The Tdap vaccine is given to prevent tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The goal is to protect you against three potentially dangerous bacterial infections with a single shot. Children should receive a single dose of Tdap, preferably at age 11 or 12. Children under 7 should not receive the vaccine. Babies and…
There are two types of flu viruses that make people sick each year, influenza A and influenza B. Influenza A viruses are also present in animals. Influenza B viruses are only present in humans. Influenza A viruses are more common than influenza B among adults, and it is influenza A that causes seasonal flu epidemics…
Making a correct diagnosis is often a tricky combination of art, science and instinct. For local businessman David Dafoe, it required all three and a healthy dose of luck. Strange symptoms begin “In 2004, I had been on a trip to Kenya,” David said. “I got back to Louisville sometime around Thanksgiving.” He started noticing…
For one Navy veteran now building a career at Norton Healthcare, life’s journey so far has taken her from the West End of Louisville to an East Coast naval base, to the Persian Gulf aboard a warship and back to her hometown. Here’s her story. In 2003, amid a layoff from her job working in…
If you’re thinking about getting hip replacement surgery, you are probably in pain. Maybe it’s difficult to walk up stairs and get up from a chair. But how painful is the hip replacement surgery itself, and what’s the recovery like from getting an artificial joint? “There are options to alleviate pain that don’t involve surgery,…
Statistically, more people experience a heart attack during the holidays. However, most cardiologists would agree the holidays don’t cause heart attacks. “Stretching from Thanksgiving to Christmas and even into the new year, there is about a 5% increase in heart attacks or emergency room visits due to heart-related concerns,” said Abdolreza Agahtehrani, M.D. , cardiologist…
Grandparents, other family members and caregivers need to make sure they’re up to date on the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine at least two weeks before meeting a newborn to protect against the potentially deadly disease. During flu season, everyone also needs to get their flu shot at least two weeks before meeting the new baby….
Thanks to a grant from the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation, Norton Healthcare and Jefferson County Public Schools are expanding a partnership to offer virtual medical care to students and staff at all 89 public elementary schools across Jefferson County over the next two school years. With parental consent, the Norton eCare School Telehealth program allows…
Each of Norton Healthcare’s four adult-service hospitals in Louisville received an “A”gradein the fall 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. This national distinction recognizes each facility’s achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and error in the hospital. The four hospitals are Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, Norton Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital….
Strep throat season, which happens during late winter and early spring, is hitting the Louisville area. A sore throat often is considered to be a cold symptom, but allergies, dry air and even acid reflux could cause a sore throat. How do you know when it’s something that will pass versus time to see a…
Early flu symptoms can come on suddenly, usually within a few days of exposure to the influenza virus, and can include a fever. While fever is often thought of as a common flu symptom, not everyone who gets the flu runs a temperature. In addition to fever, common early flu symptoms include: Chills Body aches…
When blood flow is partially blocked through one or more arteries to the heart, the heart muscle is damaged. This is a heart attack. But when the flow is blocked completely, damage happens much faster, and the condition is far more dangerous. The chances of recovery — and survival — lessen with every minute. This…
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