The High Cost of High Blood Pressure

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Sep 5, 2012 Some 67 million Americans -- about a third of the adult population -- have high blood pressure, and about half of them do not have it under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Elevated blood pressure is a major factor in heart disease and strokes. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

West Nile Virus on a Deadly Tear in U.S.

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 22, 2012 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts 1,118 cases of West Nile virus in the U.S. through the third week of August in what is shaping up to be the worst year ever for the disease since it was first detected in the country in 1999. Forty-one people have died from the virus so far this year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gonorrhea Nears Complete Drug Resistance

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 11, 2012 Gonorrhea is showing resistance to all but one antibiotic drug used against it, U.S. health officials announced this week. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Medical Mystery Takes a Toll on Cambodian Children

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jul 12, 2012 Medical professionals are puzzling over why a hand, foot and mouth disease has killed so many children in a relatively small outbreak in Cambodia. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

CDC Urges ‘Boomers’ to Get Tested for Hep C Infection

Staff / Truthdig May 20, 2012 Did you know? May 19 is “National Hepatitis Testing Day” and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all baby boomers, the group believed to account for 75 percent of hepatitis C infections in the United States, get checked. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

CDC Registers Rise in Autism Rate

Staff / Truthdig Mar 30, 2012 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a significant uptick in autism diagnoses in several areas of the country that were part of a study published Thursday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Chlamydia Climbing

Staff / Truthdig Nov 20, 2011 Here’s a bit of bad news for the sexually active: Chlamydia infections in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2010 with 1.3 million cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's the largest number ever reported for any condition, the agency says. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Susan G. Komen and the BPA-Breast Cancer Link

Staff / Truthdig Oct 3, 2011 In the face of mounting scientific evidence, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit devoted to wiping out breast cancer, has published statements on its website that dismiss links between the disease and the ubiquitous chemical bisphenol A (BPA), while simultaneously funding research exploring that connection. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Cancer Meds in U.S. Are in Short Supply

Staff / Truthdig Aug 20, 2011 A record 180 medicines used to treat cancers and a number of other diseases and infections are in short supply in the U.S. this year, and as a result prices for some have skyrocketed to as much as 20 times the original cost. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Staggering Rise in HIV Infection Among Young Black Males

Staff / Truthdig Aug 3, 2011 The incidence of HIV infection among young, black American males who have slept with men shot up 48 percent between 2006 and 2009, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Adult Cigarette Smoking Rate Rose in 2008

Staff / Truthdig Nov 13, 2009 Blame it on the recession? Cigarette smoking among American adults had been on the decline for about 15 years, but in 2008 the smoking rate rose, bumping up slightly from 19.8 percent the previous year to just under 21 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Google: ‘I’m Feeling Sicky’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 12, 2008 While worries over Google's "big brother" surveillance practices still worry many, a softer, more health-conscious side of the search giant is partnering with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The tool, "Google Flu Trends," uses the aggregate regional data obtained from flu-related searches to predict epidemics weeks before they can be diagnosed by traditional measures. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )