Robyn Correll

Latasha Haynes was 34 when she almost died of the flu last year. What started as a little coughing and fatigue ended with two blood transfusions and a diagnosis of congestive heart failure weeks later. Flu had caused damage to her heart muscles and the saclike tissue around it. She survived, but just barely, and it took her months to recover.

Preparing kids for school takes more than vaccines and backpacks. Bullying and technology look different than they did a few decades ago, and the Internet has ushered in a new age of misinformation and anxiety. From Head Start to high school and college, kids need help navigating complex social and safety issues — ideally, before they happen. Here are some things that experts say parents should be thinking about as their kids and teens head back to school.

Different groups and communities can have markedly different levels of health. Some populations can have higher rates of cancer, for example, while others might be more likely to be obese or use tobacco. These differences in health or medical conditions are called health disparities, and they can have a profound impact on the public health of a community.

While almost everyone gets the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) at least at some point in their lives, some populations are significantly more likely to develop HPV-associated cancers. These differences in cancer rates and deaths are called health disparities, and they can have profound effects on individuals, families, and whole communities. Minority populations, especially black women, are disproportionately impacted by HPV-associated cancers.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse set of infections that primarily impact impoverished communities in tropical regions around the globe. Found in 149 countries and more than a billion individuals, NTDs affect more people than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV combined worldwide, and result in approximately 57 million years of life lost when you take into consideration the premature death and disability they cause.

Nearly half of all older adults need at least some kind of help with everyday activities, according to a 2014 investigation by researchers at the University of Michigan. Whether it’s having someone on hand to assist with cooking, to take their arm as they get out of a chair or to help keep track of their medications, many seniors rely on others to help them navigate daily life.

Medical practitioners have been recommending opioid pain meds to patients for hundreds of years, but the opioid crisis only began rearing its ugly head in the late 1990s. What happened?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 23 million people in the United States live in areas without access to supermarkets or other stores selling a variety of affordable healthy food options. These communities, known as food deserts, are a serious environmental health issue that can impact the lives of families for generations.

If you're a parent or guardian of a small child or infant, here's what you need to know about how you can die from flu and what warning signs to watch for if your child becomes ill.

I knew my son was sick when he didn’t want the iPad. Normally, my energetic toddler would have been begging to get his sticky fingers on the screen, but when I set it down next to him, he didn’t even reach for it.

We don’t always see it, but our environment is shaping our health every moment of every day. Where we live, what we eat, and how we interact with the world around us can tip the scales (sometimes literally) between healthy or not. That’s where environmental health professionals, policies, and programs all come into play.

In 2010, the U.S. government pinned down the definition of health equity as the “attainment of the highest level of health for all people.” That means everyone, regardless of race, socio-economic status, geography, or circumstance, has the same shot at living a healthy life. It is a lofty goal, and to achieve it will require some pretty big changes at all levels—from individuals to society as a whole.

Yoga has been shown to have all kinds of benefits for adults, especially during pregnancy. It can improve sleep, lower your stress levels, and increase your core muscle strength. Group classes can also be a relaxing way to connect with your body and develop friendships at the same time. But grownups aren’t the only ones who can benefit.

Like many public health issues, there's no easy solution to the opioid epidemic. Combatting the abuse of these drugs will take a multi-disciplinary approach that includes everyone from single individuals to massive government entities.

The United States sees more gun violence than any other developed nation. More than 33,000 people die every year as a result of firearms—roughly the same as car crashes—yet United States officials don't approach gun violence in the same way they do other health and safety issues, like infectious diseases or drownings. Why not? And what if we did?

My son saw a doctor 28 times before he turned 1 year old — roughly once every two weeks. It was miserable but not wholly unexpected. I knew when he started day care he would get sick; I just didn’t know how much. With every illness came the gut-wrenching reminder that I couldn’t protect him from everything, and equally awful: I knew he would probably infect others, too.

While the flu vaccine is just as crucial today as when it was first released, a lot has changed in its roughly 70-year history. As technology has accelerated, the vaccine has gotten safer and more effective—and with these advances, recommendations have evolved, too, expanding from select target populations to everyone over the age of six months. Here's how we got here.

People who work in health care settings are frequently exposed to germs while being with or around patients. Vaccinating healthcare personnel (HCP), like physicians and nurses, helps protect them from potentially dangerous diseases like flu and whooping cough, as well as protects the patients they care for. All adults should make sure they are up-to-date on all routinely recommended vaccines. But if you're an HCP or work in a health care setting, there are six shots in particular that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Credited for causing drastic reductions in dangerous diseases like measles and polio, vaccines are widely heralded as one of the greatest public health achievements in modern history. But how do they work? How can a simple shot protect us from getting sick? Vaccination trains your body's immune system to identify and fight specific diseases. It's is a lot like prepping your army before a war begins.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt the long-haul hangover. You know the feeling — after spending several hours on the plane, you pull yourself onto the jetway tired and queasy, with a foggy head and slight headache. You feel gross and not just because you need a shower. While some might blame this general state of ickiness on jet lag, germs or recycled air, the reason we feel so lousy after a long flight actually has more to do with chemistry — specifically, how our bodies react to the change in chemistry that happens miles above the ground. Here’s a look at four key factors that play into this, and four tips for making it easier.