Fenit Nirappil

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering health care

Education: Northwestern University, BS in journalism and political science. ; American University, MSJ in journalism.

Fenit Nirappil is a reporter for the Health & Science team who covers public health, infectious diseases and LGBTQ issues. He joined the team in 2020 to cover the coronavirus pandemic. He previously spent five years on the local politics team covering D.C. government and politics, Virginia elections and government accountability. Before joining the Post, he covered the California state house for the Associated Press and Portland suburbs for The Oregonian.
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Latest from Fenit Nirappil

Rise of deadly fungus spotlights hospital infection-control challenges

On any given day, one in 31 hospital patients and one in 43 nursing home residents has an infection acquired while seeking medical care, according to the CDC.

March 21, 2023

    A deadly fungal infection is spreading in hospitals. Here’s what to know.

    Here’s what to know about Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus that the CDC says “presents a serious global health threat.”

    March 21, 2023

    Deadly fungal infection rapidly spreading in U.S. health facilities

    Fungal infections from the yeast strain known as Candida auris tripled nationally from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021, according to CDC data.

    March 20, 2023

    Working in the ER used to be a cool job. Now medical students shun it.

    Applicants to emergency medicine training programs have plunged 26 percent from the peak in 2021, an abrupt shift for a formerly competitive field.

    March 17, 2023

    Diabetes and obesity rising in young Americans, study finds

    The alarming development increases the risk for heart disease.

    March 5, 2023

      Your questions about coronavirus boosters, answered

      With another covid winter upon us, a new variant, XBB.1.5, is dominating the latest coronavirus surge in the United States.

      February 2, 2023

      The FDA is ready for gay and bisexual men to donate blood

      After years of protest, the FDA is easing the blood donation ban for gay and bisexual men. Today on the show, what this means for LGBT rights and the nation’s blood supply.

      February 1, 2023

      What new questions will I be asked when I donate blood?

      The Food and Drug Administration drafted guidelines for blood donations that do away with some long-standing disqualifications for gay and bisexual men.

      January 27, 2023

      FDA eases blood donation ban on gay and bisexual men after years of protest

      Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships could donate blood without abstaining from sex under an FDA proposal, ending a vestige of the earliest days of the AIDS crisis.

      January 27, 2023

      HIV at center of latest culture war after Tennessee rejects federal funds

      The red-state pushback reflects growing tensions over federal priorities over public health issues.

      January 26, 2023