The Anti-body direct epifluorescent filter test improves on many current methods such as culturing, which can take four to five days for results. Americans of all ages may be at risk for pneumococcal diseases, the leading cause of 40,000 vaccine-preventable deaths that occur each year. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges vaccination for everyone over 65. Others should ask their doctors if they need the vaccine. Home-monitored blood pressure readings tend to be more accurate than those taken in a doctor's office, report researchers at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.
Many patients experience a rise in blood pressure caused by office visit stress.
The falsely elevated readings can lead to unnecessary treatment for high blood pressure. Twenty percent of Americans over age 12 carry the genital herpes virus, report researchers at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Herpes can be transmitted through sexual activity and also by touching and kissing. The disease cannot be cured. Developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the new cheese contains less than half the fat found in whole-fat mozzarella.