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.
Latest from Fenit Nirappil

Who can donate blood? What to know about FDA’s new guidelines

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

May 12, 2023

Monkeypox, now known as mpox, showing signs of return

The World Health Organization declared the mpox global health emergency over, but health officials say gay and bisexual Americans should still be on alert.

May 12, 2023

Amid loneliness epidemic, readers share stories of struggle and serenity

Readers responded to the surgeon general's health advisory on loneliness by sharing poignant stories of trying to nurture connection in a fractured America.

May 12, 2023

Loneliness poses profound public health threat, surgeon general says

An advisory on loneliness from Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy calls for a collective effort to “mend the social fabric of our nation.”

May 2, 2023

Masks come off in the last refuge for mandates: The doctor’s office

Some infectious-disease specialists have concluded that universal masking is no longer essential in medical settings, a stark return to pre-covid life.

May 1, 2023

Abortion ban states see steep drop in OB/GYN residency applicants

States with abortion bans have seen a 10.5 percent drop in applicants for OB/GYN residencies from the previous year, according to new data.

April 21, 2023

The tragic, preventable reasons syphilis is surging among U.S. infants

The spike in babies born with syphilis is driven in part by the nation’s drug and homelessness crisis. The trend is especially apparent across the Sun Belt.

April 11, 2023

The right exploits Nashville shooting to escalate anti-trans rhetoric

Transgender people are rarely the perpetrators of mass shootings, which are overwhelmingly carried out by cisgender men, say criminal justice experts.

March 30, 2023

The realities of being transgender in the U.S.

Today, what a landmark poll of U.S. transgender adults reveals about what life is like for trans people in America.

March 24, 2023

For trans people, medical visits can be more traumatizing than healing

Trans patients share their stories of subtle discrimination, outright hostility and ill-informed medical professionals.

March 24, 2023