Pakistan: Children May Have Been Infected with H.I.V.

By SALMAN MASOOD

The Health Ministry said on Friday that it was investigating a report that 10 children had been infected with H.I.V. after receiving blood transfusions.

The Upshot

The Health-Cost Slowdown Isn’t Just About the Economy

By DAVID LEONHARDT

The medical system really is changing, which is why cost growth has been slow. But the changes aren’t guaranteed to continue.

‘Superbugs’ Kill India’s Babies and Pose an Overseas Threat

By GARDINER HARRIS

Researchers say a significant share of the bacteria in India — in its water, sewage, animals, soil and even its mothers — are resistant to nearly all antibiotics.

Well

After a Cancer Diagnosis, Learning to Let Go

By STEVEN PETROW

Facing a cancer diagnosis, a man felt his sense of control reduced to jeans versus khakis, unsure what chance would deliver next.

Well

Wild About Mushrooms

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Mushrooms are meaty — it is their juicy, chewy texture and the umami element in their flavor profile — and lend themselves to Mediterranean as well as Asian seasonings.

U.S. Birthrate Declines for Sixth Consecutive Year; Economy Could Be Factor

By TAMAR LEWIN

Officials, using data from birth certificates, said there were 3.93 million births in 2013, down slightly from 3.95 million in 2012.

Deadlier Flu Season Is Possible, C.D.C. Says

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

The flu vaccine is a relatively poor match to a new virus that is currently circulating, health officials said.

The Upshot

Big Changes in Fine Print of Some 2015 Health Plans

By CHARLES ORNSTEIN, RYANN GROCHOWSKI JONES and LENA GROEGER

A ProPublica analysis found that many health insurance plans offered in the federal marketplace are changing their benefits heading into 2015.

Officials Say Price Comparison Is Crucial to Choosing Health Plans

By ROBERT PEAR

Officials said that millions of people with health insurance purchased in the federal marketplace would need to switch plans to avoid increases in premiums or reductions in subsidies.

• Health Spending Rises Only Modestly

Liberia Bans Election Rallies to Fight Ebola

By CLAIR MacDOUGALL and RICK GLADSTONE

In issuing the crowd-control order, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf argued that large concentrations of people at election rallies were precisely the situations that could spawn new infections.

Well

Think Like a Doctor: A Hideous Sore

By LISA SANDERS, M.D.

Solve a real-life medical mystery: A young doctor develops a repulsive rash on her arm. Then her boyfriend gets it, too.

Chronic Diseases Are Killing More in Poorer Countries

By SABRINA TAVERNISE

Deaths from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease have risen by more than 50 percent in low- and middle-income countries over the past two decades, according to a report.

F.D.A. Revamps System Explaining the Risks of Medicines During Pregnancy

By SABRINA TAVERNISE

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday replaced a system that officials described as confusing and outdated with a clearer, more consistent explanation of dangers.

My Great-Great-Aunt Discovered Francium. And It Killed Her.

By VERONIQUE GREENWOOD

75 years ago, Marguerite Perey unearthed an element on the periodic table while working as a technician in Marie Curie’s lab. Her achievement came at a great cost.

Machine Learning

Baby Monitors for a Smart Nursery, but Parents Are Still Better

By MOLLY WOOD

A new generation of wearable devices for sleeping infants can gather lots of data, but parents might struggle to figure out what to do with it all.

• Video: The Connected Baby

The Upshot

Good News Inside the Health Spending Numbers

By MARGOT SANGER-KATZ

A government report contains evidence that the U.S. health care system may be changing in ways that could make it more affordable in the years to come.

British Regulator Urges Home Births Over Hospitals for Uncomplicated Pregnancies

By KATRIN BENNHOLD and CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

Women with uncomplicated pregnancies are better off with midwives, as hospitalization increased the chances of surgical intervention and infection, guidelines suggested.

Group Cites Grim State of India’s Mentally Ill

By NIDA NAJAR

Many women and girls with mental disabilities face facilities with unsanitary conditions, abuse and medication without consent, Human Rights Watch said.

Health Spending Rises Only Modestly

By ROBERT PEAR

The data for 2013 did not show, however, whether cost controls in the Affordable Care Act or the aftereffects of the recession were responsible for the slowdown.

University of Texas Says It Can Account for Missing Brain Specimens

By TAMAR LEWIN

The university in Austin said most of the missing 100 brains, collected decades ago for research, had been disposed of as biological waste.

UPS Suit Hinges on an Ambiguous Pregnancy Law

By ADAM LIPTAK

The Supreme Court wrestled with what to make of language in the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which governs how employers must treat pregnant workers.

Court Strikes Down Drug Tests for Florida Welfare Applicants

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

A federal appeals court rejected the law as an unreasonable search because it applied to all applicants for benefits regardless of whether there was cause for suspicion.

Execution Stayed in Case of Mental Illness Claim in Texas

By DAVID MONTGOMERY

An appeals panel said the court needed time to consider the larger issues surrounding the death sentence of a man whose lawyers say he suffered from schizophrenia for years before killing his in-laws.

Gift From Giants Chairman to Help School Football Programs Respond to Head Injuries

By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS

A $1.2 million donation from Steve Tisch, an owner of the N.F.L. team, will pay to have trainers or emergency medical technicians at all contact practices for New York City’s public high schools.

At N.I.H., Obama Stresses Need to Keep Funding Fight Against Ebola

By MARK LANDLER

President Obama on Tuesday praised researchers for their progress in developing a potential vaccine for Ebola and called on Congress to pass $6.2 billion in emergency funds to fight the virus.

New Concerns Over Response to Ebola Crisis

By RICK GLADSTONE

Doctors Without Borders, which responded early to the outbreak in West Africa, said local doctors, nurses and charity workers were still carrying an inordinate burden.

Monitoring for Those Exposed to New York Ebola Patient Ends

Officials said 114 people who had come into contact with Dr. Craig Spencer at Bellevue Hospital Center had been watched for 21 days.

New York Plan Aims to Divert Mentally Ill People From Jail’s Revolving Door

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

Supporters of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to expand supervised release and treatment programs said one key was to identify troubled offenders early.