For the Laudick family of Greensburg, Indiana, life forever changed on Aug. 5, 2013. That was the day 4-year-old Leah Laudick told her mom, Shelly, that she had a bad headache. Two days later, Leah was hospitalized nearby with worsening headaches and a slightly elevated white blood cell count. She slept for most of the […]
5 min read
Encephalitis is a rare, but very serious infection that causes swelling in the brain. Being aware of the signs and symptoms of encephalitis can help prevent a serious infection before it’s too late…
8 min read
Many of us are familiar with the West Nile Virus, which can be contracted after being bitten by a mosquito. Now, a new mosquito-borne virus has emerged, and it’s threatening to spread from the Caribbean and South America to the United States very soon. The virus is known as Chikungunya, which means “that which bends” […]
It’s finally starting to warm up here in northern North America. And while that makes it easier to enjoy afternoon baseball games and picnics, it also means the return of big, bad mosquitoes, which can carry the deadly West Nile virus. So, what do you need to know about mosquitoes this spring? First, it’s important […]
Less than 1-percent of those bitten by a mosquito with West Nile Virus develop West Nile encephalitis, a serious inflammation of the brain and surrounding tissues, but it’s still important to be informed on the 10 common warning signs.
If you tend to attract mosquitoes, DEET, one of the most widely used ingredients in insect repellent, might be your answer. But before you spray those chemicals all over your body, consider a recent study that shows DEET loses its effectiveness against mosquitoes once they get used to the smell. DEET, a chemical called N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, […]
2 min read
Lisa Welchel has confirmed via Twitter that she has a confirmed case of West Nile Virus. Her post read, “Dr. just called with blood test results… I have West Nile. Ugh. I’m fine, just tired. Takes a year to recover.” After support and well-wishes came flooding in, she further tweeted, “I’ve been very touched by […]
Statistics released on November 7, 2012 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show a scary reality when it comes to West Nile. The annual number of mosquito-borne virus cases top out at 5,054—with related death cases at 228. And when we kissed summer goodbye for yet another year, medical researchers expected to […]
Mike Clark, a doctor from North Texas, is now the patient since being infected with the West Nile virus. Clark now wonders if he and others infected with the neuroinvasive form of the disease could have been spared had the Dallas County health department opted for aerial spraying sooner. Clark is still in rehabilitation more […]
An Alberta man, 66-year-old Ron Sept died on October 4 due to a mere mosquito bite. Prior to the bite, Sept had survived two heart transplants and lived another 14 years. “It’s so hard to accept that after 14 years staying alive after the heart transplants it was one little mosquito, that’s all, that brought him […]