Waste Water Monitoring
PodcastDX
Wastewater monitoring is a valuable, efficient, and robust tool that public health officials can use to guide public health decision making across the nation. When we turn on the tap or flush the toilet, we often don’t think about where all that water goes. Wastewater, the used water from our homes, schools, and businesses, holds valuable information about the health of our community. Wastewater monitoring can help cities manage wastewater effectively and also creates a safer, healthier, and more responsive living environment for their communities. This blog takes a closer look at five...
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Health & Human Services
PodcastDX
The Public Health Agencies are created to deliver on the Government's commitment to help protect the health and safety of all people and communities in whatever country they live in. For example: Canada's activities focus on: promoting health, well-being and equity protecting against threats to public health preventing and reducing diseases and injury Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. It ensures that high-quality health services are accessible, and works to reduce health risks. The UK supports ministers in leading the nation’s...
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Fluoride and Healthy Teeth
PodcastDX
Fluoride has been in the news recently with some people questioning the worth of adding this vital mineral to the water supplies in the United States. Fluoride repairs and prevents damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria in the mouth produce acid when a person eats or drinks. The acid dissolves minerals in a tooth's surface, making the tooth weaker and open to cavities. Fluoride replaces the minerals lost from a tooth due to acid breakdown. Some fluoride can replace minerals in the tooth surface, making the outer enamel layer harder to dissolve. Fluoride also may...
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Cannabis and the Heart
PodcastDX
Many people assume that ingesting cannabis — whether through edibles, oils, or tinctures — eliminates the cardiovascular risks associated with smoking it. While it's true that edibles avoid the harmful byproducts of combustion (such as carbon monoxide and tar), ingested cannabis still carries significant heart health risks due to the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), its main psychoactive compound. When THC is absorbed through the digestive system, it can cause substantial increases in heart rate and blood pressure — sometimes more dramatically than when cannabis is smoked or...
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Stress and the Immune System re-run
PodcastDX
This week we have re-posting a brief insight to the fact that stress can play havoc on the immune system and we hope to have a new guest soon to discuss this weighty problem. If you are a member of the health care community and would like to be a guest on our show to discuss how stress affects the immune system, please drop us a line at . Remember chronic stress = excessive cortisol and too much cortisol = a host of medical ailments. Poor sleep Cortisol levels are supposed to drop at nighttime, allowing your body to relax and recharge. But if your...
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Navigating the VA
PodcastDX
This week's episode is very special for all of the veterans out there... We welcome back three previous guests to discuss receiving healthcare at the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) a component of the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Our main guest (from left to right above) is Mark Frerichs, a Navy veteran who was held captive by the Taliban while working as a government contractor in Afghanistan. His battle didn't end with his eventual release and he was home trying to get the health care services he deserved. Supporting him are: Kristal Kent, an Army veteran...
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Dangers of Nitrous Oxide
PodcastDX
Nitrous oxide, also sometimes known as “laughing gas,” is used in medicine for its sedative and anesthetic (pain prevention) properties. Joseph Priestley, an English chemist, and multidisciplinary scholar, first synthesized nitrous oxide, which has the chemical formula N2O, in 1772. After Priestley’s initial discovery of this substance, fellow chemist Humphry Davy performed various tests on the substance, including breathing the gas alone, with oxygen, and with air. Through this testing, it became clear that nitrous oxide had psychogenic properties, including as a sedative and...
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Vaccine Safety
PodcastDX
Vaccination is one of the best ways to prevent diseases. Over the past 50 years, essential vaccines saved at least 154 million lives (1). During the same period, vaccination has reduced infant deaths by 40%. Together with governments, vaccine manufacturers, scientists and medical experts, WHO's vaccine safety program is constantly helping monitor the safety of vaccines. This helps ensure that vaccines are safe for you and your family. In the United States, a number of safeguards are required by law to help ensure that the vaccines we receive are safe. Because vaccines are given to millions...
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Whooping Cough or Pertussis
PodcastDX
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. It's characterized by severe, persistent coughing fits, often ending with a high-pitched "whoop" sound. The disease can be very serious, especially for infants, and is preventable through vaccination. Whooping cough is an illness that can spread easily. It's also called pertussis. An infection with bacteria causes it. Many people with the illness get a serious hacking cough. Breathing in after coughing often causes a high-pitched noise that sounds like a...
