In August 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared a new outbreak of Ebola virus. The epidemic started in North Kivu Province, eventually spreading to other parts of the country.

As of March 2019, the outbreak has reached almost 1,000 cases.

Some attempted vaccination campaigns have helped, but local dangers have hurt those efforts. The affected areas of the DRC have an ongoing military conflict. Violent acts are hindering the existing treatment and prevention efforts in place by the WHO and CDC.

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What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you decide to plan a vacation? You ponder where you want to go, right?

Ok, so, now that you’ve decided what your destination is, you expect to see all the famous sites, at least as many as possible, during the time you’re there.

These busy plans already contradict the idea of slow travel.

In fact, it’s the exact opposite of slow travel because you are not able to relax enough and make meaningful memories. Yes, you’ll have memories, but you won’t have a relaxed holiday. All you’ll remember is how busy you were, which left you feeling exhausted, and that you took in some landmarks. Maybe you’ll reminisce about some of the food that you ate as well, but all in all, your trip will not be a time of true “rest and relaxation.”

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Planning a week-long vacation abroad? Spontaneous travel for work?

If you’re currently taking a prescription medicine, those foreign trips offer a few new obstacles. It’s essential for travelers to understand how to travel with medicine. Some travel prep means you don’t make it across the world and suddenly run out of something you’re unable to get at the local pharmacy.

The severity of running out of your medication is heavily-dependent on your health condition. For some travelers, missing a dose of their medication is a mild issue. For others, it can be life threatening.

First things first, talk to your doctor.

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In 1959 the first human that was diagnosed with HIV was from the Belgian Congo.

Since then, over 35 million people have died worldwide from HIV. Roughly 40,000 people are diagnosed with the virus every year in the United States alone. Sharing intravenous needles and unprotected sex are still the primary ways of spreading HIV.

The first drugs that came on the scene to treat HIV were full of side-effects. Over time, we developed prescriptions for the virus that cause fewer side-effects and inhibit the progression of the virus. Those who have been diagnosed with HIV can live long productive lives.

But even with better medicine, we still lack a way to cure the virus. We’ve had recent promising developments, but still appear far from a widely-used vaccine. While we wait for that breakthrough, some recent outcomes show progress in the area.

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Mosquito-borne diseases have spread across the globe, affecting almost every part of the world. From yellow fever to malaria to Zika virus, these diseases do more than get headlines, causing millions of annual deaths.

Unfortunately, the problems with these diseases appear to be getting worse.

A recent study predicts that almost half of the world’s population will be infected with these illnesses. According to new research published in the journal Nature Microbiology, a few factors play a role in this.

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