When you picture harmful infections, shingles is probably not the first one that comes to mind.
Yet, while the illness may seem to “just” cause an irritating rash, pain, itching and tingling, it can also cause permanent damage. Some patients may even deal with constant pain for years after infection.
Considering almost one in every three people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime, understanding how it works is necessary for millions.
Over the summer, we noted a rise in cases of the West Nile Virus throughout the United States. Since then, the possible risks have only continued to rise.
Records are breaking across the country as a case of West Nile has been reported in every single state in the U.S. except Hawaii. The most reports of the disease are coming out of Texas and Florida.
Due to these cases, there have been many deaths associated with West Nile throughout the country.
Even with the help of modern medicine, the possibility of disease pandemics doesn’t go away. Outbreaks like the Spanish Flu in 1918 show the costs of one of these pandemics. It just takes one dangerous and previously unseen virus that can spread across the globe.
It’s important for us to ask how much would it cost to develop vaccines that could prevent these pandemics from even happening?
A study published earlier this year in the Lancet looked at this exact issue. Researchers from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) conducted the study.
A mysterious polio-like illness has been making major headlines this past week after the CDC announced that more than 150 potential cases are under investigation.
The disease in question is called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).
Considering it is mostly children who have been affected so far, many parents are concerned about this seemingly new problem.
Even though AFM is not actually a recent discovery, scientists still don’t understand much about it.
A new study published in August by the New York Genome Center helped uncover one of health’s largest mysteries: why gene mutations cause different symptoms for people with the same disease.
The questions has gone unanswered within the science community for years. As a tool to predict symptoms of diseases such as cancer and autism, an answer could help millions around the world.
