Ebola Virus Disease

The first positive coronavirus test in our household occurred Oct. 26, and in the beginning, we were fools who believed it might be over fast. My husband was isolated in the basement; perhaps the rest of us would be spared. Five days later, I tested positive. Then our preschool-age daughter did. Then our toddler was diagnosed with RSV, which devolved into a terrible cough, which turned out to be pneumonia. After 20 days trapped at home together, during which time my children started referring to their Pedialyte ice pops as "ice lollies" because they'd watched 4,000 episodes of "Peppa Pig," my son at last returned to day care. He lasted two entire days before contracting a new virus, this one accompanied by the sudden appearance of hideous red welts all over his body, which sent him to urgent care just before midnight. Over three weeks, we'd gone from bad to worse to biblical. Wasn't this year supposed to be better? (Or was that just something we told our...

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a viral illness that causes blisters on the hands, feet, and inside the mouth. It's usually mild in children, and you shouldn't worry about it too much. In any case, here is everything you need to know about it, along with the steps you can take to prevent it. What is hand, foot, and mouth disease? Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a viral infection that causes blistering in the mouth, hands, and feet. It's not related to chickenpox or shingles. It spreads through close contact with droplets from the nose and throat of an infected person or contaminated objects like toys or surfaces. It can also be spread by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms usually appear 3 to 6 days after exposure but can take up to 14 days to show up. Handwashing with soap is one of the best ways to prevent spreading hand-foot-and-mouth disease because it kills viruses on your hands before they are able to enter your body through your eyes, ...

Temperatures: During November 2022, monthly temperatures ranged from 32.1°F at Medford Taylor County Airport, WI (AWOS) to 39.1°F at Guttenberg Lock & Dam 10, IA (COOP). These temperatures ranged from near normal to 3°F warmer than normal. The hottest temperature was 79°F at Theilman, MN on November 3, and the coldest temperature was 1°F at Grand Meadow, MN on November 9; and Dodge Center, MN, and Grand Meadow, MN on November 20. Precipitation: November was near- to wetter-than-normal across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Precipitation anomalies ranged from 1" drier-than-normal to 3" wetter-than-normal across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Rain totals ranged from 0.67" near Steuben, WI (COOP) to 4.27" near Wilton, WI (CoCoRaHS). The greatest 1-day precipitation was 2.05" near Elkader, IA (COOP). This rain fell from 7 AM on November 4 to 7 AM on November 5. ...

Skin tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that can manifest differently depending on the individual, leading to a range of symptoms, including rashes, bumps (lesions), and ulcers on various parts of the body. If left untreated, skin TB can lead to serious complications or spread to other parts of the body.   This article discusses the frequent and rare symptoms of skin TB, potential complications, and when it's time to seek help. AzmanL / Getty Images Frequent Symptoms Exposure to the Mycobacteria tuberculosis bacterium usually occurs in two ways: via cuts, wounds, or needle sticks or spread from the lungs or other organs. When TB affects the skin, symptoms typically arise within two to four weeks of exposure to the bacterium. The first signs of skin TB are usually rashes and red or yellowish papules and nodules (raised bumps on the skin), which may develop into the following: Plaques (large, dark colored-...

Some of the most fragile health systems in the world can teach us ways to respond to public health threats early and effectively. When Ebola swept through the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, it was a struggle to track cases. Dr. Billy Yumaine, a public health official, recalls steady flows of people moving back and forth across the border with Uganda while others hid sick family members in their homes because they feared the authorities. It took at least a week to get test results, and health officials had difficulty isolating sick people while they waited. It took two years for the country to bring that outbreak under control, and more than 2,300 people died. A similar disaster threatened the D.R.C. last September. Members of a family in North Kivu Province fell ill with fevers, vomiting and diarrhea, one after the other. Then their neighbors became sick, too. But that set off a series of steps that the D.R.C. put in place after the 2018 outbreak. The patients were teste...

The price of platinum has soared as high demand meets low supply. Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg | Getty Images Platinum posted its best quarter since 2008, as China has scooped up vast stocks of the precious metal. Platinum rose almost 2% on Friday to $1,086 per troy ounce, up more than 26% from the start of the quarter. Loading chart... That move marks the biggest quarterly increase since the first quarter of 2008, when platinum gained a staggering 33.96%. Platinum is used in the defense and aerospace industries, especially in jet and rocket engines. It also is used in processes for making detergents, fertilizers, plastics and explosives. China has imported excessive amounts of platinum since 2019, according to the World Platinum Investment Council, which has left a limited above-ground supply for the rest of the world. "This, in combination with higher prices likely being needed to release Chinese inventories to the domestic market, could have a significant bearing" on the p...

The season of sharing — cold germs, flu viruses, stomach bugs and more — is upon us. That magical time when your kid brings home every germ in existence from school or daycare and spread the wealth, and your sneezy coworker insists on coming in for that meeting. (Why, just why???) Advertising Policy Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy This season could be a doozy, with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) now surging — along with the double-whammy of flu and COVID-19 (what medical experts have dubbed "flurona"). Family physician Matthew Goldman, MD, explains how to stay safe this winter season. Why we get sick in the winter "Illnesses are more common in the winter because contaminated respiratory droplets travel more easily in dry air when an ill person coughs or...