all Donald Goldmann stories

Simple tools can reduce transmission

50443248 — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:42:50 -0400

Viral upper respiratory and gastrointestinal infections are the two most common illnesses that occur in children enrolled in day care, and secondary attack rates within families can be as high as 27 percent for respiratory illnesses and 70 percent for gastroenteritis.
New research published in the April issue of Pediatrics shows that in homes with children enrolled in day care, several misconceptions regarding illness transmission may be contributing to the spread of these diseases.

Spread of common day care illnesses caused by misconceptions about illness transmission

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:17:53 -0400

A Harvard Medical School study found that only two-thirds of parents believed that contact transmission was important for the spread of colds, and fewer than half believed it was important in the spread of stomach flus. Perhaps more surprising, fewer than half stated that changing a diaper and eating food prepared by a person with gastroenteritis were important in spreading stomach flus.

Staying healthy amidst bacterial "Overkill"

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:21:18 -0400

A new book by Harvard School of Public Health Assistant Professor of Risk Analysis and Decision Science Kimberly Thompson takes a look at how the way we live is causing the rise of drug-resistant germs that are threatening an abrupt end to "The Age of Miracles" and bringing us all into "The Age of Risk Management." The book is called "Overkill: How Our Nation's Abuse of Antibiotics and Other Germ Killers is Hurting Your Health and What You Can Do About It" and published by Rodale Press. Thompson wrote it with health writer Debra Bruce. The Age of Miracles arose in the last century as new medicines and vaccines, coupled with a new understanding of the causes of disease, ended the everyday sway of scourges such as polio, diphtheria, measles, and rubella.