If you only have time to read three lines, let them be these:

GET VACCINATED against HPV.

GET CHECKED (screening through “pap smear” starts at age 21).

PROTECT YOURSELF against cervical cancer.

Less than two months ago, the Puerto Rico Medical Center identified an outbreak of hepatitis A in which at least 26 hospital employees were affected. Despite the shock the news provoked, most readers were oblivious, and possibly still are, as to the nature of this particular virus (such as the fact that it is not transmitted by sheer proximity, or by sneezing, by example).

I must confess that the first time I heard someone say that they were suffering from the thyroid, I figured "duhthiroy" was the name of a strange disease that I would not encounter often. It was not until much later that I understood the importance of the thyroid gland, whose role is vital to maintaining the balance in our bodies and therefore a sense of well-being. Thyroid diseases are even more common than diabetes, and yet, not much is heard about them. It is estimated that over 30 million Americans have thyroid problems, and that up to half of these have not yet been diagnosed.