Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Skip to content Top Navigation Close this dialog window Explore EatingWell Profile Menu Close Sign in Close this dialog window View image 9 Healthy Salads to Order from Popular Fast-Food Chains this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

The 1918 influenza pandemic resulted in the loss of over 3% of the world's population – at least 50 million people. But it wasn't the flu virus that caused the majority of these deaths. An analysis of lung samples collected during that flu pandemic indicated that most of the deaths were likely due to bacterial pneumonia, which ran rampant in the absence of antibiotics. Even in more recent history, like the 1957 H2N2 and 2009 H1N1 flu pandemics, nearly 18% of patients with viral pneumonia had additional bacterial infections that increased their risk of death. And the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. With yet another flu season fast approaching in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, lessening the harm caused by these viruses is important to prevent deaths and reduce infections. However, many deaths associated with the flu and COVID-19 don't occur at the hand of the virus alone. Instead, it's a secondary bacterial infection that is often at the root of th...

Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health has joined the Partnership to Align Social Care, a national partnership aimed at connecting health systems, health plans and other healthcare organizations to improve health equity and social care delivery.  CommonSpirit has also provided the partnership with a $100,000 grant, according to a July 25 press release. The partnership will use these funds and other resources to connect health organizations with social care delivery, including childcare, jobs and housing resources as a way to improve population health and health equity.  "As one of the nation's largest providers of Medicaid services, CommonSpirit works with community-based organizations in more than 21 states because we believe it's critical to the health of the communities we serve," said Ji Im, senior director for community and population health for CommonSpirit. "Through our participation in the Partnership, we are bringing decades of best practi...

Black Pride events take place in NYC from August 17 to August 21 Events will showcase LGBTQ businesses of color and will highlight human rights ALBANY, N.Y. (August 16, 2022) – The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is proud to join communities of color in celebrating August as Black Pride Month as the Department continues its ongoing work to identify and reduce health challenges that continue to face the community. "As we celebrate Black Pride Month, the Department remains dedicated to establishing LGBTQ-affirming health care, free of stigma and barriers," Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. "Since the Stonewall protests of 1969, trailblazing members of the black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender non-conforming community have paved the groundwork for equal rights in New York and beyond. While there is still so much work to do, the Department will continue to strive for a gender-affirming public health care system that will best se...

H igh blood pressure—also known as hypertension—and Type 2 diabetes are two of the most common medical conditions in the U.S. Unfortunately, they often occur together. Some research has found that 85% of middle-aged or older adults who have Type 2 diabetes also have hyper­tension, and both conditions elevate a person's risk for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. These increased risks are significant, and in some cases grave. Researchers have found that people with Type 2 ­diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who don't have the condition. People with diabetes are also twice as likely to die of cardiovascular problems. The leaps in rates of stroke, kidney failure, and other deadly complications are also substantial for people who have both high blood pressure and diabetes. Why do these c...

MONKEYPOX (MPX) UPDATE Monkeypox is less transmissible than covid, but the health department is recommending that anyone at increased risk for contracting monkeypox consider vaccination.  Those at increased risk include: People who have known contact with someone who tested positive for orthopoxvirus or monkeypox virus within past 14 days (contact your local health department to coordinate vaccination) People who attended an event where known monkeypox exposure occurred within 14 days (make an appointment at a vaccine location) People who identify as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men (MSM), and/or transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender non-binary and who have a history of multiple or anonymous sex with partners within past 14 days (make an appointment at a vaccine location) Individuals that are interested in pre-exposure vaccination can contact the following programs. Vaccination at these sites i...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Together helping others: United Way highlighting Live United Week beginning Sept. 6    The Republic

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) happens when acidic stomach contents flow back up into the esophagus. This is known as acid reflux. GERD is a common digestive disorder. It affects 20% of the population in the United States. Generally, it's thought to be related to problems with the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES is the ring-shaped muscle at the bottom of the esophagus. If it doesn't close properly, acid reflux can occur. In some people, this can lead to esophagitis, or inflammation of the esophagus. Esophagitis is one of the main symptoms of GERD. However, it's possible to have GERD without esophagitis. Read on to learn about why this might happen, as well as how it's diagnosed and treated. Although GERD can lead to esophagitis, the conditions are separate disorders. This means you can have one condition without the other. Both GERD and esophagitis affect the esophagus. Additionally, both conditions share symptoms such as: However, there are some diff...

A new outbreak has officials concerned after it affected at least 100 children in India. The disease has been dubbed the "tomato flu" by researchers. No deaths have been reported due to the disease. Ever since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, people have been more concerned than ever about potential disease threats. The newest of these is called "tomato flu," and has affected over 100 children in India, according to a recent correspondence in The Lancet . The authors report that tomato flu, likely a viral disease, was first identified in the Kollam district of Kerala, India on May 6, 2022. According to The Lancet, the disease is considered non-life-threatening and resolves on its own in time. The Lancet reports that primary symptoms observed in infected children resemble those of chikungunya , a mosquito-borne illness, and include high fever, rashes, and intense pain in joints. Similar to many viral infections, other symptoms include, fatigue, nausea, vomiti...

