition leader died in an Arctic penal colony, outnumbered Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the devastated eastern city of Avdiivka, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken met with Israeli officials to discuss hostage negotiations, and the FDA approved a novel type of cancer treatment for melanoma. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The number of syphilis cases in the United States is the highest it's been since the 1950s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Philip Chan, chief medical officer for Open Door Health and an associate professor at Brown University, joins Ali Rogin to discuss what's behind the surge and what public health officials are doing about it. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Dr. Uché Blackstock has seen firsthand how medical racism shapes health care in America. She's dedicated her career to work at the intersection of medicine, health equity and systemic racism. Her new memoir, "Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine," details both historic health care inequities and her own family history. She joins John Yang to discuss her work and experiences. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The 2024 Australian Open was an example of a growing trend in women's professional sports: eight players in the tournament had returned to tennis after pausing their careers to have children. USA outdoor track champion and Olympic medalist Alysia Montaño, who heads &Mother, a nonprofit focused on removing systemic barriers to allow mothers to succeed in sports, joins Ali Rogin to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Heman Bekele spent the last year developing a bar of soap that could treat skin cancer. It was the winning entry at the annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge, considered one of the top science and engineering competitions for fifth through eighth graders. For our Weekend Spotlight, John Yang speaks with Bekele about his work. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The effects of an Oct. 2023 recall of applesauce pouches with high concentrations of lead are widening, raising questions about how food reaches store shelves, who watches over it and how far that oversight extends. Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder and editor of Food Fix, a publication that focuses on food policy, joins Ali Rogin to discuss the unfolding recall and its impact. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

More than 50,000 Americans took their own lives in 2023, the nation's highest yearly rate of suicide on record. Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association. Special correspondent Megan Thompson reports from Wisconsin on the burden farmers often deal with and what's being done to help them. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The U.S. and other parts of the world are in the midst of another COVID-19 wave. Infections and hospitalizations are on the rise this winter and a new variant is responsible for most of those cases. John Yang discussed these current trends and if the approach to the virus needs to change with Dr. Eric Topol. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders