November is National Diabetes Month, a time to raise awareness about the chronic condition affecting more than 38 million people in the U.S. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the number of Americans diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled in the past two decades.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, a good time to shine a light on the disease and the importance of regular screening in its prevention. While once the most common cause of cancer death for women, cervical cancer death rates have decreased significantly with greater use of the Pap test, which can find changes in the cervix before cancer develops or detect it early when it is easier to treat.

While there has been a decline in colorectal cancer death rates in older adults for several decades, in people under age 50, colorectal cancer death rates have been on the rise since the mid-2000s, increasing by 2.4% annually. Mandeep Saund, MD, discusses risk factors, symptoms, treatments and the importance of screening in the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer.

Respiratory virus season is on the way and illnesses like influenza, COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and pneumonia will be widely circulating again. Todd Ellerin, MD, South Shore Health's Director of Infectious Disease provides updated vaccine guidance and shares other preventative steps you can take to stay well this season.