Category: public health
In Case You Missed It: Top Posts of 2020
Most of us were ready to say goodbye and even good riddance to 2020. It is a year that no one will soon forget for obvious reasons, like the COVID-19 pandemic and a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, and lesser-known ones—did you know that California and Colorado experienced the largest wildfires in their states’ histories? But Read More >
Posted on by Leave a comment5 Good Reasons to Get a Flu Vaccine This Season
The National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national awareness week focused on highlighting the importance of influenza vaccination. As flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread this season, getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever. Here are five reasons why you should: 1. Helps Keep You Healthy Flu can Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsAFM is Serious: Know the Symptoms. Act Fast.
Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a serious neurologic condition that causes limb weakness and paralysis. While uncommon, AFM affects mostly children, and can have devastating, long-term effects for patients and their families. There have been three AFM outbreaks in the United States—in 2014, 2016, and 2018. If this biennial pattern continues, another outbreak might occur Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentProbabilities, Not Promises: How Computer Models are Used in Emergency Preparedness & Response
Computer models are not crystal balls. They are the result of a set of variables going through mathematical algorithms. What comes out is a simulation of what might happen if present truths are accurate predictors of future trends. Models show probabilities; they don’t make promises. Models have many applications. Epidemiologists use them to predict disease Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentA Summer Like No Other: How to Stay Safe and Healthy This Season
If you’ve been hearing the phrase “the new normal” lately and wondering what it means, the writers of the Oxford Dictionary define it as “a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual or expected.” (1) Summer this year is going to be a little different than it has been in years past, Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentThe Hero Within: Knowing Hands-Only CPR & How To Use An AED Can Save Lives
The first week of June was National CPR/AED Awareness Week. In belated observance, Public Health Matters looks at how people can confidently help someone in cardiac arrest. The numbers are staggering. About 350,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year, and about 9 in 10 of them die. (1) Bystanders and Read More >
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