Researchers in Australia have recently discovered a new way of fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria in an unlikely source. They began looking at Tasmanian devils’ mothers when they noticed that, even though their babies were born without an immune system and do not develop one until about three months after birth, they still seem to thrive…
The United Nations has entered the discussion on the issue of drug-resistant diseases, which are believed responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in fact referred to antimicrobial resistance as a “fundamental threat” to global health at a recent UN General Assembly meeting. Officials at the recent meeting…
People put a lot of effort into protecting their bodies from viruses, but they may not be doing enough. A recent study released by Cambridge University suggests that people are more likely to contract the herpes virus and the influenza virus in the morning. The study also found that people with erratic sleep schedules are…
Vitiligo, a.k.a. the “Michael Jackson disease,” affects around 0.5-1% of the world’s population. Most commonly reported in India, where an estimated 8.8% of the population suffer from some form of the disease, this non-treatable skin condition is caused by the depigmentation of the skin. The condition causes one’s body to suffer from “milky” patches throughout…
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been no new cases of yellow fever in the two African nations which have been battling a yellow fever epidemic since December 2015. As of September 2, Angola has had no new confirmed cases since June 23, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had…
Five salons since 2012 have been offering more than just a beautiful head full of braids; these Conakry, Guinea, businesses are sharing information with their customers about contraception. This idea is new for many of their patrons. With Guinea women having an average of five children, and the lowest contraceptive use rates in the…
Dr. Satoshi Omura is a Japanese microbiologist who shared the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in developing Ivermectin, a highly effective and safe drug against parasitic worms in humans. It is a reformulated version of Avermectin, an equally successful drug that combats parasites in animals. He and Dr. William Campbell…
The Affordable Care Act is legislation designed to improve the quality and cost of American healthcare. Among the many reasons that the ACA exists is to stop discrimination against poor and chronically ill patients. Prior to the ACA, insurance companies could refuse to cover people who had serious pre-existing or sudden onset conditions. Those…
As people change with time, so do relationships, and it’s not uncommon for those who were adorably in love so many years ago to lose interest and their libido. One of the biggest causes of divorce is lack of intimacy. While sex plays a major role for one’s libido, so does one’s gender, making this…
Thousands of Haitians have died since the start of a cholera outbreak in the fall of 2010 following the devastating earthquake that ravaged the country. Cholera has since become endemic to Haiti and hundreds more continue to die every year. Many experts believe that the UN was responsible for the epidemic. The UN has taken…