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Summer Health and Safety
PodcastDX
What’s your plan for this summer? Enjoying the water? Going camping? Firing up the grill? Whatever you prefer, we have safety steps to follow. And don’t forget your furry friends. There are steps you can take to help keep them safe too. Skin safety Children's skin is more susceptible to sunburns and UV damage from the sun than adults. Before going outside, and dress your kids in protective clothing like rash guards and hats. Choose a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 with broad-spectrum protection that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreen is only safe for children over 6 months...
info_outlineThis week we will discuss another respiratory virus that has been really hitting hard here in the United States this season.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a contagious virus that is usually mild, but can severely affect the lungs and respiratory airways in older adults
While you may not have heard of it yet, RSV is not a new virus and may be more of a health concern than you think—even if you're healthy. And if you're aged 60 or older, you can get RSV.
But don’t worry, by coming here you’ve taken a savvy first step toward learning about RSV so you can be informed. Let’s dive in.
What are the symptoms of RSV?
Symptoms of RSV can range from mild to severe and can last up to 2 weeks. RSV can cause severe symptoms in older adults.
RSV symptoms may include:
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Fever
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Cough
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Sore Throat
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Runny Nose
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Congestion
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Headache
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Tiredness
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that adults at highest risk for severe RSV infection include older adults, especially those 65 years of age and older, adults with chronic heart or lung disease, and adults with weakened immune systems.
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How does RSV spread?
Similar to some other respiratory infections, a cough or sneeze can easily spread RSV. And while you're typically contagious for 3-8 days, some people, especially those with weakened immune systems, can be contagious for as long as 4 weeks—even after they stop showing symptoms.
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There’s a trio of viruses spreading in the U.S. — COVID-19, the flu and RSV — and some in the medical world are calling it a “tripledemic.”
Public health officials have seen “elevated” levels of all three viruses circulating in the U.S. If you’re feeling sick, it can be tough to differentiate among COVID-19, the flu and RSV because they share similar symptoms and can also look like the common cold.
When it comes to COVID-19, the CDC reports cases and deaths have risen in the past few weeks, as of Dec. 16. Meanwhile, Walenksy said at the briefing that flu and RSV cases are higher than what’s been historically typical this season.
It’s possible that you might be sick with one of the viruses. But keep in mind that from late August through March, it’s also a prime time to get a cold
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Am I sick with COVID, RSV, the flu or simply a cold?
Before getting into symptoms, one characteristic COVID-19, the flu and RSV shares is that they’re respiratory infections affecting the airways, lungs, sinuses and throat. The cold is similar in that it is an upper respiratory infection affecting the nose and throat.
COVID-19 and the flu have quite a few overlapping symptoms, according to the CDC, including:
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Fever
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Cough
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Trouble breathing
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Feeling tired
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Sore throat
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Headache
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Vomiting
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Runny or a stuffy nose
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Diarrhea is listed as a flu and COVID-19 symptom by the CDC. However, while anyone with COVID-19 can experience diarrhea, it is more likely that children with the flu will experience the symptom, according to the agency.
The CDC notes that COVID-19 symptoms may take longer to show up after an initial infection compared with the flu.
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Overall, the flu is the most likely to result in muscle aches and a fever compared to COVID-19, a cold and RSV, according to NYU Langone Health.
In the U.S., the flu and RSV is hitting children hard and overwhelming hospitals, NPR reports.
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RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, can affect anyone with “cold-like” symptoms and has the potential to be most severe for babies and older adults, according to the CDC.
The most common symptoms of RSV and a cold
Similarly to COVID-19 and the flu, RSV symptoms, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, include:
• Fever
• Cough
• Trouble breathing, including wheezing and shortness of breath
• Feeling tired
• Stuffy nose
Other symptoms include sneezing, flaring nostrils, lack of appetite, and “head bobbing or chest caving in between and under ribs with each breath,” the American Academy of Pediatrics reports.
The common cold also shares overlapping symptoms of COVID-19, the flu and RSV, according to Mayo Clinic.
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Some include:
• Low-grade fever
• Cough
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Congestion
Meanwhile, sneezing, body aches and a mild headache are also cold symptoms. Getting evaluated for COVID-19 or the flu
With COVID-19 and the flu, the CDC reports that “you cannot tell the difference between” the pair based on symptoms.
Luckily, there is a test that can detect whether you have COVID-19, the flu and even RSV that you can get through a health care provider.
If all three are ruled out, there’s potential that you could have a cold.
Generally, good habits to prevent yourself from getting sick include washing hands, avoiding touching your face, avoiding close physical contact, staying home and cleaning surfaces
(CREDITS: https://bit.ly/3jIWxbG)
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