SIDA invited Lt. Cmdr. Alice-Anne Alcorn to present a continuing education seminar at the Honiara City Council Dental Clinic, Aug. 23, 2022, on infection prevention and control. She kicked off the engagement by asking her fellow dental professionals to join her in wishing her son "happy birthday." During her presentation, Alcorn recommended medical and dental providers and their patients wash their hands for approximately 20 seconds – about as long as it takes to sing two stanzas of "Happy Birthday." The SIDA seminar attendees discussed ways to thoroughly clean hands by using warm water and soap and avoid touching surfaces, which may be laden with germs. "Handwashing is the single most important procedure in breaking the cycle of spreading germs and preventing infection," the U.S. Navy dentist said. "Clean hands save lives." Before seeing patients, before putting on medical gloves and after removing them are just a few routine times when dentists...

A Facebook user has used a recent post to claim germs do not cause disease. The claim is false, with experts labelling it absurd, backed up by more than 150 years of scientific discovery which shows microbes such as viruses and bacteria cause major health problems and can be deadly. Germ theory is the discovery microbes cause disease and decay, not the other way around as was thought until the 19th century. Louis Pasteur espoused in 1861 that microbes in the air cause disease. Robert Koch built on the theory in 1876, proving specific microbes cause specific disease. Germ theory denialism is as old as Pasteur's theories and can be traced back to Antoine Bechamp, a contemporary of Pasteur. It argues microorganisms don't cause disease, but injured or diseased tissue causes germs. The Facebook post on August 11 rehashes the historical pseudoscience, claiming: "Germs do not cause disease. The tissue becomes diseased first and then the germs proliferate to clean up the m...

The research of former and current Wayne State University School of Medicine students working in the laboratory of Ashok Kumar, Ph.D., associate professor of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences, is featured on the cover of the Journal of Fungi, a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of microbiology.  Alisha Khambati, M.D.'22, Mamta Kanwar, M.D. '18 and the Class of 2025's Alejandro Sepulveda contributed to "Aspergillus Endophthalmitis: Epidemiology, Pathobiology, and Current Treatments," published in the Journal of Fungi. The article discusses recent advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, which is most often caused by surgical complications or eye trauma, and can cause blindness. There are several infectious diseases that can affect the eye health. However, the chances of blindness increase with those affecting the retina, such as endophthalmitis. "Fungal infections of the eye are a rising globa...

When war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, the number of people forcibly displaced from their home countries around the world was already high. More than 22 million individuals, nearly half under the age of 18, fall under the United Nations' official mandate as refugees. Though U.S. support for refugees had waned during the Trump administration, a pending policy shift has the potential to increase the number of displaced people who can find a safe haven in U.S. communities. In a newly published article, associate professor Kathryn Libal and her co-authors, associate professor Scott Harding, and doctoral candidate Madri Hall-Faul, explore the history and impact of different ways to sponsor refugees in the United States. "We assess the re-emergence of community-based approaches to resettle refugees in the United States," Libal says. Their paper suggests a combination of community and private sponsorship could be transformative for the future of refugee resettlement i...

Ear infections are a rite of passage for most children, with about 80 percent experiencing at least one early in childhood. For some, it's a recurring condition—mainly due to kids' anatomy. While primary care providers like doctors and nurses are experts in treating ear infections, there is another clinician who can help, too. Chiropractors are well suited to handle chronic ear concerns and ear pain in children and adults, thanks to their expertise in the cervical spine and nervous system. They regularly address the structural issues underlying common problems, helping ward off ear infections, jaw disorders, and more, says Stacy Boone-Vikingson, DC, a chiropractor and clinic lead at the Northwestern Health Sciences University Clinic in Bloomington. Many pediatric ear infections stem from issues with the Eustachian tubes. These tubes connect the middle ear with the back of the throat, helping fluid drain. But children's Eustachian tubes are smaller and not as...

We report a case of herpetic keratitis in an orthokeratology lens wearer. A 17-year-old man who wore an overnight orthokeratology lens for correction of myopia presented to our hospital with pain, lacrimation, and blurred vision affecting the left eye. His corrected visual acuity decreased to 18/20, and he showed dendrites and decreased corneal sensitivity in the left eye. The herpes simplex virus (HSV) immunochromatographic assay kit for the diagnosis of herpes epithelial keratitis was positive. As these findings were suggestive of HSV keratitis, topical acyclovir ointment was administered five times daily. All findings disappeared and visual acuity recovered to 20/20 at 14 days after the first visit. Herpetic keratitis rarely develops in orthokeratology lens wearers as well as contact lens (CL) wearers, although Acanthamoeba keratitis is sometimes erroneously diagnosed as herpetic keratitis in CL wearers with dendrites. Introduction Orthokeratology involves the use of spec...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Left Arm Pain: Causes, Treatments, and When to Contact a Doctor    Healthgrades

Introduction Background While the use of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) originated more than five decades ago, this therapy has only recently experienced a resurgence after falling out of favor for many years. In the 1960s, after the publication of the gate control theory, 1 Wall and Sweet published their first case series demonstrating decreases in pain perception throughout the entire episode of electrical stimulation of the infraorbital foramina 2,3 and Shelden reported that temporary pain relief was achieved through implantation of PNS electrodes stimulated via an implanted receiver at 14,000 Hz. 4 Over the next three decades, as evident in multiple publications, PNS treatment was mired by suboptimal outcomes, poor long-term success rates, and complications such as nerve damage or stimulation-induced fibrosis. 3,5,6 Many of the adverse occurrences could be attributed to lead migration, pulse generator locations, and other technical problems. In the 1990s, interest i...