Mosquito bites may be more than just an itchy annoyance — they also can transmit deadly germs that cause diseases such as Zika, West Nile or dengue, the U.S. National Institutes of Health warns. Mosquito-borne illnesses kill about 725,000 people worldwide each year, the agency says. Here are the NIH’s suggestions for avoiding mosquito bites:… read on >
Spending a semester in another country can be an incredible experience, but it doesn’t come without risk of travel-related illness. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these tips to prepare for a semester abroad: Learn about health concerns in your host country. At least a month before you leave, make an appointment… read on >
Allergies and asthma can make the start of the new school year a challenge for kids who aren’t prepared to deal with flare-ups, an allergist warns. “Every age group is different in how much they can handle when it comes to protecting themselves from flare-ups due to allergies and asthma while at school, as well… read on >
Be sure to put vaccinations on your children’s back-to-school lists, whether they’re just starting school or heading off to college, experts say. By protecting infants, children and teens from serious diseases, vaccinations also protect families, schools and communities. “The best way to treat diseases is to prevent them in the first place, and the diseases… read on >
Emergency treatment rarely allows you much time to consider your options. But what about care that can be done on your timetable? There are many tools available to help you understand the pros and cons of nearly any procedure and — through an open discussion with your health-care provider — determine what’s best for you.… read on >
Photo-editing tools that make people look more perfect online than in real life may be a health threat, medical experts warn. The tidal wave of altered photos on social media is changing perceptions of beauty. And that can trigger a preoccupation with appearance that leads to risky efforts to hide perceived flaws, researchers suggest. Those… read on >
The widely used chemotherapy drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) can be life-saving for women with HER2-positive breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease. But new research now adds to mounting evidence that the treatment can take a toll on the heart, increasing the risk for heart failure. The complication is uncommon, and in many cases,… read on >
TUESDAY, Aug. 7, 2018Dialysis patients waiting for kidney transplants might safely accept an organ from a donor infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), a new study finds. Using hepatitis C-infected kidneys would expand the organ pool and save lives, said lead researcher Dr. Peter Reese. He’s an associate professor of medicine at the University of… read on >
Some 48 million people in the United States get sick each year from contaminated food, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. And animal products aren’t the only culprit. Produce — such as spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and cantaloupe — also may be a source of foodborne illness, the agency warns. The FDA suggests how to… read on >
Some children love taking a shower, while others find it just another chore to struggle with. Thankfully, for the parents of kids in the latter category, a daily shower may not be necessary, the American Academy of Dermatology says. While a daily bath or shower shouldn’t hurt kids aged 6 to 11, it isn’t absolutely… read on >
