Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. — with one in five Americans developing the disease by the age of 70.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, expected to take the lives of more than 8,200 people in the U.S. this year.

This May, for Skin Cancer Awareness Month, two melanoma patients are sharing their stories of how they overcame this invasive form of the disease.

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One even wrongly assumed that what she was experiencing "was just a normal part of aging and sun exposure." Here's what others can learn.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in the melanocytes, which are the cells that produce the skin’s pigmentation (color).

Most cases — but not all — are caused by exposure to ultraviolet light. Melanoma can affect people of all skin tones and types.

"Melanoma is one of the most common type of cancer in younger patients," Nayoung Lee, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Health, told Fox News Digital.

The prognosis is "very good" when melanoma is detected early, but the survival rate falls steeply when it is detected at a more advanced stage, she noted. 

"Melanoma can spread through the bloodstream to your lymph nodes and distant organs, so it is crucial to do regular skin exams to try to catch it at an early stage," Lee said.

Abby Weiner, 43, a wife and mother of three young boys living in Washington, D.C., had always been careful about protecting her skin from the sun — which is why her Oct. 2023 melanoma diagnosis was such a shock, she said.

"I had a spot on my cheek that started as a freckle and began getting darker and larger," she told Fox News Digital. 

"I assumed it was just a normal part of aging and sun exposure."

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Weiner’s sister encouraged her to get it checked out — which led to a biopsy and diagnosis. 

"I was obviously shocked and frightened at first," said Weiner.  

Her melanoma was removed using Mohs surgery, a procedure in which thin layers of skin are removed one at a time. 

"I required two procedures to remove the cancer and surrounding margins," she said. "Now, most people don't even know I had surgery."

To others, Weiner’s advice is to remember to seek shade, wear sun-protective clothing, and apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on a daily basis all year long. 

"I thought I was careful about protecting myself from sun exposure by wearing a hat or applying sunscreen when my family was at the pool or planning to be outdoors — but if we were eating outdoors and there wasn't a table in the shade, I would end up sitting in the sun."

Now, Weiner said she will wait a little longer for a shaded table, and she always keeps a hat and sunscreen with her.

"My sons used to have difficulty applying sunscreen and wearing hats, but now that they've seen the impact skin cancer had on me, they are more cooperative," she said.

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Weiner also recommends that everyone gets yearly skin checks with a board-certified dermatologist. 

"I have so many friends — and even my sister, who probably saved my life — who didn't regularly see a dermatologist for a yearly skin check before they learned about my melanoma."

Steve Murray, 68, of the greater Washington, D.C. area, has worked in construction for several decades. 

During his childhood, Murray spent summers at the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey, and winter visits to Florida, where he was exposed to the sun and didn’t do much to protect himself.

In the late 1990s, Murray was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma, a variation of skin cancer that tends to develop in people who have had a lot of sun exposure.

In 2008, he was diagnosed with melanoma.

"My initial symptoms included itching and scaling on my head, followed by irritation," he told Fox News Digital. 

"Then there was discoloration and irregularity in the shape of my moles."

Initially, Murray feared the worst — "mainly death" — but his dermatologist determined that the melanoma was only on his scalp and hadn’t traveled to his lymph nodes.

Like Weiner, Murray had Mohs surgery to get rid of the cancer — and he was cleared.

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Since that diagnosis, Murray has had several more bouts of skin cancer.

In 2024, he underwent two surgeries for squamous cell carcinoma on his hand and back. 

Now, Murray visits the dermatologist every three to six months. Also, he always wears a hat, sunscreen and long sleeves whenever possible to protect himself from the sun.

Murray’s advice to others is to make sun protection a priority when outdoors.

"You don’t notice at the time of initial exposure, but it haunts you later in life when you start developing pre-cancers and skin cancers like squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma that require immediate attention," he told Fox News Digital.

"Capturing these pre-cancers and cancers of the skin must be diagnosed early with regular checkups," he added. "Failure to do so could lead to death."

Dr. Lee of NYU Langone Health shared five tips to help prevent potentially deadly skin cancers like melanoma.

"Avoiding a burn is really only half the battle — there is no such thing as a base tan," Lee said. "Damaged skin is damaged skin."

For a safer way to achieve a sun-kissed glow on your first beach day of the summer, Lee recommends using self-tanning products.

