Mumps outbreaks reported across the country

… an increase from last year when only 154 cases were reported in the state, according to the Washington State Health Department. In Tulsa, Okla., officials are investigating five confirmed cases of mumps in the area, KFOR-TV reported. And in …

CDC: Outbreak of North American avian influenza A(H7N9) in poultry…

CDC is working closely with USDA APHIS and the Tennessee Department of Health to minimize any human health risk posed by the avian influenza outbreak in Lincoln County, Tennessee. This includes implementing a protocol to monitor the health of poultry workers exposed to commercial poultry involved in the USDA/APHIS-confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza A outbreak .

New Lyme disease warning for NJ – It could be worse this year

Researchers at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, have determined the regional mouse population is skyrocketing, and mice are usually the transmitters of Lyme. “It certainly is a predictor because the white footed mouse in our region of the country generally is the mammal that carries the most Lyme disease, and transmits that to the ticks that bite people,” said Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association, headquartered in Wall.

Georgia HIV infections drop significantly

The Georgia Department of Public Health says HIV infections in Georgia dropped 6 percent each year from 2008 to 2014. In a news release, the DPH says a recent analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia is among eight states whose infection rate dropped significantly during the six-year period.

NCC Statement on Confirmation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at Tennessee Broiler-Breeder Farm

March 5, 2017 – The National Chicken Council today was notified by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that the agency has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza in a commercial broiler breeder flock in Lincoln County, Tennessee, along the Mississippi flyway. Tests are underway to identify the neuraminidase, or “N” number of the virus.

Hepatitis C testing unnecessary for most patients

Dear Doctor: My doctor recommends that I be tested for hepatitis C, and I’ve also seen commercials urging people to get tested for the virus – but I have no risk factors. Is it really necessary to get tested for it? Dear Reader: The majority of people who become acutely infected with hepatitis C will not have any symptoms.

More Teens Turning Their Backs on Tanning Beds

… indoor tanning appears to give them a false sense of security when they step outdoors into real sunlight, said Guy, a health economist with the CDC’s division of cancer prevention and control. “We also found that among the 1.2 million high school …

Flu season slams small businesses

… expected to last into the spring, Insperity’s Marcum advises business owners to be proactive to protect staffers’ health as well as company operations. Employees should be encouraged to work at home if they’re not feeling well, and to get flu shots …

Cheaper, Deadly Heroin Behind Spike in Overdoses in Last 5 Years

The number of deadly heroin overdoses in the United States more than quadrupled from 2010 to 2015, a federal agency said on Friday, as the price of the drug dropped and its potency increased. There were 12,989 overdose deaths involving heroin in 2015, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, compared with 3,036 such fatalities five years earlier.

Heroin overdoses more than quadrupled between 2010 and 2015

The number of deadly heroin overdoses in the United States more than quadrupled from 2010 to 2015, a federal agency said on Friday, as the price of the drug dropped and its potency increased. There were 12,989 overdose deaths involving heroin in 2015, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, compared with 3,036 such fatalities five years earlier.

Almost 2,000 opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts show fentanyl dangers rising

The increasing number of opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts show the state is one of the hardest hit in the nation by the growth of the highly-potent opioid fentanyl. The number of deaths related to opioids in Massachusetts has risen exponentially in recent years reaching an estimated 1,979 deaths this year, a sharp rise from 918 deaths in 2013, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health .

N.H. House committee says Hepatitis B vaccine shouldn’t be required to attend school NEW

Hepatitis B and other diseases deemed “non-communicable in a child care or school setting” would be removed from the list of vaccines required by the state under a bill that got a surprise boost Wednesday from a House committee. The bill, passed by the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee on a 9-8 vote, says the vaccines cannot be required for enrollment in public school or child care facilities.

New HIV infections fall in the US, but demographic and geographic disparities persist

Public domain image by the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention www.cdc.gov The number of annual new HIV infections in the US fell by 18% overall since 2008, offering evidence that prevention and treatment efforts are having an impact, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Tuesday to coincide with presentations at the 2017 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle. A closer look at the data, however, shows some notable differences across demographic groups and geographic regions.

Has Autism Prevalence Increased?

… for diagnosing ASD laid out by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases . Both sets of guidelines for ASD diagnosis describe a wide array of …

Health Highlights: Feb. 17, 2017

More deadly heat waves, catastrophic food shortages, and the rapid spread of some infectious diseases are all in the world’s future due to climate change, experts warned Thursday at the Climate & Health Meeting. The meeting, held at the Carter Center in Atlanta, was organized to replace a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention climate change conference that was canceled in January, ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, CNN reported.

DEA calls China’s fentanyl ban a ‘game-changer’ for opioid epidemic: report

China has announced a ban on the legal manufacture of four varieties of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, CNN reports. The sale and manufacture of four variations of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl will be banned in China starting March 1, a move the Drug Enforcement Administration hailed as a potential “game-changer” in the fight against the opioid epidemic, CNN reports .

alert Increase in flu activity in Huron County

Huron County Public Health has recently seen an increase in flu activity in the county as well as across the state. The Ohio Department of Health’s Influenza Activity Summary has indicated an increase in flu activity above the seasonal norm or threshold for the past several weeks.

Mingo BOE discusses flu prevention –

… flu activity continues to increase nationwide. The report explains that the number of people that have visited a health care professional for flu like symptoms has increased. The summary also indicates that the current amount of people visiting a …