Myths and Legends of the World

2017 was a year that felt like a century thank from the brat 45 to Mother Nature. Here is some of the highlights of the year. Fight for the Freedom of Press Reports released this week from  Reporters Without Borders , also known as Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), and the  Committee to Protect Journalists  (CPJ), reveal an overall decline in the killings of journalists worldwide in 2017 compared with previous years. But both organizations warn that some of the reasons for this downward trend are not cause for celebration. RSF counted 50 professional reporters killed in the line of duty ― its lowest tally in 14 years ― in addition to the deaths of 15 citizen journalists and media workers. CPJ recorded 42 intentional slayings of journalists, the lowest such number since 2008. Both RSF and CPJ, which conduct their research independently, had listed Syria and Mexico among the deadliest countries when their reports were published on Tuesday and Thursday...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system. HIV can cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease that severely weakens immunity and can be fatal. One person passes HIV to another under certain circumstances. Understanding the facts rather than buying into lingering myths about transmission can prevent misinformation — and HIV —from spreading. There is still no cure or vaccine for  HIV/AIDS , which affects  approximately 37 million people  around the world. But there is reason to hope that the global response to this pandemic is improving.  Fewer people died of HIV in 2015 than at any point in almost 20 years, while new HIV infections are at the lowest point since 1991, the  World Health Organization noted in its 2016 progress report . That may be, in part, because at least  two million new people began taking antiretroviral therapy  in 2015, the largest annual increase ever in the history of the ...

In what police are calling the worst shooting in American history, a lone gunman killed 49 people and injured at least 53 others after opening fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Officials have identified Omar Mateen as the shooter who  killed 49 people  and left at least 53 injured at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday. Mateen, an American citizen in his 20s, acted alone and “very quickly” when he opened fire with what officials described as an assault rifle. At 2 a.m., Mateen entered the club with an AR-15-type assault rifle. He began shooting, and at one point entered a gunfight with an armed, off-duty officer. Mateen left the building, and then went back in, where the violence turned into a hostage situation Around 5 a.m., authorities decided to attempt to rescue the hostages, leading to a gunfire exchange that ended in the suspect’s death, Mina said. The type of gun Mateen used is the same legally obtainable weapon used in the Newtown massacr...

PTSD Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be defined as an emotional illness rooting from anxiety that happens when a person was exposed to a scary, dangerous, and even life threatening event. The diagnosis may be given when a group of symptoms, such as disturbing recurring flashbacks, avoidance or numbing of memories of the event, and hyperarousal, continue for more than a month after the occurrence of a traumatic event. More than 5 million Americans are affected by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) each year. The history of post traumatic stress disorder was not well documented until it was appropriately defined in modern times. From Ancient Times Post traumatic stress disorder has existed as long as there has been trauma. Although PTSD is not limited to war experience, it was battle that brought it to public attention. PTSD has been documented for having going on for thousands of years, although went through history being called different names. During early war...

Asclepius: God of Medicine During the height of the AIDS epidemic, we lost millions of people on a global level. Today, Dec. 1, 2015, marks World Aids Day — a time for us to reflect on those that we have lost, those who are thriving and the advances our society has made when it comes to the prevention and treatment of HIV.  World AIDS Day, a day started in 1988 to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and work to end the epidemic. HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. HIV can progress into AIDS, the final state of the infection when the body is unable to fight disease or infection. Here are some facts about where things stand today: An estimated 34 million people have HIV/AIDS worldwide. In the USA, an estimated 1.2 million people live with HIV and one out of every seven are not aware they have the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sub-Saharan Africa has the most...