According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu each year. Of those, about 200,000 people require hospitalization and 36,000 ultimately die. But imagine if, in addition to the stresses of cold and flu season, American health providers were annually confronted with widespread outbreaks of malaria or a host of other diseases that could spread into the United States due to global warming. ...more

January 3, 2009

Don't look now, but cold and flu season is here. And when you catch a bug this winter, people will recommend all sorts of dietary cures to hasten recovery. ...more

December 27, 2008

When cold and flu season strikes, auto-shop manager Todd Meredith's hands may end up in an engine to get a customer's car back on the road. The commissioner of the Central Virginia Basketball Officials Association, Ed Smith, may be forced to send fewer officials to a high school game. Health-care workers dedicated to patient care may have to be told to go home. ...more

January 20, 2008

Dear Abby: The standard form of greeting in the West is a handshake. But this can lead to transmission of germs. ...more

January 6, 2008