The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warns in a new report that people who wear contact lenses and don’t care for them properly risk developing serious infections.
About 41 million Americans wear contact lenses, and people get so used to having them in their eyes, they either forget about them or don’t believe they’re at risk for injury and infection if they don’t use them as directed.
Many people in the United States hang on to leftover antibiotics and say that if they got sick, they’d use them without going to the doctor, a new study finds.
The findings are so problematic, it’s hard to even know where to begin. However, one of the main concerns is that this practice leads people to take the drugs when they might not need them, which may further the spread of resistance to antibiotics.
How disgusting is double dipping, really? Researchers at Harvard were inspired by the character of George Costanza in a 1993 episode of Seinfeld in which he is caught “double-dipping” a chip at a wake. Double-dipping, for those unaware, is when one dips a chip, takes a bite, and then dips their chip again. The other characters, horrified by George’s behavior, said that his act was akin to putting his entire mouth on the dip.
But does science support George or the other characters in this debate?
Earlier this month, the Wendy’s fast-food chain announced it will quit using chickens raised with ‘human antibiotics’ by 2017. [1]
As health officials predicted, the Zika virus is beginning to spread across south Florida, and now a type of genetically modified (GM) mosquito designed to fight the virus has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [1]
Many people remember their parents pulling their thumbs out of their mouths when they were children for fear they’d be made fun of, have a speech impediment, or wind up with buck teeth. There’s even stuff you can buy to put on kids’ fingers to make them taste bitter.
Now, maybe your aversion to thumb-sucking and nail-biting stems from a fear of germs. I get it; I’m a germaphobe, too.
As if the world wasn’t scary enough, scientists have now discovered that you can ingest a bacteria that has a 50/50 chance of killing you just by breathing in. The bacteria, called Burkholderia pseudomallei, spurs a disease known as melioidosis. It has previously been found in Southeast Asia and Australia, killing 89,000 people annually.
People take it for granted that doctors and nurses are washing their hands properly before examining them. After all, no one understands germs and sickness like these healthcare professionals do. But a recent study finds that unless doctors are being watched, they tend to neglect proper hygiene.
The Olympics will be starting soon in Rio de Janeiro, and by all accounts, it’s setting up to be somewhat of a nightmare.
With less than 50 days before the Games are set to begin, a financial crisis is preventing the city from honoring its commitments to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The governor has said the crisis is so severe that it could eventually result in “a total collapse in public security, health, education, mobility, and environmental management.” [1]
Record numbers of Americans are being affected by Lyme disease; and, thanks to climate change, that number could increase dramatically as warmer temperatures allow ticks, the carriers of Lyme, to live longer.
Immature deer ticks, or nymphs, now exist throughout large areas of North American forests, although this wasn’t always the case. During early summer, the blood-thirsty insects roam about, looking for victims to feed on.
