Over the holidays, my entire extended family travelled to Disney World. Six adults and four kids trekking our way first across several states to get there, and then across four different parks over the span of a week.

By breaking the chain of a disease's transmission, herd immunity protects the most vulnerable among us, including newborns and sick people who can't receive vaccines. But in order for it to work, a certain percentage of people in a community must be vaccinated.

Cancer is among the leading causes of death in Australia. As far too many of us know, its impact on individuals and communities can be devastating. But how does cancer affect Australia overall? To find out, we mapped cancer rates across the whole country – search for your postcode here.

Nearly one million people die every year from bacterial infections that cannot be treated with common antibiotics. This is frightening because right now we don’t have any alternatives to these antibiotics. Here are five of the scariest examples in the past five years.

Getting diagnosed with a serious illness that requires a lot of medical intervention is an extremely stressful experience. There’s a lot to navigate, and as the friend, family member or even casual acquaintance of someone going through a difficult health scenario, you want to help ease the burden, not make it worse. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t say to someone who is ill.

There’s soup, then there’s soup that seems to have the ability to heal the body and soul. What’s your trusted recipe for a bowl of magical recovery?

My father-in-law was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease nearly 10 years ago. His tremor is noticeable and my daughter has known there is something that makes her Papa's hands shake. For years, my wife and I chose to leave it at that because no other symptoms have been apparent to her, and she has not asked.

Whether you're depressed, or sick, or feeling crappy for reasons unknown, it's important to take care of yourself. Block out a little bit of time, maybe a few times a day, to click on over to YouFeelLikeShit.com.

Welcome back to Mid-Week Meditations, Lifehacker's weekly dip into the pool of stoic wisdom, and a guide to using its waters to reflect on and improve your life.

Everyone's coming down with something at work and you can't afford to take a sick day. That, or you just don't want to catch it yourself. While there's not much you can do once you fall ill, there are steps you can take to minimise the risk and, hopefully, dodge the bug altogether.

Many of us have experienced the effects of sleep deprivation: feeling tired and cranky, or finding it hard to concentrate. Sleep is more important for our brains than you may realise.

Winter means getting sick for many of us. Whether you're battling an illness or trying to prevent it, here are a few things you can do to get through it like a champ.

Have you ever wondered why the influenza virus is more potent and dangerous than the common cold virus? They’re both viruses, but what makes the influenza worse that it causes more deaths? Let's take a look at the science...

According to recent research, blowing all over a birthday cake puts germs on that birthday cake. Pretty obvious when you think about it. Would you ever say, "Friend, please blow on my sandwich?" That would be gross, wouldn't it?

A tap bought from Aldi by 12,000 Aussie households can contaminate water with up to fifteen times the safe limit for lead, according to reports. The ACCC has warned of the supermarket chain's "Spiral Spring Mixer Tap", urging customers to avoid avoid drinking or cooking with water from it.

Flu shots work, and are a smart way to reduce the chances that you'll end up sick this winter. But that's not the impression you might get if you listen to the rumour mill. Flu shot myths abound, and it's time to put the biggest ones to rest.

The worst food poisoning I ever had was a few days after returning from a weekend getaway with friends. When I finally dragged myself out of the bathroom after 24 hours of hell, an email from one of my besties was waiting for me: "Is everybody else feeling OK? I know our dinner together was a few days ago so I'm sure it's not that, but I just wanted to check."

It's hard to know what to say when a friend is dealing with a really awful illness or loss. And a lot of the things we blurt out may end up sounding more hurtful than we mean them to. That's why we love this series of cards that say what sick and grieving people really want to hear.

When you're not feeling well, your first move might be checking your symptoms with a search engine. A recent study, however, suggests that real doctors are still way more accurate than any symptom checker tools out there.