Hi everyone! Instead of posting a public health update covering something in the United States (as I usually do), I thought that I would take some time to highlight a very exciting update from the nation of Barbados, a small country southeast of Puerto Rico with approximately 283,000 residents. As of today, October 30th, the nation has officially eradicated mother-to-child HIV transmission! HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s white blood cells in order to compromise the im

Although I typically focus these entries on issues within public health, today I thought that I would focus on an exciting statistic that was just published yesterday, September 22nd, by the CDC. Based on a nationwide report, the “progress against lung cancer” has allowed the overall mortality rate of cancer patients to decrease! Lung cancer is the second most common cancer contracted in America; however, it is unfortunately the cancer with the highest mortality rate (20% of

Last week, President Trump released an executive order to change the recommended childhood vaccinations– rather than the usual 17 vaccinations the government suggests, Trump has altered the recommendation to suggest only 11. Furthermore, the order states that instead of administering the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccination as one immunization (MMR), it should instead be broken down into three individual vaccinations; interestingly, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Pu

As of today, July 28th, the CDC has recorded over 11,500 cases of Cyclosporiasis (the most number of cases ever documented within one year in the US), 308 of which have resulted in hospitalizations. Within these 11,500 cases, there are many smaller outbreaks, the largest of which has infected close to 2,000 people across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. But what actually is Cyclosporiasis? Well, it is a disease that origina

Today, I would like to focus on the Hepatitis A outbreak in Manitoba, an outbreak that led to the CDC issuing a Level 1 alert. As of June 4th, this outbreak has led to 784 documented cases, 165 people hospitalized, and 4 deaths. Oftentimes, the disease is transmitted through contact with someone’s feces or blood, including if someone ate food prepared by someone with Hepatitis A. Although people with Hepatitis A can be asymptomatic, possible symptoms include: fever, loss of a

Though many people might not realize it, cardiovascular complications are the world’s most common cause of death. In 2021, approximately 20.5 million people passed away from cardiovascular-related issues, 80% of which happened in low and middle-income countries. Some examples of cardiovascular diseases include: Coronary Heart Disease (the most prominent), Cerebrovascular Disease, Peripheral Arterial Disease, Rheumatic Heart Disease, and Congenital Heart Disease. Interestingly

Dr. Jay Battacharya, a former tenured professor at Stanford University is stepping down from his role as acting leader of the CDC. In Dr. Battacharya’s place, President Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to serve as his replacement- the fourth leader of the CDC in a year. Although Dr. Schwartz has not yet been confirmed, many believe that she possesses the qualifications necessary and will be swiftly confirmed. Dr. Schwartz has become well-versed in a variety of fields: s

As of last month, America’s Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has decided to rescind the Mercury and Air Toxic Standard found in the power sector; the role of the power sector is to create distributable electricity that people nationwide can use through hydro, coal, gas, wind, solar power, and more. In the past, this standard has allowed for 90% of the mercury present to be removed from this sector; in so doing, the number of toxic mercury present in fish, other wildli

As of a few days ago, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services), declared that the United States was going to change the number of vaccinations they recommend that children receive. Instead of the prior seventeen immunizations the government recommended, they are now recommending eleven; some of the most notable changes include omitting the Flu, Covid-19, and Hepatitis A /B shots. He claims that the reason the U.S. is revising these pol

Though starting to make headway into reopening, the recent government shutdown has taken an immense toll on Americans who have SNAP, also known as the Supplementary Nutritional Assistance Program. SNAP is a government-funded program that allows around 42 million Americans whose income falls either around the poverty line or below, to be able to purchase quality food from the grocery store; each state has its own eligibility requirements which can be found on the USDA website.

Although this happened a month ago, I thought it was important to address President Trump's claim that pregnant women taking acetaminophen (Tylenol ® ), causes children to become autistic. For those that don’t know, Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is usually just called Autism, is a type of neurodivergence where people interact with others in different ways because their brain works in a distinct way than that of a neurotypical person. Possible identifiers of people who have

Now that school is back in session, or will be in a week or so, I thought it would be important to update everyone on a decision that is...

Today, I thought I would provide an update about an important health crisis that is currently occurring in our nation: the measles...

Although many people think of fluoride as something that you find in toothpaste, it is also something commonly seen in water. Fluorine,...

While the shingles vaccine is always important to get, new research proves that it has another use: decreasing the risk of getting...

To highlight World Tuberculosis Day, which occurs annually on March 24th to spread awareness of the epidemic, I thought I would talk a...

Due to the decrease in vaccinations in a county in west Texas, a measles outbreak has been primarily affecting children; at least 49 have...

The bird flu, otherwise known as the avian influenza, was first detected in Hong Kong in 1996. Since then, it has mainly just affected...