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Showing posts from October, 2021

Tonsillitis: causes, symptoms and treatment - Spire Healthcare

When to see a doctor Tonsillitis will usually get better by itself after a few days, but if symptoms don't start to go away after four days it's a good idea to visit your GP. You should also see your GP if the symptoms become more severe, including if your throat is so sore you're having difficulty eating or drinking, or if you can see white, pus-filled spots on your tonsils. If you think a young child may have tonsillitis and they have a fever or difficulty breathing or swallowing, seek medical attention right away. For symptoms that are mild to moderate, a pharmacist will be able to help. They can advise you on over-the-counter treatments and home remedies.

Covid is officially America's deadliest pandemic as U.S. fatalities surpass 1918 flu estimates - CNBC

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A woman and child walk through a field of white flags on the Mall near the Washington Monument in Washington, DC on September 16, 2021. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images Covid-19 is officially the most deadly outbreak in recent American history, surpassing the estimated U.S. fatalities from the 1918 influenza pandemic, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Reported U.S. deaths due to Covid crossed 675,000 on Monday, and are rising at an average of more than 1,900 fatalities per day, Johns Hopkins data shows. The nation is currently experiencing yet another wave of new infections, fueled by the fast-spreading delta variant. The 1918 flu – which came in three waves, occurring in the spring of 1918, the fall of 1918; and the winter and spring of 1919 – killed an estimated 675,000 Americans, according to the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention. It was considered America's most lethal pandemic in recent history up until now. "I think we are now pretty we...

Retired prof relates time handling polio outbreak - Jamaica Observer

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‘Spillover’ diseases are emerging faster than ever before—thanks to humans - National Geographic

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When a dozen merchant ships from the Black Sea docked in Messina, Sicily, in October 1347, they carried a deadly cargo that would change the course of history. Most of the sailors onboard were dead. The few survivors were covered in oozing, black pustules. Though authorities quickly ordered all people to remain onboard the "death ships," rats had already disembarked. They and the fleas they carried were infected with Yersinia pestis , the bacterium that causes bubonic plague. Over the next five years, the Black Death swept Europe, killing 34 to 50 million people—between a third and a half of the population at the time. Scholars at the University of Paris blamed the contagion on a dangerous "triple [astrological] conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars." Nearly seven centuries after the Black Plague hit Europe, yet another pandemic is raging. This time scientists know it's caused by a virus, and modern germ theory coupled with advanced gene sequencing mean we hav...

When Is a Fever Too High for a Child, Toddler, or Newborn? - Healthline

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Your little one feels warm to the touch. After taking their temperature, you realize it's 103°F — a fever! Even if this scenario sounds super familiar, it can still catch you off guard. Before you race to the doctor, though, take a deep breath. It's helpful to familiarize yourself with fever, its function in the human body, and any warning signs that may mean it's serious — or, alternatively, when you can relax. Related: What you should do if your newborn has a cold Normal body temperature is around 98.6°F, though it may fluctuate slightly higher or lower throughout the day. A fever starts with any temperature that reaches 100.4°F or above. A temperature between 100.4°F and 102.2°F is considered a low-grade fever; a temperature above 102.2°F is considered a high fever. A fever isn't a sickness in itself. Instead, elevated body temperature is a sign that your child's immune system is hard at work fighting off some type of invader — usually an illness or infection. Al...

Task Force: Little Proof Aspirin Stops Cardiovascular Disease - WebMD

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Oct. 12, 2021 – People 60 years old and older should not start taking daily aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease, according to draft recommendations from a national task force that monitors best ways to prevent disease. The U.S. Preventive Services Task force's proposed guidance says daily aspirin "has no net benefit" for cardiovascular health. The task force also says people age 40 to 59 with higher risk of disease should make individual decisions about whether to take aspirin. "Persons who are not at increased risk for bleeding and are willing to take low-dose aspirin daily are more likely to benefit," the task force said. The new recommendations were posted online today and will be available for public comment until Nov. 8. Once finalized, the recommendation will become the first new recommendations on aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease and colon cancer since 2016.. In 2016, the task force recommended certain adults 50 to 59 begin taking a initiat...

Can COVID-19 cause body aches? A guide - Medical News Today

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COVID-19 can cause muscle and body aches in some people. However, body aches are a common symptom of many health problems, including musculoskeletal conditions. COVID-19 can cause several symptoms, including body aches. This can feel like a dull ache in the muscles that may limit mobility or energy. Keep reading to learn more about body aches as a symptom of COVID-19. Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment. Body aches can be a symptom of many viral diseases, including COVID-19. According to data from the ZOE COVID Symptom Study, body aches are typically an early symptom of COVID-19 and can last 2–5 days. They are more likely to last for up to 7–8 days in people aged over 35 years. The study suggests that around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 will experience body aches and that this symptom is more common in individuals aged 16–65 years than in children or older adults. All data and statisti...

How Hypogonadism Is Diagnosed - Verywell Health

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Hypogonadism occurs when insufficient amounts of sex hormones—androgens in males and estrogen in females—are produced in the gonads of males (in the testicles of the scrotum) and ovaries of females. It can arise due to a range of factors, including aging, endocrine disorders, genetics, cancer treatments, and medications. Symptoms of hypogonadism vary based on age and sex at birth, ranging from delayed puberty in children to low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, irregular menstruation, hair loss, and fatigue in adults. Diagnosing hypogonadism can be challenging as this condition presents differently based on your sex at birth and age. It also involves determining the underlying cause or causes of the issue. To do this, doctors may rely on physical and pelvic examinations, blood tests, imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or sonography, and semen analysis, among other techniques. With timely and accurate diagnosis of hypogonadism, treatment...

Epidemics have happened before and they’ll happen again. What will we remember? - Science News Magazine

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The emergency hospital, a partially demolished building hastily enclosed with wooden partitions, was about to open. It was the fall of 1918 in Philadelphia, and influenza was spreading fast. With many of the city's doctors and nurses serving in World War I, 23-year-old Isaac Starr and his third-year classmates at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine needed to help tend the sick. They'd had just one lecture on influenza. Their first job was to assemble the hospital beds, about 25 to a floor. Starr's shift was 4 p.m. to midnight. The beds soon filled with patients who had fevers, he recalled in a 1976 essay for Annals of Internal Medicine . Many who developed influenza recovered. But Starr witnessed some patients become starved for air, their skin turning blue. Soon, they were "struggling to clear their airways of a blood-tinged froth that sometimes gushed from their nose and mouth," he wrote. "It was a dreadful business." ...