Have You Heard?" 2013
Jan
Pregnant Women Need a Flu Shot!
January 28, 2013
If you're pregnant, a flu shot is your best protection against serious illnesses caused by the flu. A flu shot can protect pregnant women, their unborn babies, and even the baby after birth. The flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not pregnant. Changes in the immune system, heart and lungs during pregnancy make pregnant women more prone to severe illness from flu, which can lead to hospitalization or even death. A pregnant woman with the flu also has a greater chance of serious problems for her unborn baby, including miscarriage or preterm birth.
Energy Drinks
January 21, 2013
Energy drinks are beverages that typically contain caffeine, other plant-based stimulants, simple sugars, and other additives. They are very popular among youth and are regularly consumed by 31 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds and 34 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds. When alcoholic beverages are mixed with energy drinks, a popular practice among youth, the caffeine in these drinks can mask the depressant effects of alcohol. Drinkers who consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks are 3 times more likely to binge drink (based on breath alcohol levels) than drinkers who do not report mixing alcohol with energy drinks.
About Thyroid Disease
January 14, 2013
Thyroid disease is common, especially among older people and women. The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck just below the Adam's apple, takes iodine from the diet and makes thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone affects a person's physical energy, temperature, weight and mood. Checking for thyroid disease is similar to other kinds of medical evaluations. The doctor considers the patient's medical history, examines the thyroid and may order a blood test or other diagnostic tests.
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
January 7, 2013
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is a group of disorders that damage the eye’s optic nerve and can lead to vision loss. According to the National Eye Institute, glaucoma affects approximately 4 million people in the United States, and nearly half of those with glaucoma are not aware that they have the disease. Glaucoma occurs when the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises. However, recent findings now show that glaucoma can occur with normal eye pressure. With early treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss.
Influenza Division Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report (Week 52)
January 4, 2013
Influenza activity continues to increase in the United States and most of the country is now experiencing high levels of influenza-like-illness (ILI), according to CDC’s latest FluView report. “Reports of influenza-like-illness (ILI) are nearing what have been peak levels during moderately severe seasons,” according to Dr. Joe Bresee. CDC continues to recommend influenza vaccination and antiviral treatment when appropriate at this time.
Feb
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
February 25, 2013
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Dating violence can happen to any teen, anytime, anywhere. But it doesn't have to happen at all. Learn how to prevent teen dating violence with CDC's online resources. Did you know that in the past 12 months, one in 10 teens report being hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once? And nearly half of all teens in relationships say they know friends who have been verbally abused.
Protect your unborn or newborn baby from infection
February 19, 2013
If you are pregnant—or know anyone who is—you need to know about group B strep. About a quarter of all women carry the bacteria that cause group B strep infection. Group B strep bacteria are usually not harmful to you and won't make the people around you sick. But these bacteria can be very dangerous for your newborn. Babies can get very sick and even die if their mothers pass group B strep bacteria to them during childbirth. That's why it's so important for you to get tested for group B strep each time you get pregnant.
National Heart Month
February 11, 2013
February is American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. This month, we are highlighting Million Hearts™, an initiative dedicated to preventing the nation's leading killers and empowering everyone to make heart-healthy choices.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
February 7 marks the 13th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a national community mobilization initiative to boost HIV awareness and advance HIV prevention, testing, and treatment among African Americans in the United States. For more information, please read CDC’s official NBHAAD statement by Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. Today, we have many more opportunities than ever before to reduce the disproportionate burden that African American men, women, and young adults bear. Working together with state and local public health agencies, African American communities, and other partners in the public and private sectors, CDC continues to address the HIV epidemic in African American communities. One of these efforts is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). NBHAAD is directed, planned, and organized by the Strategic Leadership Council, a group of organizations that partner with CDC to mobilize communities across the country to fight HIV and lessen its impact on African American communities.
