Alzheimer's Disease: Coach Pat Summitt

I was shocked, as many people were, to learn of the death of Pat Summitt, a pioneer of college Women's Basketball who guided Tennessee to eight national titles in her 38 seasons at the university. She was 64. I had no idea she had a foundation. Check out their website at this link, and also check out the video below about the foundation.

I have received many questions today about Alzheimer's Disease. Here are the three most frequently asked questions I received today:

• What is Early Onset Dementia or Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease? Early onset (the type that Pat Summitt was diagnosed) is defined as earlier than 65 years old. According to the Alzheimer's Association, up to 5 percent of Alzheimer's have younger onset.
• How do you die of "complications of dementia" or "complications of Alzheimer's?" According to MayoClinic.org, in late/advanced stages of dementia, the brain is severely affected to the point where physical function is affected. This means that late stage patients have difficulty with balance, with swallowing, and with bowel/bladder control. They can suffer falls, fractures, malnutrition, and dehydration.
• How can I prevent dementia or Alzheimer's Disease? According to WebMD, In addition to optimizing your physical health (lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc), engage in social and intellectually stimulating activities.

Social Media Love for Muhammad Ali

Earlier in the day on June 3, 2016, I saw news reports that Muhammad Ali was in the hospital in Phoenix. But, late in the evening, I was surprised when I saw the twitter reports of his death. And then, I turned on ESPN, and for the entire night, I watched discussions, stories, and their memories of Ali. I've never seen anything like this on television.

Just from a social media standpoint, the reaction to the death of Muhammad Ali, is nothing I have ever seen in the past. Articles from the Huffington Post and from CBC Sports help to show the social media love that has been shown in the past few hours for Ali. Through this social media love, I have learned so much more about this man, that I didn't know about before. The more that I learn about Ali, the more and more I admire this man. 

Previewing Desperately Seeking Spirituality by Meredith Gould

Is spirituality cool to talk about in 2016? I know some people associate the term "spirituality" with terms like religion and politics, and they should not be discussed in public, let alone on a blog & website. I know others out there are asking, "Hey Mike, have you lost it? Are you ok? And, how's your yoga mat?" Well, I can tell you my yoga mat is fine, thank you for asking.

"Desperately Seeking Spirituality: A Field Guide To Practice" is the new book from my friend Meredith Gould, whom you may know from her associations with the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network, and from the Church Social Media Chat (#ChSocM). She is the author of many other books, most notably, "The Social Media Gospel: Sharing The Good News In New Ways" which is "The Bible" for social media use in organized religion circles.

In person, I have met Meredith on two occasions. But, our friendship started online and continues online. In addition to our mutual interests of social media and medicine/healthcare, I have talked with her "on the back channel" (her phrase) about spirituality and religion. Did you know she was raised in the Jewish tradition, and is now a Catholic, married to an Episcopal priest, and worships at an ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran) church?

I have never written about those topics on this blog, until now. I was raised Catholic (12 years of Catholic school), but I admit that I haven't kept up with those traditions as much as my parents would want me to. My patients have asked me about spirituality in the past, and they have talked with me about practices like meditation, yoga, and what they call "holistic practices."

Don't get me wrong, I am not of the belief that Western medicine is the end-all and be-all practice of medicine. There is more out there, and I'm learning every day. I guess I'm taking the same approach with spirituality. There really is not one "right" religion, and the rest is wrong. Right?

What I'm trying to say is that I'm going to take this opportunity to read this book, to do some self-exploration, and to share some of this process with all of you. In addition, following the completion of this book, I will be interviewing Meredith on the podcast about "Desperately Seeking Spirituality" and anything else that comes up in our conversation.

As a preview to our upcoming chat, here is a previous fun conversation about social media, medicine, healthcare, online communities, and more. This Google hangout took place before the 2014 Stanford Medicine X conference, the second time we met in person...

Yes, You Can Create A Viral Video

There's hope for you, because the Most Viewed Facebook Live video ever is NOT by a brand or a company. It is by a mom from Texas who was very excited to show her facebook friends a Star Wars Chewbacca mask that she just purchased from Kohls. Her video was posted on May 19, 2016, and less than 2 days later, there were over 100 million views of this four minute video, breaking the record.

Kohls reported that the mask quickly sold out in many of their stories. And, to take advantage of the exposure of the brand, they rewarded Candace Payne and her family with more masks and gift cards for her.

