Science

If you’re looking for a conversation starter this Thanksgiving, the country’s top public health doctor has a suggestion – find out about your family’s health history.Talking about diseases might not be your family's ideal topic for a holiday – but US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin says one approach is to start very general."If you start at the dinner table talking about what things run in families, you can take it from there and go deeper later on," she says. After dinner, you might sit down with a parent or uncle or grandparent, and get some details.Dr. Benjamin spoke by phone from her hometown on Alabama’s gulf coast, where she used to run a rural clinic. She says she's been trying to collect family history for years, and she always learns something new."One of my grandfathers, for example, they always said he died of an enlarged heart. We didn’t know what an enlarged heart was -- nobody knew. I eventually found out it was congestive heart failure," she says.Beyond strokes and cancers, there are eye problems or mental issues that might be passed on, or skip generations. That type of family history can help a doctor customize his or her advice.Getting started ... If you’re going to do this, it really helps to have a computer handy – because the Surgeon General's office teamed up with Microsoft to create a website where you can fill in the blanks and end up with a quality health-history in about 15-20 minutes.The data gets saved to your computer, and you can always add to it later.---From the Surgeon General's office:"An Internet-based tool, My Family Health Portrait, lets anyone create a portrait of the family's health history.  It is available on the Surgeon General’s site at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov."How can I encourage other family members to share their health information?"Privacy is important, and no one should be forced to share personal health information if they don't wish to. But knowledge of family health histories may be spread over different family members, so sharing can help create the best product. Maybe the best way to encourage sharing is to help make it clear how this information can help health care practitioners provide better care and make more informed decisions."What security precautions should I take when I share information with relatives?"Since the information that is aggregated by the FHH tool is personal health information, you should take reasonable precautions when sending this information to relatives. You should encrypt the information before sending it via email. If you don't have access to encrypted email; it may be better to transfer the information on a CD or memory stick; either in person or by regular mail."What if my knowledge about my family health history is incomplete or imprecise?"Very few people are likely to have detailed and precise information about their family members/ health histories. But any information can be helpful. Once you have completed your history, it is important to talk about it with your health care practitioner. He or she may be able to help provide perspective, or even provide more detail based on the knowledge you bring."

If you’re looking for a conversation starter this Thanksgiving, the country’s top public health doctor has a suggestion – find out about your family’s health history.Talking about diseases might not be your family's ideal topic for a holiday – but US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin says one approach is to start very general."If you start at the dinner table talking about what things run in families, you can take it from there and go deeper later on," she says. After dinner, you might sit down with a parent or uncle or grandparent, and get some details.Dr. Benjamin spoke by phone from her hometown on Alabama’s gulf coast, where she used to run a rural clinic. She says she's been trying to collect family history for years, and she always learns something new."One of my grandfathers, for example, they always said he died of an enlarged heart. We didn’t know what an enlarged heart was -- nobody knew. I eventually found out it was congestive heart failure," she says.Beyond strokes and cancers, there are eye problems or mental issues that might be passed on, or skip generations. That type of family history can help a doctor customize his or her advice.Getting started ... If you’re going to do this, it really helps to have a computer handy – because the Surgeon General's office teamed up with Microsoft to create a website where you can fill in the blanks and end up with a quality health-history in about 15-20 minutes.The data gets saved to your computer, and you can always add to it later.---From the Surgeon General's office:"An Internet-based tool, My Family Health Portrait, lets anyone create a portrait of the family's health history.  It is available on the Surgeon General’s site at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov."How can I encourage other family members to share their health information?"Privacy is important, and no one should be forced to share personal health information if they don't wish to. But knowledge of family health histories may be spread over different family members, so sharing can help create the best product. Maybe the best way to encourage sharing is to help make it clear how this information can help health care practitioners provide better care and make more informed decisions."What security precautions should I take when I share information with relatives?"Since the information that is aggregated by the FHH tool is personal health information, you should take reasonable precautions when sending this information to relatives. You should encrypt the information before sending it via email. If you don't have access to encrypted email; it may be better to transfer the information on a CD or memory stick; either in person or by regular mail."What if my knowledge about my family health history is incomplete or imprecise?"Very few people are likely to have detailed and precise information about their family members/ health histories. But any information can be helpful. Once you have completed your history, it is important to talk about it with your health care practitioner. He or she may be able to help provide perspective, or even provide more detail based on the knowledge you bring."

