Collaborates with New Jersey Poison Center to Educate Community
Trenton NJ, The New Jersey Department of Health announced the opening of a hotline (1-800-222-1222) for the public to ask questions about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.
“Although the risk to the public remains low, we understand that residents have questions about this new virus,” Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. “This hotline provides factual information to alleviate fear and dispel rumors.”
Ridgewood NJ, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to enhance the inter-agency response to the current investigation into cases of lung injury associated with e-cigarette product use, or vaping.
“CDC has made it a priority to find out what is causing this outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping-related injuries and deaths,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield, M.D. “Activation of CDC’s Emergency Operations Center allows us to enhance operations and provide additional support to CDC staff working to protect our Nation from this serious health threat.”
Ridgewood NJ, according to the CDC, as of September 6, 2019, over 450 possible cases of lung illness associated with the use of e-cigarette products have been reported to CDC from the following 33 states and 1 U.S. territory: AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). These numbers may change frequently. Also the CDC is reporting that four deaths have been confirmed in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Oregon.
Glen Rock NJ, from Glen Rock Mayor Bruce Packer ,on Saturday Evening, the kiddie pool was closed down due to a loose accident. Bathing codes dictate how long we must stay closed and treat the water. In a case like today’s, we need to treat for a minimum of 12.75 hours. In addition to treating the water, we will need to do a deep clean of the kiddie pool and scrub the affected areas.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Health Department and the CDC share this important information. Rabies is a virus that infects wildlife, especially bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes in the US. It can spread to people and pets when they are bitten or scratched, causing fever, agitation and death. Rabies is 100% preventable with post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) that includes rabies vaccine and medications to fight infection, as long as people get PEP before symptoms start. Understanding the risk and knowing what to do after contact with wildlife can save lives.
Ridgewood NJ, With warm weather here and spending more time outdoors, the Ridgewood Health Department and the CDC would like you to be careful when you step outside. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer. UV damage can also cause wrinkles and blotches or spots on your skin. The good news is that skin cancer can be prevented, and it can almost always be cured when it’s found and treated early.
Take simple steps today to protect your skin: • Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. • Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Put on sunscreen every 2 hours and after you swim or sweat. • Cover up with long sleeves and a hat. • Check your skin regularly for changes.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Health Department and the CDC remind you that Measles is more than just a little rash. Measles can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children.
Measles symptoms typically include: • High fever (may spike to more than 104° F) • Cough • Runny nose • Red, watery eyes • Rash breaks out 3-5 days after symptoms begin
Ridgewood NJ, according to the CDC measles could become endemic (constant presence of a disease in an area) in the United States again, especially if vaccine coverage levels drop. This can happen when people
forget to get vaccinated on time,
don’t know that they need a vaccine dose (this is most common among adults), or
refuse vaccines for religious, philosophical or personal reasons.
Research shows that people who refuse vaccines tend to group together in communities. When measles gets into communities with pockets of unvaccinated people, outbreaks are more likely to occur. These communities make it difficult to control the spread of the disease. And these communities make us vulnerable to having the virus re-establish itself in our country.
High sustained measles vaccine coverage and rapid public health response are critical for preventing and controlling measles cases and outbreaks.
Hillsdale NJ, The New Jersey Department of Health is warning residents about a suspect case of measles—a highly contagious disease— who could have possibly exposed others to the infection while in Bergen County between February 17 and February 25, 2019. Testing at the CDC has confirmed the infection. The individual, who is a New Jersey resident, had recent contact with a community outside New Jersey experiencing an ongoing outbreak of measles.
Anyone who visited the following locations may have been exposed to measles:
AFC Urgent Care Hillsdale, 2 Broadway, Hillsdale, NJ 07642
February 18, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Walgreens Pharmacy, 383 Washington Ave, Hillsdale, NJ, 07642
Washington DC, CDC is advising consumers, restaurants, and retailers not to eat, serve, or sell any romaine lettuce as it investigates an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to romaine. Read the investigation announcement: https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-11-18/index.html.
Rivervale NJ, Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi continues to follow up on the adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque facility.
