Deb Balzer (@DebBalzer)
Deb Balzer is a Senior Communications Specialist at Mayo Clinic. She began her career as a TV news producer in Rochester, NY, before joining CONUS Communications, a pioneering national news satellite organization. She also field produced for ABC, CNN, the Rachael Ray Show and Farmers’ Almanac TV. Joining Mayo Clinic in 2015, Deb writes, produces and collaborates on medical stories with Mayo Clinic’s leading experts, providing trusted health and medical information to help patients.
Pregnant women who receive the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine have babies who are less likely to suffer from this highly contagious respiratory tract infection during[...]
Antibiotics have been credited with saving countless lives. Penicillin, discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming, is recognized as one of the greatest advances in[...]
The American Society of Clinical Oncology released the first global HPV vaccination guidelines to prevent cervical cancer. Mayo Clinic oncologist Dr. Gerardo Colon-Otero says these new guidelines[...]
Men 55 to 69 should talk with their health care provider about prostate-specific antigen (PSA)–based screening for prostate cancer. That's according to new recommendations from[...]
Among pregnant women in the U.S. with confirmed Zika virus, about 1 in 10 had a fetus or baby with birth defects. That's according to a new[...]
The Arkansas Department of Health is investigating 2,918 confirmed cases of mumps and reports some of those cases involved children and adults who were immunized.[...]
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections in children are on the rise. A new study shows a 700-percent increase in MDR antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections in children admitted[...]
The current influenza season, dominated by the A H3N2 virus, continues to be active, though it's on the downswing across the nation, says the Centers for[...]
North American outbreaks of avian influenza A(H7N9) — often referred to as "bird flu" — have public health officials paying close attention. The Centers for Disease and[...]
Many students and their families in the U.S. are taking a reprieve from winter and traveling to warmer climates for spring break. The Centers for[...]
It's the peak of the cold and flu season. Typically, the season peaks between December and February, people may continue to get sick as late as May.[...]
The nation continues to be in the thick of cold and flu season. Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist Dr. Pritish Tosh says many people who[...]