Image courtesy of Edward Jenner on Pexels.

In fall 2022, I developed a cough and shortness of breath. My symptoms worsened to fever, cold sweats, fatigue, and severe weakness. As a teacher, I missed weeks of work while seeking answers from medical professionals.

Two pulmonologists diagnosed allergic asthma, dismissing my hunch of valley fever. I was prescribed steroids and antibiotics, but neither treatment helped.

Months later, my condition left me barely able to move or breathe. Finally, Dr. Seth Assar, an Arizona pulmonologist, agreed valley fever was likely. Blood tests confirmed the presence of Coccidioides fungus in my system. Antifungal medication brought immediate relief, and I fully recovered in months.

A misdiagnosis of valley fever can be deadly. As cases rise nationwide, awareness and early diagnosis is essential to public health.

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Image courtesy of Miguel Arcanjo Saddi on Pexels.

Jacob Eberspacher, 28, an invasive species forester with the Arizona Department of Wildlife and Agriculture and Department of Forestry, has experienced the harmful effects of vaping firsthand.

“I had an addiction to it,” Eberspacher said. Symptoms included decreased cardiac capacity, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, and lightheadedness. He eventually realized he could no longer haul gear up mountains as easily for work.

Once, after using his vape, Eberspacher became so dizzy he almost lost control of his vehicle. When he quit, splitting headaches persisted for weeks. The high nicotine concentrations in disposable vapes forced him to wean off. Eberspacher turned to refillable, lower-dose vaporizers. Even then, the cravings lingered.

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After only a few decades with the vaccine, chickenpox cases have plummeted in the United States. But, that doesn’t mean the virus is completely gone. And with the virus still active, there’s a chance your child could come down with chickenpox.

Chickenpox is highly uncomfortable and when your child has it, you want to make sure that they’re as comfortable as possible.

Although, you need to be careful when treating chickenpox symptoms. Despite trying to help, you may make the situation worse and even life-threatening.

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With about half the world’s population living in areas at risk, there are millions of cases of dengue reported each year. Dengue is most common in areas such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the western Pacific Islands. Dengue is a virus and is spread to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes species (Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus) mosquito. Once you are infected with dengue, you can only treat your symptoms as they appear.

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The yellow fever vaccination card, also known as the yellow card (Carte Jaune), is a physical vaccine card that is used to show that someone has been vaccinated against yellow fever. Created by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is currently the only official international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever. Since the yellow fever vaccine provides lifelong immunity, this card does not expire. It’s validity lasts as long as the immunized individual is still alive. But, that’s not to say you won’t need a new one.

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We all have some form of understanding of what a vaccine is and how it is administered. It is typically given through a syringe, usually injected into a muscle, whether that be the arm, thigh, or gluteus. There are some exceptions, as there are oral vaccinations as well. But, there was a time when there was a different kind of vaccination for an epidemic that was affecting children all across the United States, and that illness was polio.

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The cold, winter months are inevitably upon us.

Unfortunately, this means the onset of the cold and flu season. Some people are also prone to sinus infections during the wintertime. Winter proves to be the premier time for individuals to get sick more easily. This can be chalked up to many reasons, like the cold weather or close quarters indoors to avoid that weather.

Approximately 5-20 percent of the United States’ population gets sick with the flu virus every year, while millions of others in the country are diagnosed with sinus infections.

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Typhoid fever can be a life-threatening infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. Typically, typhoid is spread through sewage contaminated food or water and person-to-person contact. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it’s estimated that between 11 – 20 million people contract typhoid each year with roughly 128,000 – 161,000 cases resulting in death (WHO). There are currently two vaccine options as well as antibiotic treatments available to treat typhoid.

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Travelling is an exciting time in everyone’s life. It’s an opportunity to visit different places, view different cultures and more. It can be chaotic, too, but in a good kind of way. We have to make sure that we have everything we need for the trip, all packed up. This includes any prescription medications that you may be taking. If you have medicines that need to stay cold during your trip, here are a few tips for you.

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