There are gaps in immunity against mumps among college-aged Americans who were vaccinated in childhood, researchers say. New findings show the need to learn more about the immune system response to mumps and mumps vaccination. Mumps is a highly contagious viral disease that can spread rapidly among people in close living quarters, such as college students and sports teams. In the last 15 years, several outbreaks have occurred across the United States. Outbreaks have recently been reported in U.S. migrant detention facilities. “Overall, the MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] vaccine has been great, with a 99% reduction in measles, mumps and rubella disease, and a significant reduction in associated complications since its introduction,” said Dr. Sri Edupuganti. She is an associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta. “What we’re seeing now with these mumps outbreaks is a combination of two things — a few people were not making a strong immune response to begin with, and the circulating strain has drifted away from the strain that is in the vaccine,” she explained in a university news release. The study, by researchers at Emory and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), included 71 people, aged 18 to 23, in the Atlanta area. Nearly all (69) had received two MMR doses, but 80% received their second dose more than a…  read on >

The widely held belief that people with dark skin don’t need to use sunscreen is a potentially deadly myth, an expert warns. “There’s a common colloquial phrase, ‘black don’t crack’ — meaning your skin will always be good. You won’t get wrinkles and you don’t need sunscreen if you have melanin-rich skin,” said Dr. Jenna Lester, a dermatologist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). But there’s no truth to that, she added. Too much sun can cause common problems in people with dark skin, such as hyperpigmentation and melasma (dark spots), and dark skin doesn’t protect against the ultraviolet rays of the sun that can cause skin cancer. Believing otherwise can be fatal, she explained. “Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is less common among people of color, but they have a much higher rate of dying from it,” Lester said. “That has to do with this misinformation about darker skin. They may not even know skin cancer is a possibility,” she noted in a university news release. An example of the risk is music legend Bob Marley, who was only 36 when he died from an aggressive form of melanoma that mainly affects people of color. Black Americans have the lowest survival rates for melanoma of any racial group in the United States. This is because in blacks, melanoma is…  read on >

Tamping down inflammation is a must for people with a chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. But you can be exposed to damaging inflammation without having a specific medical condition. Inflammation prevents the body from adequately reacting to stressors and puts the aging process on an unwanted fast track, increasing the likelihood of problems like heart disease. The negative effects of inflammation can be so significant that leading researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy coined the phrase inflamm-aging. So making anti-inflammation lifestyle choices is good for everyone. How to Avoid Inflamm-aging Eat a heart-healthy diet focusing on foods like fatty fish, fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind that sugar is highly inflammatory. Get active with moderate cardio exercise. Remember: Good health guidelines call for 30 minutes a day on at least five days per week. Lose excess weight, especially if you’re carrying those pounds around your middle. Avoid exposure to all forms of secondhand smoke, and of course, if you smoke, quit. Limit alcohol to one drink per day if you’re a woman, two if you’re a man. Clock seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Some people need more, others need less, but this is the sweet spot between not enough and too much. Manage stress. Stress is often unavoidable, but you can minimize its effects with techniques like…  read on >