Health News
- Second Annual "hepatitis Conference: The Silent Epidemic In Kentucky" To Be Held Tuesday, July 28 In Lexington
The second annual "Hepatitis Conference: The Silent Epidemic in Kentucky" will be held Tuesday, July 28, the same day as World Hepatitis Day, at the Embassy Suites, in Lexington. The conference aims to provide information about prevention, diagnosis and...
- First Kentuckian Gets Caribbean Virus, Chikungunya Or Chik-v
State officials have confirmed Kentucky's first case of the Caribbean virus chikungunya?or CHIK-V. The first case is an Anderson County man who recently went to Haiti. Though CHIK-V is not native to Kentucky and doesn't usually result...
- Many More Serious Cases Of West Nile Virus Reported This Year, But Only One In Kentucky
Though only one Kentuckian has been affected, more serious cases of people infected by the West Nile virus have been reported this year than any since 2004. Through July, 241 cases were reported in 22 states. The virus has caused four deaths....
- On 30th Anniversary Of Aids Detection, It Is No Longer A Death Sentence, But Kentuckians Die Because They Delay Testing
Though life expectancy for people living with AIDS has improved, the disease "remains a serious health threat, with Kentucky's minorities and poor being affected in disproportionate numbers," reports the Lexington Herald-Leader's Mary Meehan....
- Number Of Hiv/aids Cases Is Increasing In Louisville Area
The number of newly diagnosed AIDS and HIV cases in Louisville is increasing even as the fear of the deadly disease wanes. The number of newly diagnosed cases in Jefferson County rose from 80 in 2005 to 107 cases in 2008, The Courier-Journal's Laura...
Health News
March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day; 71 Kentuckians got the airborne disease last year
March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day, an observance meant to spread awareness about the disease, which is the second leading cause of death worldwide after HIV/AIDS. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate about 2 million people die each year from TB.
"Many people assume that TB is no longer a concern in this country, but we continue to see cases each year ? in Kentucky and around the U.S.," said Steve Davis, acting commissioner of the state Department of Public Health. "While public health has made great strides in preventing the spread of the disease, our work continues."
In 2011, 71 active TB cases were diagnosed in Kentucky, though the state falls below the national average of 3.6 cases per 100,000 people.
TB is an airborne disease, transmitted when an infectious person coughs, shouts, sneezes, speaks or sings. It generally attacks the lungs, but can affect any part of the body, including the kidneys, spine and brain. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.
People exposed to TB can also get a latent TB infection, which has no symptoms but can still be spread to others. That infection can progress into full-blown TB. Symptoms include coughing up blood, loss of appetite, chest pain and fatigue. (Read more)
- Second Annual "hepatitis Conference: The Silent Epidemic In Kentucky" To Be Held Tuesday, July 28 In Lexington
The second annual "Hepatitis Conference: The Silent Epidemic in Kentucky" will be held Tuesday, July 28, the same day as World Hepatitis Day, at the Embassy Suites, in Lexington. The conference aims to provide information about prevention, diagnosis and...
- First Kentuckian Gets Caribbean Virus, Chikungunya Or Chik-v
State officials have confirmed Kentucky's first case of the Caribbean virus chikungunya?or CHIK-V. The first case is an Anderson County man who recently went to Haiti. Though CHIK-V is not native to Kentucky and doesn't usually result...
- Many More Serious Cases Of West Nile Virus Reported This Year, But Only One In Kentucky
Though only one Kentuckian has been affected, more serious cases of people infected by the West Nile virus have been reported this year than any since 2004. Through July, 241 cases were reported in 22 states. The virus has caused four deaths....
- On 30th Anniversary Of Aids Detection, It Is No Longer A Death Sentence, But Kentuckians Die Because They Delay Testing
Though life expectancy for people living with AIDS has improved, the disease "remains a serious health threat, with Kentucky's minorities and poor being affected in disproportionate numbers," reports the Lexington Herald-Leader's Mary Meehan....
- Number Of Hiv/aids Cases Is Increasing In Louisville Area
The number of newly diagnosed AIDS and HIV cases in Louisville is increasing even as the fear of the deadly disease wanes. The number of newly diagnosed cases in Jefferson County rose from 80 in 2005 to 107 cases in 2008, The Courier-Journal's Laura...