Mar
Calculate Your Risks for Type 2 Diabetes on American Diabetes Alert Day (26)
March 25, 2013
Diabetes affects nearly 26 million Americans now, and the rate at which people develop it is increasing. Taking a short quiz to check your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is one way you can take the first step to prevent diabetes. CDC’s quiz asks you about circumstances that can predict whether you are more likely than others to develop the disease. The quiz is called the prediabetes screening test, because it checks whether you are likely to have a condition called prediabetes, which often leads to type 2 diabetes within a few years.
Worker Safety after a Flood
March 18, 2013
The danger of a flood does not end when the rains cease. Cleanup crews must work together and look out for one another to ensure safety.
For most work in flooded areas, workers will need hard hats, goggles, heavy work gloves, and watertight boots with steel toe and insole (not just steel shank).Colorectal cancer screenings save lives
March 11, 2013
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood as well as possible. This damage can cause waste to build up in the body and lead to other health problems, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), anemia, and bone disease.
CDC’s Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Initiative was congressionally mandated in 2006 to build capacity and infrastructure for a public health approach to CKD in recognition of this growing problem in the United States. Kidney disease ranks as the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 10 percent, or more than 20 million, U.S. adults have CKD and most of them are not aware of their condition.
Learn about CDC’s Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative
March 3, 2013
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood as well as possible. This damage can cause waste to build up in the body and lead to other health problems, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), anemia, and bone disease.
CDC’s Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Initiative was congressionally mandated in 2006 to build capacity and infrastructure for a public health approach to CKD in recognition of this growing problem in the United States. Kidney disease ranks as the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 10 percent, or more than 20 million, U.S. adults have CKD and most of them are not aware of their condition.
Apr
National Infant Immunization Week
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities. Since 1994, NIIW has served as a call to action for parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers to ensure that infants are fully immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases.
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
Sexual violence is a serious public health problem in the United States. Statistics underestimate the problem because many victims are afraid to tell the police, family, or friends about the violence. In the United States, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men report that they have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. In addition, nearly 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men report that they have experienced sexual violence victimization other that rape in their lifetime.
STD Awareness Month
April is STD Awareness month, an annual observance to call attention to the impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and promote STD testing across the United States. Every year STDs cost the U.S. health care system $17 billion—and cost individuals even more in immediate and long-term health consequences. Regardless of race or gender, data show that sexually active teens and young adults are at an increased risk for STDs when compared to older adults.
Alcohol Awareness Month
April marks Alcohol Awareness Month, a nationwide campaign intended to raise awareness of the health and social problems that excessive alcohol consumption can cause for individuals, their families, and their communities. Excessive drinking is a dangerous behavior for both men and women. This year, CDC is drawing attention to the risks to women's health from binge drinking, the most common type of excessive alcohol consumption by adults.
May
National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
Teen pregnancy and childbearing bring substantial social and economic costs through immediate and long-term impacts on teen parents and their children.
In 2008, teen pregnancy and childbirth accounted for nearly $11 billion per year in costs to U.S. taxpayers for increased health care and foster care, increased incarceration rates among children of teen parents, and lost tax revenue because of lower educational attainment and income among teen mothers.
Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls. Only about 50 percent of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age, versus approximately 90 percent of women who had not given birth during adolescence.
UV Safety Month
Protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is important all year round, not just during the summer or at the beach. UV rays from the sun can reach you on cloudy and hazy days, as well as bright and sunny days. UV rays also reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. Indoor tanning (using a tanning bed, booth, or sunlamp to get tan) exposes users to UV radiation.
The hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daylight savings time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time) are the most hazardous for UV exposure outdoors in the continental United States. UV rays from sunlight are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America.
Arthritis Awareness Month
Don’t let arthritis limit you. If you are 1 of the 50 million living with arthritis, there are some simple things you can do to reduce symptoms and live well.
Early diagnosis and proper management of arthritis can help people with arthritis decrease pain, improve function, decrease and delay disability and stay productive and active. Whether or not you have arthritis, you should strive for five. Strive to incorporate five arthritis solutions into your lifestyle 1) learn self-management strategies, 2) be active, 3) watch your weight, 4) protect your joints, and 5) see your doctor.
Get email updates
To receive email updates about this site, enter your email address:
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348 - Contact CDC-INFO
