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Vaccines and immunizations Archive

Articles

Menopause and long COVID: What's the connection?

Two-thirds of Americans with long COVID are women. Women approaching menopause who have long COVID seem to experience worsened symptoms of both conditions. Women's sex hormones appear to contribute to this phenomenon. Hormone therapy is becoming both a treatment and a diagnostic tool to determine driving factors behind affected women's symptoms. Because symptoms overlap, some women may have trouble being correctly diagnosed with perimenopause or long COVID.

Swimming lessons save lives: What parents should know

Every year, more than 4,500 people die from drowning in the United States. Swimming lessons help save lives and parents should know how to choose the right program and encourage children to learn skills that will help them to stay safe at the beach and around ponds or pools.

Life can be challenging: Build your own resilience plan

Resilience is a psychological response that helps you adapt to life's difficulties and seek a path forward through challenges. While everyone has the ability to be resilient, life stresses can take a toll on you. It's possible to cultivate resilience - but how?

Should I get the shingles vaccine?

The shingles vaccine, Shingrix, can trigger side effects such as a sore arm, achiness, fatigue, and fever. But Shingrix is highly effective at preventing painful shingles rashes and a complication called postherpetic neuralgia, which involves long-lasting nerve pain.

COVID-19 vaccination may lower the risk for long COVID

People who received a COVID vaccine during the first two years of the pandemic had a lower risk of developing long COVID, according to a 2024 study.

What kind of reaction can you expect from the shingles vaccine?

The Shingrix vaccine decreases the risk of developing shingles (herpes zoster), a painful and potentially serious condition. In some people, the reaction to Shingrix includes mild soreness, redness, swelling, or pain in the arm at the injection site. Some people also experience fatigue, headache, muscle achiness, stomach pain, nausea, fever, or chills and shivering for a day or two. Very rarely, people have an allergic reaction. There is no evidence that anything will prevent a reaction to Shingrix.

Sexually transmitted infections: What parents need to be sure their teens know

It's never easy for parents to talk to their teens about sex, so many are understandably hesitant to do so. But even if teens are not yet sexually active, it's important for them to have accurate information about sexually transmitted infections to keep themselves safe and healthy.

Concussion in children: What to know and do

Concussion is one of the most common injuries to the brain, affecting about two million children and teens every year. Understanding signs, symptoms, questions to ask, and how concussion care has changed in recent years can make a difference in identifying concussion and recovery.

Co-regulation: Helping children and teens navigate big emotions

Co-regulation is a process in which caregivers can help young people learn better ways to regulate their emotions during the inevitable upsets and challenges of life. But before a caregiver can help a child, they need to understand their own emotional skills and limitations.

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