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Polio (Poliomyelitis) What is polio? Poliomyelitis is commonly called polio. It's an infectious disease. It is caused by 1 of 3 types of poliovirus. Polio is easily spread from person to person. The poliovirus is a virus that can cause paralysis. But most people who are infected

Rubella (German Measles) What is rubella? Rubella is sometimes called German measles. It's a viral infection. It usually causes a mild illness in children. Adults have a slightly more severe illness. But the virus can cause serious birth defects in pregnant people. A vaccine is

Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) What is toxic shock syndrome? Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is an illness that produces symptoms in many systems of the body. Certain bacterial infections release toxins into the bloodstream. These toxins can spread to many body organs. This can cause

Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis What is cirrhosis? Cirrhosis is when scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. This stops the liver from working normally. Cirrhosis is a long-term (chronic) liver disease. The damage to your liver builds up over time. The liver is your body’s

Overview of the Male Anatomy This is an overview of the male reproductive anatomy: Scrotum. The bag of skin that holds and helps to protect the testicles. The testicles make sperm. To do this, the temperature of the testicles needs to be cooler than the inside of the body. This

Substance Abuse or Chemical Dependence What is substance abuse or dependence? Substance abuse (alcohol or other drugs) Substance abuse is a recognized health disorder. It refers to the abuse of illegal or legal substances. Alcohol is the most common legal drug of abuse. Substance

Head Injury What is a head injury? A head injury is a broad term that describes many injuries that occur to the scalp, skull, brain, and underlying tissue and blood vessels in the head. Head injuries are also commonly referred to as brain injury, or traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Endometriosis What is endometriosis? The tissue that lines the uterus is called the endometrium. Normally, if a woman doesn’t get pregnant, this tissue is shed each month during her period. In endometriosis, tissue that looks and acts like endometrial tissue implants outside the

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) What is premenstrual syndrome (PMS)? Premenstrual syndrome or PMS is a group of physical and emotional symptoms many people may have in the days before their period starts. Symptoms usually stop when the period starts or shortly after. It’s thought to

Making the Home Environment Safe What's involved in making the home environment safe? When caring at home for an ill, aging, or disabled person of any age, it's important to think about home safety. Print out this helpful checklist. Then use it to check for safety issues around