When applying sunscreen, Lee recommends using 1 ounce, which would fill a shot glass. 

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"It should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 and say ‘broad-spectrum’ on the label, which protects against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays," she said. 

Reapply at least every 80 minutes, or more often if you’re sweating or swimming.

Physical sunscreen contains zinc or titanium, which is superior in efficacy to chemical sunscreen, according to Lee.

"Check your skin regularly so you know what’s normal and to notice any changes or new growths," Lee advised. 

"Seek a dermatologist’s evaluation if you notice a changing, bleeding or persistently itchy spot."

This is the best way to determine if any mole or blemish is cancerous, according to Lee. 

The ABCDE rule tells you what to look for when examining your skin. 

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The A stands for asymmetrical. "Noncancerous moles are typically symmetrical," Lee said. 

B is for border, as the border of a cancerous spot or mole may be irregular or blurred. 

C stands for color. "A typical mole tends to be evenly colored, usually a single shade of brown," Lee noted. 

"Not all melanomas are dark and scary-appearing. They can be amelanotic, which means they can be more skin colored or pink."

D stands for diameter of the spot or mole, which may be a warning sign if it’s larger than 6 millimeters, according to Lee.

If the spot is evolving, which is what E stands for, it might be of concern.

Lee added, "Because melanomas can vary in appearance, it is important to see a dermatologist regularly for skin exams if you have a history of significant sun exposure, have many atypical appearing moles, or a family or personal history of melanoma so that you have an experienced set of eyes looking at any spots of concern."

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health. 

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In a statement on Wednesday, the UN health agency said it approved the dengue vaccine made by the Japanese pharmaceutical Takeda, recommending its use in children between six to 16 years old living in regions with high rates of dengue. The two-dose vaccine protects against the four types of dengue.

Takeda’s dengue vaccine, known as Qdenga, was previously given the nod by the European Medicines Agency in 2022.

WHO’s approval now means that donors and other UN agencies can purchase the vaccine for poorer countries.

Studies have shown Takeda’s vaccine is about 84% effective in preventing people from being hospitalised with dengue and about 61% effective in stopping symptoms.

WHO’s Rogerio Gaspar, director for the agency’s approvals of medicines and vaccines, said it was “an important step in the expansion of global access to dengue vaccines.” He noted it was the second immunisation the UN agency had authorised for dengue.

The first vaccine WHO approved was made by Sanofi Pasteur, which was later found to increase the risk of severe dengue in people who had not previously been infected with the disease.

There is no specific treatment for dengue, a leading cause of serious illness and death in roughly 120 Latin American and Asian countries. While about 80% of infections are mild, severe cases of dengue can lead to internal bleeding, organ failure and death.

Last week WHO reported there were 6.7 million suspected cases of dengue in the Americas, an increase of 206% compared with the same period in 2023. In March, authorities in Rio de Janeiro declared a public health emergency over its dengue epidemic and the country began rolling out the Takeda vaccine, aiming to inoculate at least three million people.

Last year WHO said cases of dengue have spiked tenfold over the last generation, with climate change and the increasing range of the mosquitoes that carry dengue partly to blame for the disease’s spread.

SOURCE: AP

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated a new vaccine against dengue, known as Japanese TAK-003, amid a significant surge in cases and fatalities from the epidemic spreading across Latin America.

Developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, the vaccine contains weakened versions of the four serotypes of the dengue virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

This marks the WHO’s endorsement of the second dengue vaccine, alongside the CYD-TDV vaccine from French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur.

“We hope that more developers of dengue vaccines will step forward for evaluation, ensuring broader access for all communities in need,” stated Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director of Regulation and Validation.

The new vaccine, requiring two doses administered three months apart, targets children aged 6 to 16 in high-risk areas with intense disease transmission.

Latin American countries, particularly Brazil, are grappling with their worst dengue outbreaks on record, surpassing 2,000 deaths this year. Argentina has reported 119 confirmed dengue fatalities, with 269,678 recorded cases as of April 14, according to the Argentine Ministry of Health.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) predicted a significant rise in dengue cases across the American continent in 2024, largely driven by global temperature increases and extreme weather events.

WHO has cautioned that dengue cases and fatalities are expected to rise further and spread geographically throughout the region.