If you’re looking for a conversation starter this Thanksgiving, the country’s top public health doctor has a suggestion – find out about your family’s health history.Talking about diseases might not be your family's ideal topic for a holiday – but US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin says one approach is to start very general."If you start at the dinner table talking about what things run in families, you can take it from there and go deeper later on," she says. After dinner, you might sit down with a parent or uncle or grandparent, and get some details.Dr. Benjamin spoke by phone from her hometown on Alabama’s gulf coast, where she used to run a rural clinic. She says she's been trying to collect family history for years, and she always learns something new."One of my grandfathers, for example, they always said he died of an enlarged heart. We didn’t know what an enlarged heart was -- nobody knew. I eventually found out it was congestive heart failure," she says.Beyond strokes and cancers, there are eye problems or mental issues that might be passed on, or skip generations. That type of family history can help a doctor customize his or her advice.Getting started ... If you’re going to do this, it really helps to have a computer handy – because the Surgeon General's office teamed up with Microsoft to create a website where you can fill in the blanks and end up with a quality health-history in about 15-20 minutes.The data gets saved to your computer, and you can always add to it later.---From the Surgeon General's office:"An Internet-based tool, My Family Health Portrait, lets anyone create a portrait of the family's health history.  It is available on the Surgeon General’s site at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov."How can I encourage other family members to share their health information?"Privacy is important, and no one should be forced to share personal health information if they don't wish to. But knowledge of family health histories may be spread over different family members, so sharing can help create the best product. Maybe the best way to encourage sharing is to help make it clear how this information can help health care practitioners provide better care and make more informed decisions."What security precautions should I take when I share information with relatives?"Since the information that is aggregated by the FHH tool is personal health information, you should take reasonable precautions when sending this information to relatives. You should encrypt the information before sending it via email. If you don't have access to encrypted email; it may be better to transfer the information on a CD or memory stick; either in person or by regular mail."What if my knowledge about my family health history is incomplete or imprecise?"Very few people are likely to have detailed and precise information about their family members/ health histories. But any information can be helpful. Once you have completed your history, it is important to talk about it with your health care practitioner. He or she may be able to help provide perspective, or even provide more detail based on the knowledge you bring."

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

Washington’s worst epidemic of whooping cough in 70 years appears to be winding down. The number of cases is a fraction of the peak last May.A briefing Wednesday afternoon at the State Board of Health highlights the ongoing investigation into what happened.A team of about 50 federal scientists spent the summer visiting doctors' offices, reviewing patient records, and compiling evidence.Whooping cough outbreaks tend to come in waves, every four or five years. But, this time the disease spread much more widely than a typical outbreak, which also happened in California in 2010 and Wisconsin this year.Health officials suspect one problem is that a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine, called the DTaP, is weaker than the older version. It uses an "acellular" bacteria, instead of the full-cell. The formulation was changed nationally in the 1990’s, to reduce side-effects for children, such as pain and swelling.But, it now appears to investigators that the new formulation wears off a lot faster, and makes the booster a bit less effective. That's why the hardest-hit age group was 10-13-year-olds, who hadn't yet got their booster, called the Tdap.Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky urges adults and teens to get a one-time whooping cough booster shot, which has only been available for the last five years. If an infant is exposed, possibly by a sibling or parent or grandparent, the disease is severe, sometimes fatal."While the epidemic is in its last days, we aren't ready to declare its over," says Selecky, with about 20 new cases per week, compared to ten or fewer per week in a typical year -- and more than 200 per week last May.As of Nov. 13th, Washington had a total of 4,501 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year. That's more than double any year since 1941, when the year-end total was 4,960, according to the Department of Health. The vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis, was licensed in the U.S. in 1949, and became widespread as part of the "DTP" combination (Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) in the early 1950s.

If you’ve been to downtown Seattle, you’ve probably seen people talking to themselves on street corners, or shouting at strangers. Now there’s a fresh face trying to help those in psychiatric crisis.He’s a roaming mental health counselor, hired by the Union Gospel Mission and downtown’s business-funded Metropolitan Improvement District.If a shop-owner or building manager is trying to deal with someone who seems to have lost touch with reality, they can ask Larry Clum to come help out. He also works with police and existing mental health agencies and homeless shelters.Until recently, Clum was working at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, as an Emergency Room social worker for people who are delusional and psychotic.As Seattle’s new counselor-on-the-streets (technically, he’s a “Director of Community Mental Health Programs”), Clum says his goal is to get the people off the streets and into treatment. But, they have to go voluntarily, and persuading them is often a long process.He took KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld on a street tour. For the complete story, click the “listen” button above.

If you’ve been to downtown Seattle, you’ve probably seen people talking to themselves on street corners, or shouting at strangers. Now there’s a fresh face trying to help those in psychiatric crisis.He’s a roaming mental health counselor, hired by the Union Gospel Mission and downtown’s business-funded Metropolitan Improvement District.If a shop-owner or building manager is trying to deal with someone who seems to have lost touch with reality, they can ask Larry Clum to come help out. He also works with police and existing mental health agencies and homeless shelters.Until recently, Clum was working at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, as an Emergency Room social worker for people who are delusional and psychotic.As Seattle’s new counselor-on-the-streets (technically, he’s a “Director of Community Mental Health Programs”), Clum says his goal is to get the people off the streets and into treatment. But, they have to go voluntarily, and persuading them is often a long process.He took KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld on a street tour. For the complete story, click the “listen” button above.

If you’ve been to downtown Seattle, you’ve probably seen people talking to themselves on street corners, or shouting at strangers. Now there’s a fresh face trying to help those in psychiatric crisis.He’s a roaming mental health counselor, hired by the Union Gospel Mission and downtown’s business-funded Metropolitan Improvement District.If a shop-owner or building manager is trying to deal with someone who seems to have lost touch with reality, they can ask Larry Clum to come help out. He also works with police and existing mental health agencies and homeless shelters.Until recently, Clum was working at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, as an Emergency Room social worker for people who are delusional and psychotic.As Seattle’s new counselor-on-the-streets (technically, he’s a “Director of Community Mental Health Programs”), Clum says his goal is to get the people off the streets and into treatment. But, they have to go voluntarily, and persuading them is often a long process.He took KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld on a street tour. For the complete story, click the “listen” button above.