Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 30, 2015

First US Measles Death in 12 Years: How Was It Missed?

The woman appears to have caught measles when she stayed at local medical facility. She had several other health conditions and was taking medications that suppressed her immune system, according to a statement from the Washington State Department of Health. She died of pneumonia this spring, and it was during...

May 31, 2015

1 Pinprick Test Could Detect Hundreds of Viruses

Doctors often don't have a complete picture of their patients' health histories — they only know about past illnesses that a patient remembers and tells them about, and patients may not know whether they've been exposed to certain diseases. But now, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston say...

May 31, 2015

Woman's Tattoos Mistaken for Cancer on Imaging Test

When a California woman with cervical cancer underwent a body image scan, doctors noticed bright areas in her lymph nodes, suggesting her cancer had spread. But it was only after surgery to treat the cancer that they realized the real reason for those bright spots: her tattoos. The 32-year-old woman...

Apr 30, 2015

Doctors' Group Offers Screening Advice for 5 Cancers

Advice about cancer screening can be confusing, with different medical groups recommending different tests at different times. But now, a new paper from one leading U.S. physicians' group is distilling all the advice and offering guidance to adults about getting screened for five common cancers. A panel of doctors from...

Apr 30, 2015

15 Million Cancer Cases Diagnosed in 2013

The number of new cases of cancer in the world is rising, according to a new report that looked at cancer in 118 countries. Globally, the number of new cancer cases increased from 8.5 million in 1990 to 14.9 million in 2013, the study found. (The world population rose from...

Mar 31, 2015

Rita Wilson's Cancer Diagnosis: When to Get a Second Opinion

Actress Rita Wilson attributes the early diagnosis of her breast cancer to the fact that she got a second opinion, a step that experts say is particularly important when the consequences of a medical test or treatment are serious. Wilson revealed this week that she underwent a double mastectomy as...

Mar 31, 2015

What Babies Eat May Affect Leukemia Risk

PHILADELPHIA — Infants who start eating solid foods later than usual may be at increased risk for a type of blood cancer, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from 172 children in Texas who had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) — a cancer of the white blood...

Jan 31, 2015

What Your Snot Says About You (Infographic)

The paranasal sinuses are air-filled cavities that are lined with mucus-making cells. The mucus serves to keep the nose from drying out and to trap contaminants before they reach the lungs. Mucus (”snot”) is made of water, proteins, antibodies and salts. Its color is an indicator of health: CLEAR indicates...

Jan 31, 2015

Why 'Measles Parties' Are a Bad Idea

Measles parties that intentionally expose unvaccinated children to the illness are not a good idea, health officials said this week. In a statement, the California Department of Public Health said it strongly recommends against the intentional exposure of children to measles, according to the radio station KQED. Such action unnecessarily...

Dec 31, 2014

Jimmy Carter's Work to Defeat Guinea Worm Highlighted in New Exhibit

NEW YORK — A new museum exhibit will showcase the massive public health effort it took to beat the grisly parasitic infection called Guinea worm disease, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was here today at a preview of the exhibit's opening. The number of cases of Guinea worm disease...

Dec 31, 2014

US Spike in Measles Cases Due to People Skipping Vaccinations

The sharp rise in measles cases in the U.S. is due to some people not being vaccinated against the disease, officials say. This is not a problem of the measles vaccine not working. This is a problem of the measles vaccine not being used, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon...

Nov 30, 2016

'Nightmare' Superbug May Have Spread Outside Hospitals

Six people in Colorado recently became infected with a nightmare superbug that until now, has mostly been limited to people in hospitals, according to a new report. The new cases suggest the superbug may have spread outside of health care facilities. The superbug is known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE,...

Sep 30, 2016

Leprosy: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Chances are, the mention of leprosy brings to mind skin falling from the bone and people cast away into quarantined colonies to prevent outbreaks. While this may have been a reality for those in the past, modern technology and treatments have made this disease a little less scary. CauseLeprosy is...

Sep 30, 2016

3 New Vaccines Against 'Black Death' Plague Bacteria Show Promise

Plague is an age-old disease that can still be deadly today, but now researchers are developing new vaccines that could potentially protect against plague infection, early research in animals suggests. In a new study, researchers tested three vaccines that were designed to protect people against infection from the bacteria that...

Sep 30, 2016

Deadly Measles Complication More Common Than Doctors Thought

NEW ORLEANS — A deadly complication of the measles, which can occur years after a person is infected with the virus, is more common than researchers previously thought, according to a new study. The complication, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), is a progressive neurological disorder that involves inflammation in the...