PKIDs

Will you explain the differences (and similarities) between endemic and epidemic diseases? Yes, and I’ll throw in “outbreak” and “pandemic” for good measure. First, anything that is endemic, whether a disease or an organism, occurs only in a specific group or area. “Endemic” implies “occurs only in.

Adults know to wash hands and wear condoms to prevent infections. And we try to eat fruits and veggies to stay healthy. Some days, we even exercise. One thing we don’t do enough of is get vaccinated. Other than the flu vaccine in the autumn, I seldom think about vaccines for myself. I bet I’m not [.

(Welcome to the CDC folks again! Today they’re talking about whooping cough and the booster shot kids need.) Another fitful night. A mom lies awake, listening helplessly as her child coughs and coughs. This mom knows tomorrow will be another day of school missed. Soccer practice missed. And for her,

The month of May is well-used. Mother’s Day is in here. May Day too, of course, along with graduations galore and, not insignificant for us, a date with the IRS that nonprofits shouldn’t miss. It’s also Hepatitis Awareness month, although World Hepatitis Day is in July. We can’t explain why. The imp

In 2000, public health workers slapped high fives and declared measles eliminated in the U.S. This meant that the disease wasn’t being passed person-to-person in this country. In 2011, we had 222 cases of measles in the U.S.—a 15-year high. Most of the 222 infected individuals were either unvaccinat

(Welcome to CDC! Read along as they talk about tweeners and HPV.) When it comes to their kids, parents are always planning. Healthy dinners. Safe activities. One plan that’s easy to make could have a tremendous benefit, even saving a life. That’s planning to have preteens vaccinated against HPV, the

What’s the deadliest infectious disease ever and what currently is the most deadly infectious disease? The answer to this question is more complex than simply counting up numbers of people who die from infection. For example, diseases like measles and smallpox have proved to be far deadlier in some

Remember SARS? That virus popped up in China in 2003 and quickly coughed and sneezed its way to dozens of other countries. And the 2009 H1N1 virus made its introductory appearance in Mexico, when a pig infected a human. It then traveled the globe with a speed that shocked us. The world is enormous,