July 13th, 2011 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Health Tips
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Dengue fever is a viral (flavivrus) disease transmitted by Aedes albopictus and female A. aegypti mosquitoes. It is estimated that 50 to 100 million people in more than 100 countries are infected each year with dengue viruses.
There are four different types of dengue virus, and there is no cross-immunity, so a person may be stricken with dengue fever four times in his life. The most active feeding times for dengue vector mosquitoes is for a few hours after daybreak and in the afternoon for a few hours just after dark (dusk).
As opposed to the night-feeding mosquitoes that transmit malaria, these species tend to be “urban,” may also feed during daylight hours (also indoors, in the shade, and during overcast weather), and are known to bite below the waist. Dengue fever is seen chiefly in the Caribbean and South America, as well as other tropical and semitropical areas, such as Southeast Asia, Africa, and Mexico. In the United States, cases have been noted in Texas, Hawaii and Florida. The larvae flourish in artificial water containers (e.g., vases, tires), often in a domestic environment.
The incubation period following a mosquito bite is two to eight days. The disease is self-limited (five to seven days) and characterized in older children and adults by a sudden onset of symptoms, including: Read more »
This post, Dengue Fever: Mosquito Born Illness Now Found In Texas, Florida, And Hawaii, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
March 3rd, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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How do you know if you’re having a heart attack? Are you thinking about the classic Hollywood example?
Hollywood Loves Drama – Know the Signs of a Heart Attack
The classic example of a Hollywood heart attack is a person clutching their chest, gasping for a breath and falling to the ground.
After all, Hollywood is hot for drama, and when it comes to portraying a person having a heart attack, the exaggerated Hollywood version is far more riveting than a person sitting quietly wondering if their very slight arm discomfort is anything they should be concerned about.
The Hollywood version can be very misleading. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
January 12th, 2010 by Shadowfax in Better Health Network, True Stories
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Exaggeration, drama, and histrionics are very much the rule of thumb in the ER. Someone comes in and claims they were stabbed with an eight-inch butcher’s knife, and the police later bring in the actual weapon, and it turns out to be a three-inch penknife. Someone claims to have taken a whole bottle of tylenol, but their serum levels turn out to be nowhere near the toxic level (or even zero). A patient reports to you that their last pneumonia was so bad their doctor didn’t think they’d pull through, but you check the records and see they weren’t even in the ICU. (The sole exception to this rule, of course, is the stated alcohol intake, which is usually about half to a third the actual alcohol intake.) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
December 19th, 2009 by Nancy Brown, Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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Disorders like depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and bipolar disorder all have warning signs. If you are concerned about these signs in yourself or others, talk to a trusted adult and get help!
Clinical Depression
- Loss of appetite
- Insomnia and trouble sleeping almost every night
- Unable to focus on even simple activities
- Extremely low energy
- Loss of interest in things you normally enjoy Read more »
This post, Top Five Signs of Common Mental Health Conditions, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Nancy Brown, Ph.D..