Of course, the secret of having a viral video takes a lot of luck. But, in this video you can see some key elements like passion, excitement, and, a lot of laughter doesn't hurt. So, good luck in making your viral video. You have a high bar to reach :)

Sarah Metzger Tells Her Family Medicine Story

Sarah Metzger, MD will be representing the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) at the 2016 American Academy of Family Physicians conference called the National Conference of Constituency Leaders which will take place May 4-7, 2016 in Kansas City.

I was curious about and I wanted to gain insight on Family Medicine's future leaders. I was honored that Sarah accepted my invitation for the following interview below. My questions are on bold print. I've talked about the Family Medicine Revolution before. This Family Physician articulately paints the picture of Family Medicine advocacy. Here is Sarah Metzger, in her own words...

1) Why Family Medicine? Why is Family Medicine the best specialty for you? Family Medicine treats the entire person's physical, mental, and family health. I enjoy working within the community and family unit to empower patients. Knowing a patient and their family gives me insight into my patients' treasures and challenges. I love the variety. I love long term care and I love helping people learn common sense treatment strategies for common health problems. This strengthens a community. 

2) Please describe your practice situation. How do you deliver Family Medicine to your community? I work as a hospital employed Family Physician in Crestline, a small town of 5000 people in rural North Central Ohio. I was raised on a cattle farm 2 miles from my office. I run a Rural Health Clinic and have a nurse practitioner. I provide clinic-based outpatient care and round on my newborns in the nursery of Galion Community Hospital, a critical access hospital. I am the Medical Director for the Galion City Health Department, the city nearby where my primary hospital is located. I provide hospice care for my patients. I work to provide coordinated care for cradle to grave within my community.

3) For those OAFP members who have never attended the AAFP National Conference of Constituency Leaders, how would you describe it to them, and why should they attend the meeting next year? I think I'll be better able to answer this question after returning from NCCL in May! This is my first experience with the NCCL. Emily from OAFP staff reached out to me regarding becoming a delegate and I accepted. It's important to be involved with like minded physicians. It helps me avoid burnout and isolation.

4) Which member constituency group are you representing on behalf of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, and what are the 1-2 issues that need to be addressed specifically for this member constituency? I am representing the Women's Delegation at this year's NCCL for the OAFP. I gave birth to my fourth child in early March, and I'm excited to discuss the unique "work as a physician/life as a busy mom" dance that so many female physicians encounter. I am also interested in discussing working as a female physician minority on hospital committees and community boards.

5) Finally, what do you say to Family Physicians who are reluctant to participate in advocacy? Why is Family Medicine THE group to lead the change in our health care system? Not being involved leads to apathy very quickly. We need advocates for our patients and our communities because as family physicians I believe we are the most grounded providers who know what our patients experience every day. We know their secrets and joys. No one else has the insight to give them a voice like we do.

Marcus Wing Tells His Family Medicine Story

Marcus Wing, DO, is a resident at the Mount Carmel Family Medicine Residency Program in Columbus. As reported by the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Wing has been selected for a scholarship to the 2016 Family Medicine Congressional Conference (FMCC) on April 18-19 in Washington, DC. Dr. Wing was selected by the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors. As previously posted. Anna Askari is a medical student from Ohio who has been selected for a scholarship for the same conference.

I was curious about and I wanted to gain insight on Family Medicine's future leaders. I was honored that Marcus accepted my invitation for the following interview below. My questions are in bold print. I've talked about the Family Medicine Revolution before. This Family Medicine Resident articulately paints the picture of Family Medicine advocacy. Here is Marcus Wing, in his own words...

1) Why is Family Medicine your specialty, and why should every Medical Student consider Family Medicine? Family Medicine is a unique field because of the freedom of how it is applied is so versatile. The ability to use my medical knowledge across multiple aspects of the community was realized while completing my clerkship with Dr. Campolo, my mentor. During a breakfast conversation, he explained that he serves the community in varying aspects, which include: private practice physician, county coroner, medical director of multiple nursing homes, team physician of a local high school as well as providing medical care every Wednesday to inmates in a local jail. It was this conversation in which he discussed how many of these opportunities await Family Physicians but not realized by a majority of medical students. It was at this moment that I realized Primary Care offered me an opportunity to broadened my medical experience but, more importantly, give back to my community. 

