Circumcision has long been thought to have no valuable medical basis (http://www.latimes.com/health/hw-hw142449-1,0,2665679.story). However, recent studies sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Gates Foundation have shown that male circumcision lowers the transmission of AIDS by about 60% (http://www.latimes.com/health/sns-health-men-africa-circumcision-campaigns,0,7346329.story). Since then, various governments and non-profit groups have pushed for mass ... More »

Generation is the focus of this article. As the examples in the story illustrate, the responsibilities and rights of people change as they age. For instance, people retire and receive pension and other benefits from the government at 65. In addition, older individuals become more susceptible to diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and respiratory problems. Elderly people also develop different needs and concerns. As the article points out, older people need assistance with simple ... More »

The main fault line discussed in this article is geography. As Dr. Weiss from the Bureau of Communicable Diseases explains, New York City is a favorite tourist destination which makes it highly susceptible to exotic diseases. In addition to this, NYC residents come from different parts of the world and travel to different places. The three cases of cholera that were reported, for instance, came from three people who travelled abroad. In this issue therefore geography functions as the ... More »

Since it was approved by the FDa in 2006, the HPV vaccine has been primarily marketed to women. As Dr. Giuliano in the article explains, this is mainly because studies on the human papillomavirus focused on cervical cancer occurrence. Currently however, HPV has also been linked to genital warts (which is sexually transmitted) and cancer of the penis and anus. In fact, vaccination for HPV has been approved for men since 2009. This article and the topic it discusses definitely ... More »

As the article discusses, Asian Americans have had the highest occurrence rate for diabetes in the past 11 years. In fact, an 8%increase has been observed--a rate higher than the 6% among whites. This statistic is partly surprising because Asian Americans are less likely to be overweight than Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans. Thus, this article and the recent research findings seem to counter widely understood stereotypes about Asians in America. For instance, most people ... More »

The misuse of antibiotics, which usually stems from the failure to follow a physician’s prescription, can result to a decrease in the effectiveness of the drug during later uses. Antibiotic resistance, as this phenomenon is called, serves as a concrete example by which evolution today can be observed. In this article, the main concern of the FDA and other experts is similar: traces of antibiotics in cow’s milk may undermine the effects of these drugs when they are used to treat ... More »

Currently, researchers are continuing efforts to find the causes behind autism spectrum disorder or ASD. Various organizations and scientists have identified several possible predictors to ASD such as jaundice in newborns, maternal drug intake during pregnancy, and some genetic predispositions but none of these have been definite. Geneticists, psychologists, pediatricians, and other experts bear the burden of doing further studies on this matter because it is only when the causes ... More »

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over one million Americans are HIV positive, 21% of which are unaware of their condition. Over 56,000 people are said to contract the lifelong disease every year. Although not explored in this article, society plays a big role in this issue. Still based on CDC data, it is said that 53% of new HIV cases every year are due to sexual relationships between gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). In ... More »

Disease prevention is a key component of effective and efficient public health practice (http://www.hhs.gov/about/opdivs/phs.html). Disease prevention and control are foremost responsibilities of the State as they promote the general health and well being of the people (http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm). As the article discusses, the proponent of the HIV prevention ad was New York City’s Health and Mental Hygiene Department. Their campaign focused on ... More »