Health

Here’s a look at meningitis outbreaks in the United States. General Information Meningitis is caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes (known as meninges) covering the brain and spinal cord. The inflammation is typically caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding these areas. There are five types of meningitis: bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal

Hoof-and-mouth disease (also known as foot-and-mouth disease) is a communicable virus affecting cattle, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals. Hoof-and-mouth disease is not related to hand, foot, and mouth disease, a virus that infects humans. About It is a member of the genus Aphthovirus in the family Picornaviridae. There are seven types of hoof-and-mouth disease and

Here’s a look at obesity in the United States. A person is considered to be obese when he or she reaches a particular body mass index (BMI). Adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while adults with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese. Obesity can increase the risk

Here is a look at autism. Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) incorporates a group of neurodevelopmental disorders causing impaired communication skills and social skills. ASD generally starts before three years of age and lasts a lifetime, but early intervention plays a role in treatment and progress. ASD is about four times more common among

Here’s a look at Zika virus, an illness spread through mosquito bites that can cause birth defects and other neurological defects. Facts Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and CNN Zika virus is a flavivirus, part of the same family as yellow fever, West Nile, chikungunya and dengue fever.

Mask mandates are being lifted across the US. Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are dropping. People are getting vaccinated. All these promising signs suggest the summer of 2021 could be very different from a year ago. Half of the adult population is now fully vaccinated, according to data published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease

I adopted my daughter from foster care. It took a specialized village to help her succeed. The day our daughter toddled around a corner of her foster mother’s house in a peach pantsuit and flashed my husband and me a mischievous grin, we knew we were her parents. We also knew we had made the

Here’s a look at diabetes, a disease that affects millions of people around the world. Diabetes is characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. The disease can lead to serious complications such as blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, limb amputations and premature death. Facts Worldwide,

The US is hitting major Covid-19 vaccination milestones, but health experts say those who are not inoculated should not rely on protection from those who are, as their infection risk hasn’t gone down in response to declining cases. “The work ahead of us Is going to be really challenging because while the people who are

As an obese Black woman, I have waged my personal “battle of the bulge” for years. I even wrote “A Fat Girl Gets Naked” about my body issues for CNN in 2014. The struggle was never more real than when the pandemic shut the world down last year. If my social butterfly self had to

Experts are turning their focus in the fight against Covid-19 to vaccinating young Americans — warning that even though they don’t face a high chance of serious illness, they still risk long-term symptoms if they get coronavirus. The United States has so far made significant progress in vaccinating adults. At least 25 states, plus Washington,