“This Week In Health” offers some highlights from the world of health news and wellness tips that you may have missed this week:

• This week, the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference unveiled new advances in understanding the disease. Recent findings offer insight into factors that can offset genetic disposition, including diabetes, activity levels, and high blood pressure. Continuing studies on two experimental treatments will also be presented at the Washington, D.C. conference.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a recent outbreak of salmonella can be attributed to people kissing and cuddling their chickens. Eighty-six percent of those infected who were interviewed by the CDC had had close contact with poultry before infection.
• A baby girl known as “Big Head Baby” in her Chinese village received titanium scalp implants in order to treat a rare disorder known as hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus caused fluid retention in the brain, leading to ulcers, optic nerve damage, and a swollen cranium. Diagnosed at 6 months old, the baby, Han Han, was having trouble lifting her head and was nearly blind. The operation took 17 hours and Han Han is expected to make a full recovery.
• Lastly, armadillos are believed to be responsible for a rash of leprosy cases in Florida. Though the average numbers of infected per year is typically between two and 12, Florida doctors have already reported nine cases in 2015. The spike in leprosy cases is believed to be caused by the growth in housing development and building construction, which has displaced armadillos and pushed them into further contact with humans.

Photo by David Foltz via Flickr