Health
Deadlier When Hot: These Infections Are Likely to Get Worse as the Climate Changes
When the climate changes, so do all the things that rely on the climate, including people, plants, and pathogens. A European study recently took a broad look at what kind of microorganisms are most likely to be affected as climate change heats, cools, dries, and wets the world around us.
Lucky Break: Pneumococcal Vaccine Fights Off Ear Infections, Too
More prescriptions for antibiotics are written for ear infections than any other type of infection. A new study comparing the incidence and causes of ear infections in children between the ages of six months and three years found that the incidence of ear infections over the last decade has dropped significantly since the 1980s.
News: You Don't Need Antibiotics for Pink Eye
Crusty, itchy, red eyes? There is a decent chance you could have conjunctivitis, or pink eye, an infection of the thin lining around the eye and the eyelid, caused by bacteria, an allergen, virus, or even your contact lenses. Whatever the cause — you call up your doctor to get a prescription to clear it up, right? Not really.
News: CDC Warns About a Big Spike in Cyclospora Infections — Here's What That Is & How to Avoid It
The intestinal parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis has a dramatically increased infection rate this summer, and the source is still unknown, the CDC advised today. 2017 is a good year for Cyclospora looking for homes to start their families and a bad year for those of us who don't like food-stealing tenants living in our bodies.
News: Modern Life Means Less Gut Bacteria, More Chronic Disease
When you have an infection, a doctor prescribes antibiotics to make the bacteria that causes it disappear. Sounds like a good idea, but the disappearance of microorganisms that have inhabited humans for millennia could be driving rising numbers of serious illness and debilitating conditions.
News: Sealed with a Kiss — Can Zika Be Transmitted Through Saliva?
A new study shows the Zika virus is present in saliva — but it may not be enough to make you sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes there is "no evidence that Zika can be transmitted through saliva during deep kissing." Given the results of research published in the journal, Nature Communications," the agency may need to revise its guidance.
Medical Mystery: Man Catches Zika, but No One Knows How
An older man dies of Zika. A younger man who cares for him catches Zika — but doctors cannot pinpoint how the disease was transmitted. While proximity to the patient is sufficient explanation for the rest of us, for microbe hunters, it is a medical mystery. Why? Zika is not known to transmit from person-to-person casually.
News: Dangerous Dengue Fever Could Go Worldwide, with Help from Air Travel & Climate Change
Rising on the world stage, dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes — and apparently air travel too.
News: Airlines' Reliance on Group Boarding Could Spread Pandemics
On the airplane, in the middle of cold and flu season, your seatmate is spewing, despite the clutch of tissues in their lap. Your proximity to an infectious person probably leaves you daydreaming (or is it a nightmare?) of pandemics and estimating how likely it is that this seatmate's viral or bacterial effusions will circulate throughout the plane and infect everyone on board.
Inspirational Initiative: Cherokee Nation on the Way to Eliminating Hep C
A recent initiative by the Cherokee Nation American Indian Tribe delivers a success story for knocking out a silent killer — Hepatitis C.
News: Finally! First US Treatment Approved for Heart-Burrowing 'Kissing Bug' Parasite
For the first time, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medication to treat children with a serious infection called Chagas disease, which stealthily infects and damages the hearts of millions of victims a year.
News: Arizona Woman Dies After Catching Tularemia from Her Dog
On June 11, 2016, an Arizona woman died from what appeared to be several infections, including pneumonia. She likely caught at least one of these from her dog.
News: Rising Tide of Dust in the US Could Mean Public Health Menace
Blowing dust and fungal spores are creating a public health problem that could be just a slice of what's to come with climate change.
News: How Malnutrition & Gut Infections Feed Off Each Other
The number of households in the US that go hungry because they lack money for food hit a high of almost 15% in 2011. While that number continues to decline, nearly 13% of American households still go hungry.
News: The Opioid Crisis to Blame for 12-Fold Increase in Cases of Heart Infections
Four million Americans misused prescription opioid painkillers in 2014. Those who do are 40 times more likely to inject heroin or other drugs than other people. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are blaming that misuse for a 12-fold increase in endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves.
News: How Viruses Might Cause Brain Changes & Learning Problems
Despite mounting scientific evidence that viruses can cause changes in learning and memory, the reasons have remained elusive.
News: HIV Prevention Ring Passes Safety Testing Clinical Trial
Young girls, especially those who live in areas where HIV is epidemic, like sub-Saharan Africa, are particularly vulnerable to becoming infected with HIV. A vaginal ring containing the antiviral agent dapivirine has been shown to decrease the chance of developing HIV-1 in adult women over 21 and now in the first step for use in adolescents, the ring has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in that younger age group.
News: Penis Microbiome Could Enhance Risk of Infection with HIV
New research explores how the bacteria on the penis can leave men more susceptible to infection with HIV.
News: Contaminated Breast Milk Devices Lead to Devastating Infant Injury
Foodborne infections often occur through the contamination of equipment, food-prep tools, and unsanitary surfaces. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds us that breast pump parts are part of the food-delivery chain — and they can become contaminated too.
News: Every Hour Untreated Sepsis Survival Drops 4% — Here Are the Symptoms to Watch For
Twelve-year old Rory Staunton took a dive for a basketball during gym class and came up with a cut on his arm. The school nurse applied a couple of band-aids, without cleaning the cut, and off he went. In approximately three days, hospital physicians told his parents there was nothing else that they could do for their son; he was dead.
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