The inflection point
Okay, pretty correct answers from our two commenters on the previous post. Not just chlorination, but clean water generally, i.e. sewage treatment and separating sewage from drinking water sources. Also pasteurization of milk was very important. But the story is a bit more complicated. Pre-industrial people were mostly rural, obviously drank their milk fresh and didn ' t have a lot to fear from waterborne diseases since their population was sparse. Obviously they did suffer greatly from other plagues -- the Black Death killed something like half the population of Europe in the mid-14th Century, and plague recurred in lesse...
Source: Stayin' Alive - February 20, 2024 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
In an Ideal World, How Much Would We Spend on Health Care?
BY BEN WHEATLEY
We have heard it said before, and it is no longer shocking to say, that in 2021 the United States spent $4.3 trillion on health care. To put this gaudy number in some perspective, we measure it as a share of our economy and report that health care comprised 18.3% of our gross domestic product. CMS projects that health care will approach 20% of GDP in coming years—one-fifth of everything we buy and sell in this country.
In a recent report, the Health Affairs Council on Health Care Spending and Value said that “it is unclear what percentage of GDP would represent the ideal level to devote to h...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 11, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Ben Wheatley Health care spending medical debt Patent Source Type: blogs
In an Ideal World, How Much Would We Spend on Health Care? – Part 1
BY BEN WHEATLEY
We have heard it said before, and it is no longer shocking to say, that in 2021 the United States spent $4.3 trillion on health care. To put this gaudy number in some perspective, we measure it as a share of our economy and report that health care comprised 18.3% of our gross domestic product. CMS projects that health care will approach 20% of GDP in coming years—one-fifth of everything we buy and sell in this country.
In a recent report, the Health Affairs Council on Health Care Spending and Value said that “it is unclear what percentage of GDP would represent the ideal level to devote to healt...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 11, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Ben Wheatley Health care spending medical debt Patent Source Type: blogs
Typhoid Detection Technique Improves Diagnostic Sensitivity
A team at the University of California Davis Health working with international collaborators have developed a new technique to detect typhoid and estimate its incidence in populations over time. The approach requires only a drop of blood from a finger prick and involves measuring levels of antibodies against two antigens: Hemolysin E (Hlye) and Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The researchers simplified the assay so that it can be performed in remote and low-resource regions. The method also employs AI to calculate antibody decay, which provides an indication of when someone was originally infected. This lets the resea...
Source: Medgadget - July 12, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Medicine Pathology Public Health typhoid UCDavis UCDavisHealth Source Type: blogs
All you need to know about waterborne diseases
Waterborne diseases are contracted through exposure to contaminated water including drinking water, water used in food preparation, and swimming water.
They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Below is a partial list of waterborne disease pathogens, their microbial classification, and their resulting illnesses.
Classification
Microorganism
Disease
Bacterium
Campylobacter spp.
Campylobacteriosis
Bacterium
Escherichia coli
E. Coli Diarrhea
Bacterium
Legionella pneumophila
Legionnaires’ Disease
Bacterium
Salmonella enterica
Salmonellosis
Bacterium
Salmonella typhi
Typhoid fever
...
Source: GIDEON blog - January 14, 2021 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Microbiology News Tips Source Type: blogs
The Miracle of Modern Medical Research
Marian L. TupyHumanity has suffered from deadly diseases for millennia without fully knowing what they were, how they were transmitted, or how they could be cured. Smallpox, which killed between 300 million and 500 million people in the 20th century alone, originated in either India or Egypt at least 3,000 years ago. But it was not until the late 18th century that the English physician Edward Jenner vaccinated his first patient against the disease. It took another two centuries before smallpox was finally eradicated in 1980. Similar stories can be told about other killer diseases. The fate of humanity, our ancestors t...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 4, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Marian L. Tupy Source Type: blogs
Vaccines save lives
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) and this year vaccines and immunology are probably on many more people’s minds than usual – for obvious reasons. While medical professionals and researchers work tirelessly on developing and testing a COVID-19 vaccine (amongst others), let’s briefly remind ourselves how far we have come in such a brief segment of human history.
224 years, 40 vaccines
The first vaccine, developed in 1796 for smallpox, was not put into mass production until many years later – but was a monumental breakthrough in Medicine. It took almost another 100 years before the next vaccines ...
Source: GIDEON blog - August 6, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: News Source Type: blogs
Travel tips: What you need to know before, during, and after you go abroad
Summer may be winding down, but travel isn’t! Getting ready for a big trip abroad can be a lot of work — especially for people with health concerns. This travel tips checklist can pave the way for a smooth journey.
