Anchor lead: As global warming expands mosquito territory, a vaccine for Dengue virus is a worldwide concern, Elizabeth Tracey reports Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes, and it can result in serious illness and death, especially if someone is experiencing their second infection. That’s because there are different strains of ...…

Anchor lead: What do skin infections and tumor responses have in common? Elizabeth Tracey reports You’ve probably heard of MRSA, a skin infection that can turn deadly for some people. This is just one strain of a bacterium that’s called staph aureus, with this group of bugs responsible for some half a million hospitalizations and […]…

Anchor lead: A special type of cell helps some people fight off severe skin infections, Elizabeth Tracey reports Many skin infections are caused by a bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus, with the most infamous strain known as methicillin resistant staph aureus, or MRSA, which can be life-threatening. Now research by Lloyd Miller and colleagu ...…

Anchor lead: If you’ve had Lyme disease and are still having symptoms, what should you do? Elizabeth Tracey reports Lyme disease symptoms may actually persist after treatment and result in an ongoing condition known as “post treatment Lyme disease syndrome,” a study by John Aucott, a Lyme expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues, has shown. […]…

Anchor lead: How can post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome be recognized? Elizabeth Tracey reports Lyme disease sometimes fails to respond to treatment, and may result in a constellation of symptoms that, taken together with the presence of the characteristic rash at some point in the past, points to a diagnosis of post treatment Lyme disease sy ...…

Anchor lead: A very specific group of people who’ve had Lyme disease may develop a chronic form, Elizabeth Tracey reports If you’ve had Lyme disease or know someone who has, chances are good you also know that some people insist they’re still having problems even after treatment, while the medical community has largely disparaged such […]…

Anchor lead: What can you do right now to protect yourself from the flu? Elizabeth Tracey reports The flu this year is especially severe, having caused many deaths in both children and adults. What can you do to help protect yourself? Andrew Pekosz, a flu expert at Johns Hopkins, outlines a plan. Pekosz: It’s not […]…

Anchor lead: Why is the flu vaccine falling short this year? Elizabeth Tracey reports The flu vaccine is produced in chicken eggs, and takes a long time. That’s one problem with current vaccines according to Andrew Pekosz, a flu expert at Johns Hopkins. Pekosz: The second thing, which is particularly a problem with the H3N2s […]…

Anchor lead: Why is combatting the flu so challenging? Elizabeth Tracey reports The flu season is hard upon us, in spite of the great number of us who receive the flu vaccine each year. What gives? Andrew Pekosz, a flu expert at Johns Hopkins, tries to make sense of the complexity for the rest of […]…

Anchor lead: Do men really have a worse time of it when they get the flu than women? Elizabeth Tracey reports We’ve all seen the caricatures. A man with the flu seriously acts as if he’s about to die, while a woman with the same illness may pop a couple of pills and soldier on. […]