Caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis can be present in a latent or active form. The latent form is dormant and causes no symptoms. The active form, however, can be deadly. The bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine, or BCG,...
The average American's life expectancy increased from 49 to 77 years during the 20th century, according to the textbook "An Invitation to Health." Advances in fighting infectious diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis, childhood diseases such...
Tuberculosis as a disease caused by the bacteria known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It most commonly affects the lungs, but the bacteria may also infect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the heart, the bones, or even the skin....
The Healthy People 2010 Goals included complete immunization for more than 80 percent of American preschoolers. In 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 76.1 percent of American children ages 19 to 25 months were fully...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, often called COPD, refers to a group of diseases that prevent the lungs from working normally. C stands for chronic because the disease is constant and irreversible. O stands for obstructive because the...
The role of primary health care is to serve as the first line of defense against illness and disease. "Primary health care plays a central role in health care systems worldwide," states the Disease Control Priorities Project. "It can offer...