When using an absolute like "every," it is not taking into account the skills and talent of individuals. Medicine is a complex field with various areas which require dedication. Medical students are required to understand all aspects of medicine by doing clerkships in the multitude of fields including general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, and countless other areas. Students may show talents in a specific area like neurosurgery, cancer research, or genetics which exemplify their skills. The medical field needs each student to dedicate him/herself to the areas that will best benefit his/her patients. Having stated that, I believe students should consider family medicine as it fits both a need in the country with the looming physician shortage and the freedom to practice medicine in a variety of ways such as hospital internists, urgent care providers, private practice physicians or pursue research and academic avenues or complete fellowships in sports medicine or geriatrics. The possibilities are endless, as well as the unlimited locations because of a physician shortage in which by 2025 the United States is estimated to be behind between 45,000 and 90,000 primary care physicians. Family physicians are a link to providing and maintaining a healthier population because of their versatility. 

2) Your residency program is Mount Carmel St. Ann's Family Medicine Residency Program. Share with my audience one of the outreach activities that your residency program has and how does this share the Family Medicine story with your community? Mount Carmel is a leader in the community outreach around the Columbus area, and a major attraction for medical students who wish to give back to the community during their residency and beyond. Mount Carmel has a medical outreach bus that provides basic medical care to the underserved and homeless population. Services include: vaccinations, checkups, urgent healthcare needs, mental health counseling, Dr. John O'Handley, a medical director who is actively involved in the family medicine residency, is the leader of this outreach program. His passion for community service is contagious. He was quoted as saying, "Taking Mount Carmel's healthcare to the streets is just an extension of what Mount Carmel does daily at all of its hospitals - providing excellent and compassionate care." Giving back to the community and helping individuals in need of basic medical care gives physician satisfaction because the direct interaction of people in need allows us to further empathize with their situations. This empowers physicians to attempt to make a difference on a policy level and to better deliver healthcare to the nation. Helping the community is rewarding, and its impact is clearly demonstrated in this video. 

3) Congratulations on receiving one of the scholarships to attend FMCC! For those Family Physicians who are not familiar with the conference, how would you describe the meeting, and why did you apply for a scholarship to the meeting? The Family Medicine Congressional Conference, an annual meeting held in Washington DC, allows medical professionals to discuss political issues affecting family medicine at a federal level and informs them about current legislative priorities. The scholarship offered by the Association of the Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) selects ten residents throughout the country to participate in this conference. This conference offers opportunities to train on lobbying/advocacy and to meet with Congress House Representatives and Senators to discuss the issues challenging Family Medicine. This is an exciting opportunity, and I am honored to be selected as one of the residents to go to Washington and represent Mount Carmel Hospital, the State of Ohio, and Family Medicine.

I was aware of this conference but never knew of this scholarship offered by the AFMRD until it was forwarded to my inbox by Dr. Chad Braun, my program director. His belief in my abilities and my interest in primary care policy gave me the confidence to apply despite numerical odds given the number of yearly applicants. I am developing a passion for healthcare policy and want to be involved. This conference allows me to actually immerse myself in a level of activism that I might have never been exposed to. Winning this scholarship is a reminder that there are program directors and healthcare personnel who can teach, support, and provide the guidance for medical students and residents to expand and understand the area of Family Physicians. I have been given this chance to enhance my knowledge and skills to promote and to provide better care for my future patients and community as a Family Physician.

4) As a Family Medicine Resident, what are the 1-2 issues that concern residents whether it be from a personal standpoint, a legislative standpoint, or health policy standpoint? What skills do you hope to learn when you attend FMCC to address these Family Medicine resident concerns? "If you're not at the table, you're on the menu," is a cliche that is relevant to the ever changing facets of medicine and its implementation. As Family Physicians who are practicing medicine daily and have a first hand knowledge of how policies affect not only their practices but also how laws passed by Congress directly affects their patients, it is imperative that they remain current on legislative and healthcare policies.

A recent issue that has surfaced in the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) Advocacy Commission is telemedicine. Telemedicine is the use of technology to examine patients, make diagnoses, and prescribe medications given the "exam findings." However, the fallback is the physician is not in the room completing the clinical exam which is a drawback. This video demonstrates how telemedicine is being provided in a primary care setting; however, a member of the OAFP Advocacy Commission dealt with the consequences of misdiagnoses from this application. A patient was diagnosed with sinusitis with telemedicine and given a medication; however, the problem did not remit, and the patient decided to see her family physician. The family physician noted obvious tonsillar findings, cervical lymph node swelling, and various abnormalities that made the diagnosis of strep pharyngitis. Left untreated, this disease can progress to far dire pathology that significantly damages the kidneys and heart. As technology advances, Family Physician practices will evolve also. Consequently, Family Physicians need to be medically and politically knowledgeable to be a voice in this safe transition. 

