Richard Knox
Since he joined NPR in 2000, Knox has covered a broad range of issues and events in public health, medicine, and science. His reports can be heard on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Talk of the Nation, and newscasts.
Among other things, Knox's NPR reports have examined the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa, North America, and the Caribbean; anthrax terrorism; smallpox and other bioterrorism preparedness issues; the rising cost of medical care; early detection of lung cancer; community caregiving; music and the brain; and the SARS epidemic.
Before joining NPR, Knox covered medicine and health for The Boston Globe. His award-winning 1995 articles on medical errors are considered landmarks in the national movement to prevent medical mistakes. Knox is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Columbia University. He has held yearlong fellowships at Stanford and Harvard Universities, and is the author of a 1993 book on Germany's health care system.
He and his wife Jean, an editor, live in Boston. They have two daughters.
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A new study shows an experimental drug helps people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight, control their blood sugar, and improve their cholesterol readings. But some medical obesity specialists caution that potential risks -- including depression -- might not justify the benefits.
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Scientists say they've developed a SARS vaccine that can be ingested. The new plan involves modifying tomatoes (and tobacco) so that an inactive form of the SARS virus grows in the plant. When mice ate the tomatoes, they were protected against SARS.
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Scientists have developed vaccines that protect against the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses. They hope to test the vaccines -- successful in experiments with monkeys -- on humans in two to three years. The viruses are at the top of experts' list of bioterrorism threats.
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In addition to DEET, health authorities are recommending two more chemicals for use as mosquito repellents: picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus. The main object is to address the dangers of West Nile virus and other disease threats. But most Americans still won't use repellents.
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The World Health Organization says an outbreak of Ebola in Africa is under control after only a few weeks. But 500 miles to the south, a related virus, Marburg hemorrhagic fever, is still spreading months after it began.
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The Food and Drug Administration has asked Pfizer to remove the anti-inflammatory drug Bextra from pharmacy shelves. The painkiller is the latest inhibitor of the enzyme known as cox-2 that has been shown to increase risks to heart, stomach and skin. The FDA named 18 other prescription and over-the-counter medicines that may pose a danger.
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The World Health Organization is appealing for emergency aid in fighting an outbreak of deadly Marburg virus in Angola and southwestern Africa. So far the virus has infected 200 people, killing 173, but health workers fear there are more undocumented cases.
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Recent studies suggest breast cancer is biologically different in African-American women compared to other groups. The implications of recent research contain both good and bad news for black women.
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Federal officials report that the painkiller Naproxen may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, just after similar news about Pfizer's Celebrex. The drug is best known as the main ingredient in Aleve, an over-the-counter pain reliever. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
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Federal researchers say the painkiller naproxen, sold over the counter as Aleve, has been linked with a 50-percent higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. Arthritis sufferers have been switching to naproxen after warnings that the drug Celebrex also carries added risk of heart attack and stroke. NPR's Richard Knox reports.