Before your trip
Check for travel advisories
You should be aware of health or political circumstances relevant to your destination(s). The US Department of State has a number of resources for the traveler, including postings on health and security alerts for specific countries.
Check the CDC’s traveler health information
There is a wealth of information here, including general advice for travelers...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 27, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Wynne Armand, MD Tags: Health Source Type: blogs
Tropical Travel Trouble 010 Fever, Arthralgia and Rash
LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog LITFL • Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
aka Tropical Travel Trouble 010
Peer Reviewer: Dr Jennifer Ho, ID physician QLD, Australia
You are an ED doc working in Perth over schoolies week. An 18 yo man comes into ED complaining of fever, rash a “cracking headache” and body aches. He has just hopped off the plane from Bali where he spent the last 2 weeks partying, boozing and running amok. He got bitten by “loads” of mosquitoes because he forgot to take insect repellent.
On examination he looks miserable,...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - July 16, 2018 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Amanda McConnell Tags: Clinical Cases Tropical Medicine arthralgia dengue fever rash Source Type: blogs
Have you heard of henoch-schonlein purpura?
I sure don’t remember this condition in nursing school! Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP) is a disease involving inflammation of small blood vessels. It most commonly occurs in children. The inflammation causes blood vessels in the skin, intestines, kidneys and joints to start leaking. The main symptom is a rash with numerous small bruises, which have a raised appearance over the legs or buttocks. Although HSP can affect people at any age, most cases occur in children between the ages of 2 and 11. It is more common in boys than girls. Adults with HSP are more likely to have more severe disease compared to children. HSP usua...
Source: Nursing Comments - October 18, 2015 Category: Nursing Authors: Stephanie Jewett, RN Tags: Advice/Education Caregiving General Public Nursing/Nursing Students Patients/Specific Diseases blood in urine children diarrhea HENOCH-SCHONLEIN PURPURA inflammation of blood vessels joint pain joint swelling kidney disease loss Source Type: blogs
Profit over Safety – Centers for Disease Control Names 271 New Vaccinations
Conclusion
How many vaccinations will be considered to be a sensible number? If all of the vaccinations currently under development are deemed a success, how many of them will be added to the schedule? As there is little research to determine which ingredients are in the vaccinations listed as “under development” by the CDC, many parents are concerned about their toxicity and how best to protect their children.
I will leave you with the wise words of Robert F, Kennedy Jr: “Vaccine industry money has neutralized virtually all of the checks and balances that once stood between a rapacious pharmaceutical industry and ou...
Source: vactruth.com - August 3, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Christina England Tags: Top Stories Christina England Logical Centers for Disease Control (CDC) World Health Organization (WHO) PhRMA Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Source Type: blogs
The sense of superiority by those who are pro-vaccine
Thanks to the measles outbreak, the news is full of stories on vaccines and anti-vaxxers. The blogosphere and Twitterverse and all the other social media dimensions are buzzing with invective against ignorant unvaccinated savages and their backward science denial. For the record, I’m a pro-vaccine physician. My children have been and are vaccinated, despite being unsocialized homeschoolers.
I’ve had my own share of needles; Physicians are mandated to have hepatitis B, influenza, and all the other standards. As a former Air Force officer, I also enjoyed the singular delights of typhoid and yellow fever immunization (alt...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 19, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Edwin Leap, MD Tags: Physician Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Healthcare Update Satellite — 03-25-2014
Patients gone wild. Really wild. 70 year old Brookdale Hospital nurse Evelyn Lynch gets knocked to the ground by patient Kwincii Jones and has her head stomped. She was knocked unconscious and suffered severe facial fractures. Also underwent brain surgery, so it is likely she suffered a brain bleed or has brain swelling as well.
Congratulations to the antivaccination movement for increasing the worldwide incidence of pertussis and measles. Measles and mumps are now “crushing” the UK. Patients with “religious exemptions” to receiving vaccinations were reportedly the source of one recent California p...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - March 25, 2014 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: WhiteCoat Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs
Media release: Travel-acquired infections and illnesses in Canadians: surveillance report
This study, then, provides information that until now we have had to infer from travel-acquired illness in other groups.
The study uncovered a number of surprises for travelling Canadians and Canadian immigrants. For example, travel to visit friends and relatives carries a particularly high risk of illness. Serious diseases, like malaria, malaria or enteric fever, are in fact common imported illnesses. And diseases significant to public health, like hepatitis B and tuberculosis, are common as well among returning travellers.
“In order to maximize opportunities for prevention of these types of potentially serious infectio...
Source: Open Medicine Blog - - February 11, 2014 Category: Medical Publishers Authors: Carlyn Zwarenstein Source Type: blogs