5) Finally, why do you think Family Medicine is the group to lead the change locally, at the state level, and nationally? As mentioned previously, the flexibility offered in this specialty allows Family Physicians to focus on their time and efforts towards improving policy that affects physicians and patients alike. The bond formed with patients and the experiences of seeing them at their most vulnerable is motivating to try to help change medical policy to improve their lives. A major burden felt across the board by patients are the excessive costs of prescription drugs, and now even the generic forms of these medications are rising in price. This costly burden causes them to make sacrifices in their lives and further adds to financial stress already felt by the majority of Americans. We are tackling issues such as this and using the flexibility of the field to channel our time and efforts in meeting with other physicians at local advocacy meetings, our state lobbyists, and congress members to let our voices be heard.

We are also active on the national stage with the yearly Family Medicine Congressional Conference that had lead to multiple healthcare policy changes that positively impact physicians and patients. The Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act (MACRA) was recently signed into law and ensures adequate physician compensation for the ever expanding group of Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare beneficiaries can compromise as much as six out of ten patients in a primary care office, and this has lead to practices limiting the Medicare patients they took care of because the compensation was so poor that it could not sustain the private practice. Now this has passed, it ensures that physicians can now focus on caring for their patients and be assured their care will not be interrupted or compromised. 

Medical Student Anna Askari Tells Her Family Medicine Story

According to her facebook page, Anna Askari is a "second year medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine interested in pursuing a career in Family Medicine." As reported by the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, Anna has been selected by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) to receive scholarship to attend the Family Medicine Congressional Conference (FMCC) from April 18-19, 2016 in Washington, DC.

I was curious about and I wanted to gain insight on Family Medicine's future leaders. I was honored that Anna accepted my invitation for the following interview below. My questions are in the bold print. I've talked a lot about the Family Medicine Revolution before. This medical student articulately paints the picture of Family Medicine advocacy. Here is Anna Askari, in her own words...

1) Why Is Family Medicine your speciality, and why should every medical student consider Family Medicine? Family Medicine is my specialty, because it is really the reason that I went to medical school. The career that I envisioned as a physician was specifically that of a family physician. My mentor, Dr. Maria Riza Conroy, who is a family physician at OSU Family Medicine at Carepoint Gahanna as well as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at OSUCOM, has inspired me from the beginning of my undergraduate career. She established the Helping Hands Free Medical Clinic in Columbus and another free clinic in her home country of the Philippines. She is dedicated to caring for the medically underserved. Shadowing her at Helping Hands during my undergraduate career made me realize that family medicine is the best area within medicine for me. I love the diversity of patients, and that unlike other specialties; I am afforded the opportunity to really get to know my patients and their families.

Every medical student should consider a career in family medicine not only because of the rewarding longitudinal relationship that you get to have with your patients, but also because of the vast number of different opportunities you get to practice medicine and be involved in your community. Not only do family physicians get to see and experience a number of different diagnoses and procedures through their practice, but they also get to do things such as policy and advocacy work from a local and national level. The sky is the limit with this specialty, and I love that I will never be bored while serving my patients doing such rewarding and important work. 

2) You are a member of the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) at The Ohio State University. Highlight one of the awesome programs that the organization does during the year for medical students, and how does this help share the Family Medicine story to medical students?

I actually just passed on my duties as President of the FMIG at The Ohio State University School of Medicine (OSUCOM) recently. One of the programs that we had this year was during National Primary Care week last October. Our Vice President was in charge of planning the week, and she partnered with other primary care interest groups at OSUCOM (internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/Gyn, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and internal medicine/pediatrics).

At many schools, National Primary Care Week is primarily and executed by the American Medical Student (AMSA); however, this was not the case at OSUCOM. The Family Medicine department plans the entire week from beginning to end, and this year it became one of the primary responsibilities of our Vice President. Each group hosted a themed lunch panel to expose the first and second year medical students to the specialty.

Our FMIG lunch talk featured Dr. Ryan Kauffman from Hickory Medical DPC, to discuss the concept of Direct Primary Care with our students. Dr. Kauffman spent about two hours with students discussing DPC in an informal question-and-answer format. DPC is a type of primary care billing and and payment arrangement between patients and providers, without sending claims to insurance providers. It has recently became very popular with medical students and residents going into primary care specialties, such as family medicine. It was a successful way for us to introduce the diversity of family medicine to medical students who may not realize that the specialty is more than just an outpatient experience that they are used to seeing growing up with their own primary care provider. 

