While we lived together, a good friend of mine who hails from West Africa taught me to think beyond geopolitical borders. Among countless stories, she sometimes mentioned exotic illnesses that were common in other parts of the world. One is malaria -- that infamous mosquito-transmitted parasite that causes severe flulike symptoms most notably characterized by [...]
Although Lyme disease and the Zika virus are transmitted by different types of vectors, both illnesses can cause severe, long-term health damage and are of enormous concern to the general public. The response by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to each threat, however, has been decidedly different. The CDC has responded to [...]
It starts with a red rash, but can later affect joints, the nervous system, and even the heart. It’s called Lyme disease, and for a woman in Cromwell, it has taken over her life. Rebecca Tibball has lived with chronic Lyme disease for the past year and now she is making it her mission to [...]
Humans have been successful at treating a host of diseases. Yet some continue to elude medicine’s best attempts. Tuberculosis killed 15 percent of the 9.6 million people who contracted it worldwide in 2014. Typhus has flared periodically throughout history, with deadly consequences. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a tick-borne threat in North and South America. [...]
