As temperatures get warmer, a host of pathogens come out of hiding, threatening your summer vacation — and maybe even your life. Case in point: 2012’s mild winter, warm spring and sweltering summer exposed Americans to record-high numbers of insect- and rodent-borne illnesses, such as West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease and hantavirus. This summer, another bout of hot, dry weather could mean more infection. "Weather patterns can set the stage for big outbreaks," said Ben Beard, Ph.D., chief of the...

When wildfires recently blanketed parts of Canada's west coast, prompting evacuation of more than 13,000 individuals and sending plumes of smoke across the U.S. and Canada, it's likely evacuees did not consider their heart health. But published in the Journal of the American Heart Association concludes that they should. The tiny fragments of particulate air pollution in the air as a result of wildfires might increase risk for cardiac arrest and other acute heart conditions, researchers at Monash University in...

It's been decades since Americans have had to seriously worry about the threat of leprosy, but Florida residents may want to keep the flesh-eating infection in mind next time they step outside. According to USA Today, health and wildlife officials in the state are , who have been found to carry the disease. Nine cases of Hansen's Disease, formerly known as leprosy, have already been reported this year alone. A Brazilian Three banded armadillo in Rio de Janeiro. (Vanderlei Almeida/Getty...