3) Congratulations on receiving one of the scholarships to attend FMCC! For those Family Physicians who are not familiar with the conference, how would you describe the meeting, and why did you apply for a scholarship to attend the meeting?

Thank you so much! I am really excited and honored to have the opportunity. AAFP together with the Council of Academic Family Medicine hosts FMCC each year. It will be held on April 18-19, 2016 in Washington, DC with the goal of educating participants on family medicine's legislative priority issues, train attendees on how to lobby on Capitol Hill, and allows participants to put these skills to use with federal legislators and their staff.

I first heard about this scholarship from one of my mentors, Dr. Sarah Sams, who is currently Chair of the AAFP Commission on Governmental Advocacy this year. She is attending the conference as well, and thought it would be a great experience for me as a medical student. Another mentor, Dr. Allison Macerollo, who is the advisor of our FMIG at OSUCOM also encouraged me to apply. I applied for this scholarship, because I wanted to explore the policy and advocacy side of medicine. I graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in political science before I started medical school here. The conference is the perfect opportunity to combine my interest in medicine and politics and explore this area of family medicine.

4) As a medical student, what are 1-2 of the issues that concern students whether it be from a personal standpoint, legislative standpoint, or health policy standpoint? What skills do you hope to learn when you attend FMCC to address these medical student concerns?

Based on my experience as a medical student, the one issue that should concern students the most is the shortage of graduate medical education training spots. Our country is continuing to face a nationwide shortage of physicians for a growing older and sicker population. There are more and more medical students graduating from medical school, but there are not enough residency spots to meet the national demand for physicians and these students graduating from medical school. Funding for graduate medical education comes from the US government, and unfortunately there are proposed cuts to the already inadequate budget. This means that each year more medical students are not matching into a residency program, which translates into having fewer physicians meeting the increased demand for physicians. This is not only an issue now, but will continue to be an issue in the next 10-20 years.

5) Finally, why do you think Family Medicine is the group to lead the change locally, at the state level, and nationally?

Family Medicine is the group to lead change, because it is the medical specialty that always puts the patients' needs before the physicians' needs. One of my mentors is a past OAFP President and family physician who has attended FMCC for several years. She tells me that members of Congress would always tell her that they are so impressed with the family physicians that they see lobbying on Capitol Hill. Other physician specialties are more concerned about issues that affect the physician directly, and put the needs of their patients second to that. Family Physicians, however, lead the discussion by advocating for their patients. It is one of the reasons why I Love Family Medicine.

Honoring Our Heroes

As I write this, I'm on a bus heading home from another trip to our Nation's Capitol wth my parents. I remember when I was in grade school, spending Easter vacation walking all round the city learning everything from American History, to civics and government, and much more. 

On this occasion, the most valuable lesson I learned was not from a museum, but was from acts of honor, kindness, and reverence. The photo above was takes at the Air Force Memorial. What appears to be happening is that an active duty serviceman is giving a tour to a veteran. The emotions I observed included smiles and laughter to seriousness and somberness.

This encounter triggered many questions having to do with my profession. Why aren't older physicians, more veteran physicians, and retired physicians treated with more respect by our own? I have heard newly minted physicians say that they cannot wait until Dr. X finally retires so that they can increase their own clientele. 

What would happen if an image like the above happened? A sort of mutual mentorship experience occurred between less experienced physicians and veteran physicians. A two way interaction where the veteran physician can pass along the wisdom of their experience, while the less experienced physician brings their enthusiasm and reminds the veteran physician of the idealism they used to have.

Don't get me wrong, many organizations have been talking about programs like this for years, and some successful programs have actually been implemented. But, for the most part, in medicine, youth is celebrated, and increasing age is not. But, just like the military, I believe that medical profession needs to celebrate our own veteran heroes.

For those long time practicing physicians and retired physicians, thank you for your service to medicine, and for service to your patients. You have not been recognized enough for the difference you have made to your local community. I challenge anyone who reads this to just say "Thank You" to our veteran heroes!

(This essay is dedicated to my father, who is my hero, and who retired in 2011 following 33 years in solo private practice as an otolaryngologist [surgeon & ear, nose, and throat specialist]. He continues to teach me, even today, and I appreciate his wisdom every day.)

