Health/Fitness

HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

March 18, 2024 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

SCIENCE AND TECH

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.


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EARTH DAY 2024 FAIR IN LA MESA

By Jonathan Goetz
 
March 16, 2024 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa is inviting residents, visitors, sponsors and vendors to join its family-friendly Earth Day Fair on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at MacArthur Park, 4900 Memorial Drive, La Mesa CA 91942. The festival is a celebration of the city’s commitment to environmental stewardship and a showcase of local businesses that offer eco-friendly products and services.


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COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS REPORT 17 PERCENT RISE IN TB LAST YEAR

By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office

 
  • TB symptoms could include a lasting cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss. 
  • Treatment is available if you have a TB infection or are sick with TB.

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INITIATIVE LAUNCHED TO TEACH ONE MILLION SAN DIEGANS HANDS-ONLY CPR

By Sir Milo Loftin, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 27, 2024 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego is partnering with UC San Diego to launch Revive & Survive San Diego, a new initiative to help save lives.


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HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS


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COUNTY'S LOVE YOUR HEART EVENT ENCOURAGES SAN DIEGANS TO KNOW THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE NUMBERS

By Cassie N. Saunders, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 13, 2024 (San Diego) -- The County’s Love Your Heart campaign is celebrating 13 years of supporting San Diegans in understanding the importance of heart health through a variety of ways, including hosting no-cost blood pressure screenings at locations throughout the county and Mexico. 


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NEW COUNTY REPORT TO ADDRESS INEQUITY IN REGION

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 12, 2024 (San Diego) -- Jobs and finances, food systems, health, and housing – data shows these areas have some of the largest equity gaps in the San Diego region.

The Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ) released the County’s first Equity Indicators Report on Wednesday.


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LISTERIA OUTBREAK LINKED TO QUESO FRESCO AND COTIJA CHEESE: MANY PRODUCTS RECALLED

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Photo: Examples of some recalled products.

Español (Spanish)

February 12, 2024 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an alert warning consumers about a deadly Listeria outbreak tied to queso fresco and cotija cheese products. The outbreak has resulted in 26 illnesses in 11 states, including 8 cases in California, 23 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths.

The cheeses, which have been recalled, include numerous product names and brands. The products include solid and grated cheeses,mealkits,salad dressing, dips, yogurts, saladkits, enchiladas, taco kits, and many more. View a full list of the recalled cheese products:  alert.


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LOVE YOUR HEART WEEK FEBRUARY 14-28

East County News Service

February 7, 2024 (San Diego)—Love your Heart events are slated across our region from February 14 through 29. In honor of Valentine’s Day, healthcare organizations are teaming up to offer you free blood pressure screenings and heart-health information.


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CHIEFS CORNER: CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING GOES UP AS TEMPERATURES GO DOWN

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

February 5, 2024 (San Diego) -- We are having a cold spell here and a lot of times during these cold spells, or during the wintertime, we respond to an increased call of natural gas odors in a home. But carbon monoxide is a silent poison. It’s a colorless and odorless gas. You can’t smell it. But there are warning signs if there is a leak in your home.

If you start feeling flu-like symptoms or achy or you just feel very tired, there’s a good chance you may be having carbon monoxide symptoms.  I say that with hesitation because right now is flu season, and we have COVID 19 that’s running and starting to spike a bit. If you start feeling that way, and maybe several people start feeling that way in your house, I would get out of the house, open the house up, air it out and call 911.

However, there are many ways people can prevent these leaks before they happen.


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ADVANCING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES: HARM REDUCTION COALITION OFFERS HELP AND HOPE FOR THOSE IN THE GRIP OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Director, Institute for Public Strategies

 

February 5, 2024 (San Diego) - Tara Stamos-Buesig hit rock bottom one Sunday night while working the streets on El Cajon Boulevard near Hoover High School. She was a sex worker wearing a mini skirt and fishnet stockings. She was snared in a San Diego Police sting operation in an area notorious for prostitution. It was after she had filled her hypodermic needle with the drugs she recovered off the dirty floor of a fast food restaurant restroom and injected them into her system. That’s when she decided to change her life.


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HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS


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FLOOD VICTIMS SHOULD WATCH FOR MOLD

January 27, 2024 (San Diego) -- Flooding from Monday’s torrential storms was bad enough, but now residents cleaning up their damaged homes face the threat of mold.

The longer materials stay wet, the more likely mold will grow. It takes only two to three days for mold to form.


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NIKKI HALEY MARKS "ROE" ANNIVERSARY BY SAYING SHE'D SIGN NATIONWIDE ABORTION BAN

By Chris Walker, CC BY-NC-ND- 4.0

Photo by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0

This article originally appeared in Truthout

January 23, 2024 (New Hampshire) -- Nikki Haley, a Republican candidate facing uphill odds against Donald Trump to become the GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee, stated on Sunday that she was fully supportive of a nationwide abortion ban.

Haley, a former United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration who previously served as governor of South Carolina, has tried to portray herself in town halls, debates and other appearances as a “moderate” choice for Republicans. However, although she opposes her former boss’s false claims of election fraud in the 2020 election, her record is decidedly much further to the right than she admits.

During an appearance on Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Haley admitted her views on abortion differ from most Americans.

Haley at first tried to sidestep the issue, claiming that the question was trying to put “fear and judgment” into the American people.


