Tagged: Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Now to an odd potential problem here.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME FROM "THE WALKING DEAD")

SIMON: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all Americans to...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Prepare for the zombie apocalypse.

SIMON: At least a zombie visit. They even put a to-do list on their "Public Health Matters" blog. The guidelines don't much resemble the rules of survival in the movie "Zombieland."

(SOUNDBITE OF THE MOVIE, "ZOMBIELAND")

After decades of encouragement, Americans are getting their blood pressure checked more often.

And there's a little more good news, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most adults with high blood pressure are being treated these days.

But, and you knew there had to be a but, more than half of all Americans with hypertension — about 36 million people, all told — still haven't got it under control.

This summer has had its fair share of newsmaking disease outbreaks.

Two Missouri farmers have been infected with a brand-new tick-borne virus that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling the Heartland virus.

The men recovered but suffered serious illness that required hospital care and weeks of convalescence. Symptoms included fever, severe fatigue, headache and nausea. Their platelet counts plummeted, but even though platelets are necessary for blood clotting, the men didn't suffer abnormal bleeding.