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Why The Flu Shot Isn't About You -- But You Should Get It Anyway 09/20/2016 08:00pm • As someone who examines health on a population level, I have seen how influenza, or flu, sweeps through communities every year. I have also heard reasonable people explain to me why they choose not to get vaccinated. While I cannot persuade everyone to make this personal decision, it is my duty to e Gaithersburg's Novavax plunges after disappointing drug trial 09/17/2016 01:30am • WASHINGTON — Stock in Gaithersburg, Maryland-based vaccine maker Novavax plunged nearly 85 percent in Friday trading after reporting disappointing late-stage clinical trial results for one of its drug candidates. Novavax said Phase 3 trials for a drug to treat a lower respiratory tract disease Zika-fighting efforts won’t harm bees, local officials say 09/15/2016 06:47am • WASHINGTON — Local officials working to keep mosquito populations in check in the fight against the Zika virus say the massive bee kill that occurred in South Carolina earlier this month could not happen in the D.C. region. The South Carolina bee kill involved early morning spraying of the che Va. biologist hopes his rap video will spread faster than Zika 09/14/2016 09:39pm • FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A Fairfax County mosquito biologist has brought back his hip-hop alter ego to teach listeners how to prevent the spread of the Zika virus. The Washington Post reports that Andy Lima, who goes by MC Bugg-Z online, posted a video on YouTube last month called "Zika 101 (Vector Reporter offers 1st-person account of Zika infection 09/13/2016 05:23pm • WASHINGTON — For one San Juan-based reporter diagnosed with the Zika virus, the resulting illness wasn't mild and it didn't last just one week. Nick Brown, who spent a year as Reuters' bureau chief in Puerto Rico, said his symptoms returned after several weeks, and he fears he and his wife will How an Asthma Action Plan Can Protect You From the September Asthma Peak 09/11/2016 08:00pm • "The September Asthma Peak" -- it's a catch-phrase for the trend that sends more people, especially children, to emergency rooms for asthma in the month of September than other times of the year. What causes it? Likely a perfect storm of asthma triggers, including high levels of ragweed and mold al In Need of Brain Breakthroughs 09/11/2016 08:00pm • Several years ago, when Kim Spletter began experiencing stiff muscles and difficulty walking, she chalked it up to her exercise regimen. Yet even after she'd scaled her workouts back, the symptoms continued to worsen. Soon Spletter, who lives in Frederick, Maryland, was experiencing tremors in her 3 Options for a Mosquito-Free Retirement Overseas 09/06/2016 08:00pm • Zika virus is one of many mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, yellow fever and dengue, that can cause human illness. Dengue, for example, accounts for 25,000 deaths per year. But mosquito-borne diseases don't necessarily have to interfere with your plans to retire overseas. Zika seems to be Stunning fall for FluMist: Pediatricians won’t recommend it this season 09/06/2016 03:11pm • WASHINGTON — More scientists agree that the nasal spray flu vaccine is not effective prevention against the influenza virus. Tuesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics echoed previously released findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and will not recommend the Flu As Zika cases increase, spraying comes to Montgomery County 09/01/2016 10:18am • WASHINGTON — As the number of Zika patients continues grow, truck-mounted mosquito control spraying is scheduled for Thursday evening in the Strawberry Knolls area of Gaithersburg, in Montgomery County, Maryland. Weather permitting, the spraying will begin after 7:30 p.m., and occur between Go What's the Healthiest Month to Be Born In? 08/30/2016 08:00pm • What's your sign? Mary Regina Boland is a Halloween baby -- a scary birthday not only for the superstitious, but in some ways also for the health-conscious. In recent research, Boland, a Ph.D. fellow at Columbia University Medical Center, and colleagues found that babies born in October and November Stress: Manage it? Or Avoid It? 08/29/2016 08:00pm • Stress is a fact of modern life; so much so that it was the No. 1 Google search last year. So if you can't avoid it, how can you manage it? One word: resilience. The ability to adapt to and recover from the stressors in your life is the superpower for the coming years. Because let's face it -- no ma HPV vaccinations surge in boys 08/27/2016 09:55am • WASHINGTON — More and more parents are realizing the importance of the HPV vaccine — especially the parents of boys. Health officials are encouraged by the recent surge in the number of boys getting the HPV vaccine. They see it as a sign that people are hearing their message that the vaccine Employee from Va. smoothie chain diagnosed with hepatitis A 08/26/2016 09:35pm • MANASSAS, Va. — An employee at a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Gainesville, Virginia, has hepatitis A, and the diagnosis has raised fears about the spreading of the virus. The employee became sick in late July, but didn’t tell his employers until a doctor diagnosed him as having the virus, accord Why You Should Never Take Leftover Antibiotics 08/23/2016 08:00pm • You might be familiar with the scenario: A sore throat, cough or other nagging symptom has you running to your medicine cabinet seeking relief. There, you reach for antibiotics leftover from a previous prescription. Maybe you know you shouldn't. But 1 in 4 people say they would use antibiotics witho