As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, children are asking questions. At home, in the classroom, through the news and social media, they are hearing words such as “virus,” “immunity’ and “vaccine” and wondering what they mean.
Tuesday, December 1 is World AIDS Day. This year underserved communities face greater risk for HIV infection and AIDS-related deaths as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts AIDS prevention, testing, treatment and care services.
WiRED International’s board and volunteers wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
This American holiday is about sharing, and this year that must include the sharing of good health practices as COVID-19 cases and deaths are increasing everywhere at an alarming rate. Counter to the large celebrations we have come to expect at Thanksgiving, people this year are wise to avoid gatherings of more than a few close family members, to maintain social distance, to wash hands often and to wear a mask.
Thyroid disorders exist globally, but especially in countries where health care is scarce and testing is rare. In October WiRED International released a Thyroid Diseases Module in response to an urgent request from our partners in Armenia, specifically from Arpine Baghdoyan, who is the Near East Foundation’s Country Director, Armenia. Armenia suffers from an alarmingly high incidence of thyroid issues, and now WiRED offers the module translated into the Armenian language: Վահանագեղձի հիվանդություններ.
Getting an influenza shot is more important than ever to protect yourself, your family and your community from flu — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the difference between the flu and COVID-19? Both are contagious respiratory illnesses, and, although they share many symptoms, they are caused by different viruses — flu from influenza viruses and COVID-19 from the new SARS-CoV-2 virus.
What gland in your body regulates breathing, heart rate, the central and peripheral nervous systems, body weight, menstrual cycles and body temperature? Oh, and this gland weighs less than one ounce. It’s the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that makes thyroid hormones.
Sickle cell disease (SCD), also called sickle cell anemia, is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. WiRED International now offers this new module on SCD, which is based on information from the World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During the COVID-19 crisis, when life can feel stressful and out of control, you have the power to protect yourself, your family and your community from some of the worst diseases on the planet.
As the world waits for a COVID-19 vaccine, it is important to remember that vaccinations can prevent more than 20 other life-threatening diseases such as polio, tetanus, diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, cancers caused by HPV, pneumonia, meningitis, shingles and more.
Myths about COVID-19 continue to circulate around the Internet. Misinformation ranges from the laughable (the virus arrived from outer space!) to the dangerous (hydroxychloroquine or bleach cure the virus). Conspiracy theories suggest that Greta Thunberg caused COVID-19 to help with climate change or that hand sanitizer companies invented the virus as a marketing scheme.
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic to Kisumu, Kenya, is placing a heavy burden on a population already suffering routinely from disease and lack of basic health care. If that weren’t enough, since early 2020, East Africa has experienced unprecedented waves of locust swarms — a crisis linked to climate change — which has destroyed livestock and crops and threatens to worsen food scarcity.