First Uterus Transplant in US: Be Careful What You Wish For

Today, the Cleveland Clinic announced that they performed the first uterus transplant in the United States. According to the New York Times, the operation, took nine hours, and used a uterus from a deceased organ donor. Here is more information from that article.

• The recipient, 26, is not being identified to protect her privacy
• The patient will have to wait one year before trying to become pregnant, letting her heal and giving doctors time to adjust anti-rejection medications
• The transplant is only Temporary: The uterus will be removed after the recipient has had one or two babies
• The ethics committee at Cleveland Clinic has given it permission to perform the procedure 10 times, as an experiment. Then, it will evaluate whether it will offer this as a "standard procedure"

I first wrote about the possibility of the uterus transplants almost 10 years ago on the old Doctor Anonymous blog, and it was by far one of the most popular posts on the DA blog.  I still have many of the same questions 10 years later. I'll quote from that blog piece below, and I also invite you to read the comments from back then, which I think still apply today.

• Medical Questions: Anti-rejection transplant drugs are powerful stuff. Yes, we have some data which states that the pregnancy rate for transplant patients are "not much worse than for the general population. Can this data be correlated to uterine transplant patients? How much do anti-rejection drugs cross the placenta barrier? What would be the effects to the fetus/baby? What about the 3D Printing of a uterus? Can/should this be done?
• Moral Questions: You have to know that this will be another platform for the abortion debate to take place (especially so in this US Presidential election cycle). Presuming the transplant goes ok, what if the pregnancy goes awry? What if the life of the mother is at risk and/or the life of the fetus/baby is at risk? Both sides of this debate will definitely make their points of view known.
• Legal Questions: The malpractice attorneys are preying, er, praying that this procedure becomes a "standard procedure" as outlined above. The liability here is huge. The potential for medical problems are everywhere starting wtih the transplant itself, then the pregnancy, then the potential complications of anti-rejection drugs.
• Not to mention the Financial Questions: Who is going to pay for all of this? I know I'm going to get hate mail saying, "Hey Jerk, isn't life priceless to you?" There are some estimates that one fertility treatment alone can cost $25,000 dollars. But, then there's the first surgery of the transplant. At least two fertility treatments, removal of the uterus (according to the Cleveland Clinic protocol above), the anti-rejection medication, and a lot more. I forsee more feedback for me, "You don't know what it's like to be told that from a medical standpoint, you can NEVER have the possibility of the pregnancy and childbirth experience."

As I said 10 years ago, I'll say again. I'm pessimistic that the uterus transplant will become a "standard procedure" for a number of reasons. Just because it looks like it can be technically done, I don't think they should be done. I think there are still too many unanswered questions to proceed further...

Zika Virus In Stark County, Ohio

For weeks now, the national and international news has been scattered with stories about what is called "Zika Virus." But, for me, the story has increased relevance for me, as it was announced by the Ohio Department of Health, that Ohio has its first two cases of Zika Virus, one in the Cleveland area, and the second case in Stark County, close to where I live.

My fear is that there may be some kind of panic that may start to set in as news of the Stark County case starts to make the rounds locally. I remember when the Ebola story really started rolling in the fall of 2014. And, then there was a local connection in close-by Akron, the story really took off around here. But, alas, Ebola is not Zika. However, do local people know that yet?

Why my local peeps SHOULD NOT panic about Zika Virus (yet):

• It's Still Winter, Dude: Even though it's been milder than last year (what an understatement that is), Zika is spread my mosquitoes and they need a warmer climate. Now as spring gets closer, this story becomes more interesting.
• People Rarely Die of Zika: This is not Ebola, and don't let people make you think differently
• Zika is not airborne and is not spread by casual contact

Why people SHOULD be concerned about Zika Virus:

• There is no test for Zika Virus: Well, that's not very accurate. There is no local testing for Zika. The only way to get testing done is through the CDC.
• There is no Zika vaccine: Politicians like President Obama are pushing for quick development of a Zika vaccine. But, in reality, we probably won't see one for at least 2 years.
• Possible association with Guillan-Barre syndrome (GBS) which is a rare disorder where a person's own immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness, and sometimes paralysis (CDC). It not has been proven if Zika causes GBS, but officials in Brazil are investigating.

So, I'll be watching closely as this news cycle continues, especially for more Ohio cases. But, for more information, I recommend these links: CDC has an entire section of their website devoted to Zika, an article from Lifehacker, article from Columbus Dispatch, article from WKBN-TV, article from Canton Repository.