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HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS


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COUNTY EXPANDS OYSTER-LINKED ILLNESS INVESTIGATION

January 19, 2024 (San Diego) -- The investigation of oyster-linked illnesses by County of San Diego health officials has expanded to include additional oyster harvest locations in Mexico. Health officials are recommending consumers and restaurants throw away any oysters imported from locations in Mexico until further notice. 

The local norovirus outbreak now includes 69 confirmed and probable cases. The severity of the infections in San Diego County has remained mild, with no hospitalizations reported to date. The initial investigations identified 41 probable and confirmed norovirus cases linked to oysters harvested in Sonora, Mexico. The sickened patrons dined at the Fish Shop chain and Carlsbad Aquafarm. Twenty-eight more cases have been added including 20 who ate oysters from other food venues. 


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FIRST LOCAL DETECTION OF HANTAVIRUS IN 2024

January 18, 2024 (San Diego) -- A Western Harvest mouse collected from the open space area on the eastern side of Mission Trails has tested positive for the potentially deadly hantavirus.

Finding hantavirus in wild rodents is not uncommon in San Diego County, there were a total of 17 cases in 2023. However, people rarely come into direct contact with infected animals because wild rodents naturally avoid humans.

While exposure to hantavirus is rare, people should be careful around wild rodents as there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus.

Symptoms of hantavirus usually develop between 1-8 weeks after exposure and include:


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BLOOD DRIVES IN EL CAJON AND SPRING VALLEY ON FEB. 1

East County News Service

January 18, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – The San DIego Blood Bank will hold blood drives Feb. 1 in El Cajon and Srring Valley.  Below are details.

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COUNTY INVESTIGATING ILLNESS LINKED TO IMPORTED OYSTERS

By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office

January 11, 2024 (San Diego) - County health officials have linked 41 confirmed and probable cases of norovirus illness to raw oysters imported from a specific harvest location in Northwest Mexico.  


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HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS


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MEDI-CAL IMMIGRATION STATUS EXCLUSION ENDS

 

By  Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Suzanne Potter

January 9,2024 (Sacramento) -- Starting January 1st, California became the first state to cover health care for all income-eligible people regardless of their age or immigration status. 


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ADVANCING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES: HEMP PRODUCTS ARE THREATENING YOUTH SAFETY

By David R. Shorey, East County Programs Director, Institute for Public Strategies 

January 8, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) -- As the landscape of cannabis legalization continues to evolve, a new concern is emerging. It’s the proliferation of hemp-derived Delta 8 and Delta 10 products found in hemp. These derivatives of cannabis, purportedly legal, are skirting regulations and putting our youth at risk. It’s time to shine a light on these products and the dangers they pose to our communities, especially our vulnerable younger generation.

 

Delta 8 and Delta 10, often marketed as "hemp-based" products, are synthetic cannabinoids derived from hemp, claiming to offer a legal high. However, their production and distribution operate in a gray area, exploiting loopholes in existing cannabis laws. While some proponents argue their legality due to their source from hemp, these products deliver psychoactive effects similar to traditional THC, leading to intoxication and potential health hazards.


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MEDICARE EXPANDS MENTAL HEALTH OPTIONS STARTING JANUARY 1

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

December 31, 2023 (Sacramento)--People on Medicare who want to see a therapist often wait up to six months for an appointment, but relief is on the way.

Starting Jan. 1, licensed marriage and family therapists will be able to accept Medicare insurance.


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BLOOD DRIVES IN SANTEE AND LEMON GROVE

 

December 27,2023 (East County) -- The San Diego Blood Bank will hold blood drives in January in Lemon Grove and Santee:


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HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

December 18, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

SCIENCE AND TECH

For excerpts and links to full stories,  click  “read more” and scroll down.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

NEW YEAR WILL BRING EXPANDED MEDI-CAL COVERAGE TO PEOPLE AGES 26-49

By Cassie N. Saunders, County of San Diego Communications Office

December 8, 2023 (San Diego) - Starting Jan. 1, more San Diegans will be eligible for full Medi-Cal coverage. A new state law gives full Medi-Cal coverage to adults ages 26-49, regardless of immigration status. 

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ADVANCING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES:METHAMPHETAMINE IS STILL A PERVASIVE PROBLEM DESPITE THE ATTENTION TO OPIOIDS AND FENTANYL

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Photo courtesy USDOJ

December 7, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- There's no denying the urgency of addressing the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, which has claimed the lives of countless Americans. In the shadows of this crisis, another equally destructive menace is still lurking: methamphetamine abuse. We must continue to recognize that the methamphetamine crisis is very much alive, and we can't allow our focus on opioids to divert our attention from this problem that continues to claim lives and ruin communities.


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SAN DIEGAN DIES FROM ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER - HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR PETS

By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office

December 6, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County public health officials are raising awareness of a disease known as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever following the death of a San Diego resident who traveled to the Baja California region before becoming ill.  


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HEALTH CARE ADVOCATES PUSH BACK ON TRUMP’S THREATS AGAINST ACA

 

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

December  6, 2023 (Sacramento) -- Advocates for affordable health care are speaking out to remind people what is at stake if the Affordable Care Act is repealed in the wake of recent statements by former President Donald Trump.


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COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS REPORT INCREASE IN WHOOPING COUGH

By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office

November 29, 2023 (San Diego) - Increasing cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have County health officials recommending that people get vaccinated, particularly those most at risk of becoming seriously ill. 


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