This is not a story we thought we’d be working on. Polio, the disease that ravaged children around the world in the mid-20th century, is making a comeback, and the World Health Organization is concerned. The WHO has declared that the sudden rejuvenation of the vaccine-preventable disease constitutes an international health emergency. Officials say three countries – Syria, Cameroon and…
We’re about to enter the busy holiday travel season. Despite all of the joy of the season, traveling is usually… less than joyful. As people crowd into airports and security lines get longer, tension rises and travel becomes a real hassle. However, we just might be at the start of a new era of convenience. Or at least an era…
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Polio is a serious disease that can cause paralysis and death. If you are going to one of the countries listed below, CDC recommends that you make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccine. If your vaccine is not up to date, you will need to get vaccinated. Polio Boosters…
Just as India celebrated a full year without a single new case of polio this month, Afghanistan and Pakistan officials released data that showed nearly a threefold increase in polio cases in 2011. Although the total numbers were rather small -- 76 (up from 25 in 2010) in Afghanistan and 192 (up from 80 in 2010) in Pakistan -- the…
The Centers for Disease Control have issued an outbreak notice that cases of polio have been reported in China for the first time in more than ten years. The CDC is recommending that travelers to all parts of China be up-to-date on the polio vaccine. Use the link above to learn more about how to protect yourself.
Earlier this week the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 6,500 measles cases have been reported in Europe. As noted in our earlier post, France is reporting much higher numbers than other countries, but Spain and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are in a distant second and third. As with so many infectious diseases, there is a vaccine available…
Key West, FL has reported 28 cases of dengue fever since July 2009 – prior to July 2009 dengue was absent from the continental U.S. since 1945 and from Florida since 1934. Why dengue has returned to Florida is still being investigated but some contributing factors might be an increase in mosquitoes capable of delivering the disease, an increase in…
The problems caused in Tajikistan by the polio virus have been aggravated by a natural disaster. There have been unusual levels of rain this spring. However, nobody could have predicted that rainfall on the night of May 6th would have brought so much grief to Khatlon Province in the south of the country and to Kulyab, the provincial centre. The…
The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting that 171 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, the most common sign of acute polio, have been reported in Tajikistan since January. It appears that all the current cases are coming from the south-west part of the country which borders Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Of the 171 cases, 32 have been confirmed wild poliovirus 1 cases;…
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