Infectious Disease

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Health Tip: Are You Well Enough to Travel?

Skip a flight if you have symptoms
Health Tip: Preventing Tick Bites

Precautions you can take
‘Good’ Donor Bacteria Can Last Long Term in Stool Transplant Patients

Small study shows helpful gut germs are still there 2 years on

More Infectious Disease News

It’s a Tough Flu Season … for Dogs
Humans can't catch it, but new canine virus can make your pet 'sick as...
- Posted June 14, 2017
- 5
Bats Harbor Viruses That Could Cause Outbreaks in Humans
Two of these are linked to past infections with serious respiratory diseases
- Posted June 12, 2017
- 17
Vaginal Bacteria May Affect Herpes and Zika Transmission
Healthy 'bugs' might alter how the viruses work, researcher says
- Posted June 9, 2017
- 7
Experimental Zika Vaccine Protects Mice Against Virus: Study
Just one dose provided 100 percent protection, researcher says
- Posted June 9, 2017
- 5
1 in 20 Pregnant Women Infected With Zika Have Babies With Birth Defects: CDC
Report from U.S. territories finds 120 newborns suffered range of devastating developmental problems
- Posted June 9, 2017
- 17
Zika’s Set to Return to Mainland U.S., But Budget Cuts Threaten Response
Health experts warn that less federal funding will make it hard to battle the...
- Posted June 2, 2017
- 1
Health Tip: Get More Sleep if You Have a Cold
Suggestions to help ease the misery
- Posted June 2, 2017
- 0
New Combo Pill Offers Hope to Hepatitis C Patients Who Fail Other Treatment
3-drug mixture was nearly 100 percent effective in drug company trials
- Posted June 1, 2017
- 17
Health Tip: Identifying Nail Fungus
Look for these warning signs
- Posted June 1, 2017
- 12
1 in 4 Nursing Home Residents Has Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
More infection-prevention education and policies are needed, study findings suggest
- Posted May 31, 2017
- 13
Overcrowded ERs Risky for Some Seriously Ill Patients
People with sepsis had to wait almost an extra hour for antibiotics in busy...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- 0

Are You Living with Psoriasis?

A growing knowledge of the skin disease called psoriasis is leading to greater treatment choices, including personalized therapies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports.

Psoriasis is an immune system disorder that causes overproduction of skin cells, resulting in scaling, pain, swelling, redness and heat. The condition affects about 7.5 million Americans.

“As we better understand the disease, researchers know more about what specific factors to target in order to develop effective treatments,” FDA dermatologist Dr. Melinda McCord said in an agency news release.

There is no cure for psoriasis, so the main goals of treatments are to stop skin cell overproduction and reduce inflammation. Current therapies include medicines applied to the skin (topical), light treatment (phototherapy), or drugs taken by mouth or given by injection.

Doctors used to take a step-by-step approach, starting patients with mild to moderate psoriasis on topical therapy. If that was ineffective, doctors moved on to phototherapy or drug treatment.