Annually, dengue affects between 100 to 400 million people worldwide, with 3,800 million residing in endemic countries, primarily in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Source: EFE

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“Children in childcare centres are particularly vulnerable due to their close physical interactions and limited understanding of proper hygiene practices”

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There is likely to be minimal interruptions in some service areas, as management and staff from the 2 ministries will be engaged in professional development activities

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Santo Domingo.- Dominican health tourism continues to solidify its position within our national brand and export portfolio. The combination of skilled medical professionals, cutting-edge technologies, and modern infrastructure paves the way for sustained growth. A recent example of collaboration in this endeavor is the inter-institutional agreement signed between Médico Express and Caribbean Health TPA to promote medical tourism and telemedicine.

Alejandro Cambiaso, executive president of Médico Express, and Rodolfo Núñez-Musa, medical director of Caribbean Health, disclosed that the agreement encompasses a range of services such as diagnostics, emergency care, specialized consultations, outpatient surgeries, ophthalmology, dentistry, orthopedics, pediatrics, and endoscopy, all accessible through Médico Express San Isidro’s international department.

Médico Express San Isidro stands out as an innovative outpatient health center, adhering to international standards, delivering high-quality medical services to both local residents and tourists.

Caribbean Health specializes in attracting patients from Caribbean islands to seek specialized medical care in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Núñez-Musa noted that over the past year, the company facilitated treatment for approximately one thousand patients from Turks and Caicos, Saint Martin, Bahamas, and other Caribbean nations.

Furthermore, as part of their strategy for remote patient care, recruitment, and monitoring, they have established Collaborative Telemedicine Centers (CTCs) across the Caribbean, providing assistance and second medical opinions, with collaboration from Médico Express.

The experts and signatories of the agreement emphasized that medical tourism in the Dominican Republic has seen steady growth year after year. This is attributed to the quality of services and the commitment to local training and international accreditation processes within member centers of the Dominican Tourism Association of Health (ADTS).

During the presentation of the awards at the Barbados Community College (BCC), Director of Corporate Banking, Barbados & OECS,CIBC Caribbean, Jeffrey Newton commended first-year student Rashawn Gibson, second-year student Kayli Jordan and third-year student Shannon Yarde for pursuing a career in nursing.

“It has to be a calling and a commitment to want to care for others the way nurses are called upon to do, and I commend the three of you, because in this fast-paced, technologically driven world today, it’s easy for young people to get caught up in the glitz and want to get in professions that are considered glamorous, and shun those that are not. That’s what we call nursing a calling… – you are there for people at their most vulnerable,” he said.

“Few people would see you on those nights when you are on duty and can’t sleep like the rest of us because you are taking care of sick people in your care, or dealing sometimes with an unpleasant side effect of people being ill, and worried. By enrolling in the Barbados Community College, you are giving a commitment to help others when they cannot help themselves, and that is a noble commitment.”

Director of Corporate Banking, Barbados & OECS, CIBC Caribbean, Jeffrey Newton. (HG)

The scholarships are each worth $2 000, and cover registration fees, books, and uniforms.

Newton said: “We are pleased to hear that all of the students that have been awarded to date, continue to maintain good GPAs and excellent overall performances, with the first group awarded in 2021 due to graduate this year. This is pleasing news for a sponsor.”

“This year, on advice from the college, the scholarships are distributed across the years of the programme. So we have a first-year, second-year, and third-year student; whereas in previous years they were awarded to all first-year students.”

Meanwhile, Head of the Nursing Department at BCC Dr Sonia Watson-Miller said she was pleased to see the scholarships continue.

“I am proud that this opportunity has continued since 2021. Our selection of the students was based on three categories, not only the academic performance but also their personality and any financial [assistance] that was needed. Our pass rate has been improving for the last five years, and last year we had the highest of 91 per cent. So our pass rate has been improving,” she said.

Gibson expressed gratitude that she was selected.

“I am truly honoured and never thought that I would be given this opportunity. It truly shows that hard work and dedication pays off, and it motivates me to continue to work harder and to make a difference in the field of nursing,” she said. 

“This scholarship will not only help to ease the financial burden, allowing students to focus mainly on their studies but also not to worry about the cost. I want to end my speech by encouraging more young persons, especially males, to get involved in the profession, as we need more persons in the field.” (SB)

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Breastfeeding mothers are advised to include a variety of foods in their daily diets, and increase their fluid intake or drink the recommended daily intake of water to stay hydrated

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