In The News: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

With 146 confirmed cases of measles in the current Texas outbreak, and the first U.S. death from the disease in a decade, you may be wondering whether you actually did get all your childhood vaccinations. These include the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine, designed to protect you from the notoriously contagious measles.
With 146 confirmed cases of measles in the current Texas outbreak, and the first U.S. death from the disease in a decade, you may be wondering whether you actually did get all your childhood vaccinations. These include the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine, designed to protect you from the notoriously contagious measles.
Vaccines are one of, if not the, most important developments in public health history, and despite nearly a century of data, some people still doubt their safety and efficacy. Infectious disease experts, however, do not—and if you're 50 years old or older, you're going to want to get certain specific jabs to keep yourself safe from some awful (and awfully contagious) illnesses.

Just like the gadgets we use every day are designed with a limited lifespan in mind, the immune system also experiences a type of "planned obsolescence" as we age.

Doctors are warning about the potential health risks tied to eating sushi, coming on the heels of a parasitic brain infection diagnosed in a tourist in Hawaii. If not flash-frozen properly, raw fish can be a source of bacteria and parasites that cause food poisoning-like effects – severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

FOX5 speaks to a 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ professor on how the bird flu transmits to a human.
An H5N1 outbreak is killing flocks of wild birds in Massachusetts and sickening dairy cows in 16 states while a new strain of H5N9 bird flu has emerged in California. As bird flu continues to spread among animals, experts are on high alert for signs the virus has found the genetic key it needs to unlock a widespread problem for humans.

The threat of avian flu has dominated public health discourse as cases become increasingly more widespread and severe. H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain, was present in several continents as early as 1996. Since reaching North America in late 2021, this strain has impacted wild animals, commercial livestock, and humans. Just this week, the first fatal human case of H5N1 was reported in Louisiana—someone over 65 who was exposed to a backyard flock of birds and wild birds.

Eggs are getting a whole lot of attention these days. And, unfortunately, it's not great news.
The threat of avian flu has dominated public health discourse as cases become increasingly more widespread and severe. H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain, was present in several continents as early as 1996. Since reaching North America in late 2021, this strain has impacted wild animals, commercial livestock, and humans. Just this week, the first fatal human case of H5N1 was reported in Louisiana—someone over 65 who was exposed to a backyard flock of birds and wild birds.
Eggs are getting a whole lot of attention these days. And, unfortunately, it's not great news.

Cold and flu season can warrant changes in how you and your family carry out your daily lives in your home. Lysol is frequently sprayed onto surfaces, hand sanitizer is a mainstay in many spaces and boxes of tissue abound. But in the war against viruses and germs, there may be an additional weapon in your arsenal that can make your family even healthier—and it could be something you already own. As it turns out, air purifiers can do a lot more than remove allergens and dust from the air.