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SUNDAY, May 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- As summer approaches, you may be planning a big trip for the first time since the pandemic began -- but be sure to make and follow a health checklist if you are traveling to another country, an expert advises.That includes going to a travel medicine clinic, getting all the necessary vaccinations and packing the right medications."It's important to secure the proper vaccinations for your entire itinerary and discuss any potential risk factors with a travel clinic doctor," said Dr. Andrew Walker, a travel medicine physician at Penn State Health Travel Medicine at Penn State Health Urgent Care.A travel medicine physician is an expert on health risks and vaccination requirements for countries worldwide. It's suggested to find one with plenty of...

SATURDAY, May 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- If you're one of the estimated one million Americans having total hip or knee replacement surgery this year, some lifestyle changes might improve your chances of a good outcome, an expert says.Lose weight safely through diet and exercise before surgery, said orthopedic surgeon Dr. Matthew Abdel. The target body mass index (BMI) — an estimate of body fat based on weight and height — is less than 40, but the closer you can get to a BMI of 25 to 30, the better, added Abdel, who specializes in hip and knee replacement at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.Even losing 20 pounds before hip or knee replacement surgery improves outcomes, he said. Here are some of his other suggestions: Stop using cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars and all other...

FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Five children have died in a mysterious wave of acute hepatitis that has sickened dozens of kids across the United States during the past seven months, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.Overall, public health officials have identified 109 children in 25 U.S. states and territories stricken with the liver condition, according to Dr. Jay Butler, the CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases. Their average age has been 2 years."More than 90% of these patients under investigation were hospitalized, 14% received liver transplants, and more than half had a confirmed adenovirus infection," Butler said during a media briefing on the cases.Despite the recent reports, pediatric hepatitis remains rare in this country,...

FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A serious bout of COVID-19 can prompt a serious loss of brain power, new research warns, triggering a drop in IQ that's equivalent to aging from 50 to 70 in a matter of months."Previous research has indicated that people who have recovered from COVID-19 may suffer from lasting problems in terms of their ability to concentrate and problem solve," noted study author Adam Hampshire. He's an associate member with the U.K. Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, in London."What we were trying to find out was how pronounced these [thinking] difficulties were in patients who had been more severely ill, which aspects of [thinking] were most affected, whether there was any sign of recovery over time, and what the underlying cause...