| Mosquitoes Causing a Backlog at Pima County Health Department | | Posted Thursday, October 05, 2006 6:57:58 AM by Blog57 Team | | The Pima County Health Department says its being inundated with calls from concerned citizens regarding mosquitoes, which can spread the deadly West Nile virus. Workers are stretched so thin they have had to shift resources away from restaurant inspections. "Probably for the next week, maybe two at the most, we'll be shifting our resources to address all the mosquito complaints," says spokeswoman Patti Woodcock. Last week, people concerned about the e-coli spinach scare and mosquito worries kept the phones at the Health Department ringing off the hook. Woodcock says they fielded close to 600 calls. "At one point we considered opening up a call center we were logging more than 50 calls per hour into the department." A wet monsoon has left more standing water where bloodthirsty mosquitoes can breed. One certain type, the Flood Water mosquito, is flourishing.... | |
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| | | Health Department investigates salmonella outbreak | | Posted Thursday, August 24, 2006 4:57:42 PM by Blog57 Team | | State health officials want to know what caused a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than four dozen people around Indianapolis this summer. Since late May, 56 cases of salmonella were reported in Marion and surrounding counties. Ten of those victims ended up in the hospital. None became seriously ill. Investigators have theories about where it originated - probably from one source - but they won't give specifics yet. "We are looking at Greenwood, Indiana, as a possible source and it is about 56 cases as of today," said Lynae Granzow, Indiana State Department of Health. "We are looking into any possibility that our case investigations provide and that can include restaurants, grocery stores, untreated water sources, any area you may find any food, contaminated livestock, petting zoos, things of that nature." Salmonella poisoning is especially dangerous for infants, the elderly or anyone with a compromised immune system.... | |
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| | | Protect pets, people from rabies | | Posted Wednesday, July 26, 2006 10:58:15 AM by Blog57 Team | | Two rabid bats were recently found in Jefferson City amid a statewide increase of rabies in wild animals, the Cole County Health Department reported Monday. Rabies is a disease of mammals and is transmitted primarily through bites. Over 90 percent of reported rabies cases are wild animals commonly seen in neighborhoods such as bats, skunks and foxes.While human rabies cases aren't as common as they once were, thanks to modern vaccinations for dogs and cats, improved public health practices and a more effective series of anti-rabies shots for people, the risk of rabies remains a potential health threat.Greg Boyer, a veterinarian with Howard Veterinary Hospital, received a call on July 17 from a pet owner whose dog was possibly exposed to one of the rabies-carrying bats.The dog had been vaccinated against rabies, but as a precaution, the vaccination was boostered, and Boyer ordered that the animal be confined and closely monitored for 45 days.He said that while the bat was found in this particular case, many times pet owners aren't aware their animals have been exposed to rabies, highlighting the need for pets to be vaccinated on a regular schedule.Vaccination has dramatically decreased the incidence of rabies in domestic animals, but cats are still three times as likely to become infected as dogs, because people are more lax about vaccinating their feline friends, who are also more apt to be out having contact with wild animals, Boyer noted.... | |
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