Houston Matters

Chikungunya: What Is It and What Are the Risks?

Posted on · A man near Austin was recently diagnosed with the state’s first case of a mosquito-borne illness called chikungunya. We learn more about the illness, as Houston Public Media health and science reporter Carrie Feibel talks with Scott Weaver, Director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at The University of Texas Medical Branch at […]

Houston Matters

Mental Illness Presents Major Challenges for Houstonians

Posted on · For a number of years, the Texas Department of State Health Services surveyed Texans to determine their own perception of their mental health. They wanted to know how many respondents reported five or more days out of the year that they felt they were in poor mental health. Between 2000 and 2010, that percentage hovered […]

Houston Matters

Houston: We Have Dengue Fever. Why Are New Diseases Showing Up in H-Town?

Posted on · Houston’s diversity and sheer size mean more people are coming in and out of the city from many different places. That means the city is seeing cases of diseases not typically seen here in the past — even tropical diseases once thought to be exclusive to urban areas of the poorest countries in Africa, Asia […]