Shigella infections are growing and drug resistance is why
Shigella has been making people sick for thousands of years. Reports of the violent diarrheal illness it causes appear in ancient records, and the bacterium itself was formally identified in 1897 during a devastating outbreak in Japan that killed 20,000 people in just six months. The scientist who isolated it, Dr. Kiyoshi Shiga, gave the […]
How the HPV vaccine cut cervical cancer cases by 90%
Human papillomavirus, more commonly known as HPV, is not a single virus but a group of more than 200 related viruses. It is also one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world. Most sexually active people will contract some form of HPV at least once during their lifetime, often without ever knowing […]
Pesticides and colon cancer. The connection no one expected
Colorectal cancer is no longer a condition that primarily affects older adults. It is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among people under 50, and the numbers have been climbing steadily. Globally, early-onset colorectal cancer has increased at a rate of 1.4% annually, and roughly 1 in 5 diagnoses now occur in people under […]
Childhood abuse and its toll on adult health can be eased by something money cannot buy
The presence of a single, consistently supportive adult during childhood can meaningfully reduce the long-term physical and mental health consequences of abuse, according to new peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma. The study examined health outcomes among more than 2,100 American Indian and Alaska Native adults across the United States, […]
How climate change is making humidity a silent killer
Most people instinctively brace for heatwaves or bitter cold, but a growing body of science suggests that fixating on temperature alone tells only half the story. Humidity, long treated as a background discomfort, is now emerging as a serious amplifier of weather-related health risks. A new study published in Scientific Reports confirms what researchers have […]
The Maternal Health Crisis Among Black Women deepens concern
The maternal health crisis among Black women in the United States remains one of the most persistent and troubling public health gaps in modern medicine. Despite advances in obstetric care and wider access to insurance coverage, outcomes have not improved evenly. Black women continue to face significantly higher risks during pregnancy and childbirth, revealing deep […]
How measles can erase years of your immune system’s memory and why scientists are sounding the alarm
Most people think of measles as a childhood illness that runs its course and leaves the body stronger for it. The reality is considerably more unsettling. Beyond the fever, rash, and respiratory symptoms of the acute measles infection, the virus can do something far more lasting: erasing a significant portion of the immune system’s existing […]
Hepatitis C exposes deep health gap in Black communities
A curable disease still claims lives as gaps in testing, awareness and access leave Black communities disproportionately affected. Hepatitis C often develops without warning. Many people carry the virus for years without symptoms, allowing damage to build quietly in the liver. By the time it is discovered, the infection may have already progressed to […]
Heart disease is almost entirely preventable so why are we still losing the fight
It has been the leading cause of death in the United States for more than a century. Medical science has transformed how cardiovascular disease is treated, with devices, medications and a far deeper understanding of how lifestyle shapes heart health than ever before. And yet in 2024, more than 900,000 Americans died from cardiovascular disease, […]
Odour Pollution Is Quietly Damaging Millions of Lives
Most of us have experienced it the gut-turning wave of a rubbish dump, a sewage plant, or rotting food. We wrinkle our noses and move on. But for millions of people living near industrial waste sites, that experience never ends. And scientists are increasingly finding that it may be doing more damage than we think. […]