On her Facebook page she says , “Early this morning I had a conference call with the New Jersey Commissioner of Health. Another child has died due to the adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque facility bringing the total number of deaths to 11 and total number of infections to 34. The infection rate is now at approximately 75% of all children in that unit. There are many unanswered questions as to the sanitary practices of the facility leading up to this heartbreaking disaster. All remaining children are being separated within the facility to ensure no additional infections. The Commissioner has agreed to sit down in person and discuss necessary legislative solutions to ensure that a situation like this never happens again. It is unconscionable that patients are still becoming infected as recently as four days ago.
Ridgewood NJ, CDC and public health and regulatory officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Infantis infections linked to raw chicken products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) is monitoring the outbreak.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Health Department reminds you that even though Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is officially observed in September, it should be observed every month throughout the year.
Men wonder if they should be screened for prostate cancer. Before arriving at a decision to be screened or not, it is important that men talk with their doctor about their personal risk for prostate cancer and their options. Men should learn about the possible benefits and harms of screening so that they can make the best choice for them.
Cancer screening means looking for cancer before it causes symptoms. The goal of screening for prostate cancer is to find cancers that may be at high risk for spreading if not treated, and to find them early before they spread. However, most prostate cancers grow slowly or not at all.
Newark NJ, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division today announced the formation of the Newark/Philadelphia Regional Medicare Fraud Strike Force (Regional Strike Force), a joint law enforcement effort that brings together the resources and expertise of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section (HCF Unit), the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of New Jersey and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as well as law enforcement partners at the FBI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Ridgewood NJ, Tickborne diseases are on the rise and prevention should be on everyone’s mind, particularly during the spring, summer, and early-fall when ticks are most active. From May through July, people will get more tick bites and tickborne diseases than any other time of year in the United States. It’s especially important to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones (including pets) from ticks during this season, as well as any time during warmer months when you’re outside.
Many people do not know they are at risk. Each year, more than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported nationwide, while studies suggest the actual number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease is more likely about 300,000. Despite these numbers, a recent national survey reported that nearly 20 percent of people surveyed in areas where Lyme disease is common were unaware that it was a risk. Additionally, half of people interviewed in another study reported that they did not routinely take steps to protect themselves against tick bites during warm weather.
No sure way to predict how bad a season will be
Preventing Lyme and other tickborne diseases is important every year. Predicting the number of Lyme disease or other tickborne infections, and how an upcoming season will compare to previous years, is complicated. Ticks that spread disease to people can have up to 2 to 3-year lifecycles, and many factors can affect their numbers, including temperature, rainfall, humidity, and the amount of available hosts for the ticks to feed on, such as mice, deer and other animals. In any given year, the number of ticks in an area will be different from region to region, state to state, and even county to county.
Know the risk
What is known is that regardless of the number of ticks this year, people should be aware that ticks could be in the areas where they live, work and play. Everyone should take steps to help protect themselves and their loved ones, including pets, While not all ticks carry the same diseases, ticks can be found in every state. Throughout the continental United States, some diseases occur more frequently in some areas than others:
Lyme disease risk is focused in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest, with pockets of lower risk along the west coast. However, the range of the tick that transmits Lyme disease also is expanding. While nearly 95 percent of Lyme disease cases occur in 14 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin, infected ticks can also be found in neighboring states and in some areas of Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
Other less known, but serious tickborne diseases include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Powassan virus, and babesiosis. These diseases tend to be concentrated in specific parts of the country. Babesiosis and anaplasmosis occur in the same areas as Lyme disease—mainly in the Northeast and upper Midwest. More than 60 percent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases occur in five states: Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Take steps to protect against ticks
Taking steps to protect yourself and your family from getting a tick bite is the best defense against Lyme disease and other tickborne infections. Whether you’re working, enjoying your yard, camping, hiking, hunting or otherwise in the outdoors, CDC recommends that people:
Avoid areas with high grass and leaf litter and walk in the center of trails when hiking.
Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone. EPA’s helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Always follow product instructions.
Use products that contain permethrin to treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents or look for clothing pre-treated with permethrin.
Treat dogs for ticks. Dogs are very susceptible to tick bites and to some tickborne diseases. They may also bring ticks into your home. Talk to your veterinarian about the best tick prevention products for your dog.
Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors to wash off and more easily find crawling ticks before they bite you.
Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon returning from tick-infested areas. Parents should help children check thoroughly for ticks. Remove any ticks right away.
Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed.
