During the holiday season, you are prone to many health risks including flu, cold and allergies. You are closer to germs walking along with you in the form of colleagues, friends, family members or commuters.

In order to help you stay away from falling ill, Allison Aiello, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health has compiled a list of tips that you can follow easily.

Keep your distance to avoid the chills

During the holiday season, friends and family members spend time together more often. However, remaining in close proximity with someone who is ill can make your holidays a nightmare. As you may know, flu germs and cold are transferred through droplets or aerosols from the nose and the mouth. Make sure to keep the distance from people who are sick, and wash your hands after you get in contact with them.

Wash Your Hands with Soap

In cold weather, everyone is at risk of getting flu or cold. It is best to wash your hands frequently when you go out or meet someone who is sick. Wash your hands with soap at least for 20 seconds and use towel or tissue paper if you a cough or sneeze. Moreover, put on a mask when getting out in the public. Before and after having meals, wash your hands with the soap.

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By Erin Hayden

In 2014-15, a record 885 cases of measles were reported, including outbreaks at Disneyland, exposure precipitated by international travel and cases concentrated within isolated pockets of unvaccinated communities.^1-2 Although the number of measles cases has since reduced, risk is still present. In February 2018, Allegheny County saw a confirmed case of the measles in a fully vaccinated person. At current time, no other cases have been confirmed, but the 7 to 21-day incubation period for the virus delays detection of signs and symptoms. Mumps have also resulted in several outbreaks recently, including one in 2014 that hit the National Hockey League (NHL) and another outbreak in Arkansas in 2016-17 that affected over 3000 individuals.³ Outbreaks of these diseases result from a combination of factors, including lack of vaccination among groups, but also the longevity of the antibodies and immune response formed in individuals that are vaccinated.

MMR stands for measles, mumps and rubella, and commonly refers to the vaccine product used to prevent these diseases. These are three separate viral illnesses that are serious and spread easily through personal contact and airborne transmission. Measles is an airborne disease characterized by high fever and rash, while rubella is a form of measles with similar symptoms as well as the potential to cause birth defects/miscarriage in pregnant women. Mumps presents with painful/swollen glands and lymph nodes, as well as widespread body pain, fatigue and fever. Complications of mumps can include deafness and meningitis. In the United States, these diseases could be completely eradicated due to the availability of the highly effective MMR vaccine. [Read more…]

By Kelly Mazzei

New funding for Alzheimer’s disease research might be just the gift needed to move closer to a cure. In November 2017, Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, pledged $100 million dollars to Alzheimer’s disease research.

This contribution was prompted by Gates’ personal family history of the disease as well as his interest in the financial burden it places on families, the healthcare system and society as a whole.¹  Alzheimer’s is currently the 6^th leading cause of death in the United States, with 1 in 10 individuals anticipated to develop the disease at some point in their life.² The social and financial burden of Alzheimer’s, along with the prevalence of the disease, has increased in recent years due to an aging population. The yearly cost burden has been estimated by the American Alzheimer’s Association to be around $259 billion.²

Taking both the emotional and financial aspects into account, Bill Gates has expressed a desire to have this donation go towards new and innovative approaches to solve the disease. His goals include enabling researchers to gain a better understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease progresses, improving screening and detection methods, fast tracking the clinical trial timeline, and ensuring that the data collected from trials is compiled into a common and more accessible form.¹

Current FDA approved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease include cholinesterase inhibitors (Aricept, Exelon) which increase acetylcholine in the brain to improve symptoms, and NMDA receptor antagonists (Namenda) which slow the deleterious effects of glutamate in the memory centers of the brain.³ These existing treatments merely slow the progression of the disease, and fail to provide a cure. [Read more…]

Disneyland’s official tagline is the “happiest place on Earth.” It’s the place referenced by every Super Bowl champion, a cultural landmark known across the world, and ultimately, a place for families to go for entertainment and fun. It is considered a place of magic for many, but unfortunately in October 2017, it also became a place of sickness when multiple cases of Legionnaires’ disease became associated with the park. 

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia not typically spread from person to person but rather through breathing in small droplets of water which contain the bacterium Legionella. This bacterium is able to multiply rapidly in water systems that have not been cleaned properly or on a regular basis. The most common water systems affected by this bacterium are mist machines, cooling machines, pools, and fountains.¹ Since the water systems for these machines/objects are complex, it can be hard to correctly and completely clean every aspect of them, causing Legionella to grow and spread in an easier fashion.^1,2

The pneumonia caused by Legionnaires’ disease generally appears two to ten days after exposure and will typically present with headache, muscle pains, chills, and a fever over 104°F. A few days after these symptoms appear, the disease may progress, causing symptoms such as cough, chest pain, trouble breathing, nausea/vomiting, and mental status changes. Not all individuals are at equal risk for development of the disease.^1,3  Those with highest risk include smokers, people who have a weakened immune system, those with a pre-existing lung condition (such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]), or who are aged 50 years or older.¹ If the disease is left untreated, it can lead to potentially dangerous and life-threatening complications such as respiratory failure, septic shock, or acute kidney failure.^1,3 Treatment typically consists of antibiotics as no vaccine is available. However, the most important aspect of the disease is that is it preventable through proper maintenance of the complex water systems, which serve as the growth medium for the bacteria [Read more…]

By Ray Parker

The medical apps have an imperative role in a play in decreasing emergency room visits and hospitalizations throughout the healthcare continuum. This is done by enhancing care coordination and communication among doctors, nurses, specialists and others.

According to a research, the re-admission rates at a hospital have been decreased by 92% whereas the emergency room visits reduced by 87% with greater communication and the utilization of mobile health applications.

The utilization of mobile communication tools has led increased patient engagement. This means more people are focused on enhancing their wellness and health. This includes continuing exercise routines, sticking to a health doctor-recommended diet, following their medication timetable along with follow-up appointments. [Read more…]

A report from Eye Zone Magazine indicates that teens ages 13 to 17 showed a significant improvement in quality of life after getting fitted for contacts. Those surveyed said their vision was better, they were happier with their appearance and they were able to participate in extra-curricular activities more easily with contacts than with glasses. Before your teen makes the switch, take the time to make sure she’s ready to handle the responsibility of contacts.

Is Your Teen Ready?

Bausch + Lomb indicates that there’s no “perfect age” for contacts, but rather that you have to evaluate each teen individually to determine if they are ready. (2) As you think about your daughter, here’s a checklist you can use to decide if she’s responsible enough for contacts:

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When a donor dies, health workers rush to salvage what they can: a liver, a heart, skin tissue.

Each item has an important purpose — and a price tag.

Human body parts fuel a multibillion-dollar industry in which the fervor to save a life obscures the money-making opportunities.

Donor families get thank-you cards but not much else.

Read more at the Tribune-Review.

 

Great news for the aging-obsessed among us: 72 is the new 30. The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany concluded in a new study that humans have gotten so good at lowering the odds of dying that our average life expectancy has risen faster in the past 100 years than it did in the previous 200,000. Read more on MSN.