Wednesday, January 30, 2013
While seasonal influenza remains the city's main health issue, officials say the stomach bug is widespread right now, too.
The Boston area is seeing more than just the flu this time of year. The “winter vomiting bug,” or norovirus, is making its rounds as well. “The norovirus, which many people call the stomach flu, is widespread this year,” said Katinka Podmaniczky, assistant director of communications for the Boston Public Health Commission. “We encourage everyone to take simple precautions to protect themselves and others, like washing hands frequently and staying home if you feel sick.” In Boston, right now about 2.5 percent of all emergency room visits are related to accute gastrointenstinal problems, which may or may not be caused by a norovirus, according to a Health Commission report. This time last year, that number was just over 3 percent. The …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Several major pharmacies were out of the flu vaccination early this week but are expected to get shipments in soon.
More than 7,000 Boston residents received their flu shots last weekend, following Mayor Thomas Menino’s declaration of a public health emergency. As of Tuesday, the virus had led to at least eight confirmed deaths in the city, including one child under the age of six and seven adults over age 65, according to Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “We have over 900 confirmed cases and eight deaths [in Boston],” Ferrer said. “Influenza-like illness at emergency rooms is running at a little over 5 percent [of all cases], which is very, very high.” Despite the city's ongoing issues with the virus, Ferrer said she was pleased with the turnout over the weekend at Boston clinics. “We vaccinated over 7,000 …
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Friday, January 11, 2013
WHDH is reporting the death of a six-year-old, as the city continues to be under a public health emergency.
A fifth person in Boston has died from the flu—a child under the age of six, WHDH reported Friday. The Boston news station had no further details but said city health officials had confirmed the death. On Wednesday, during a press conference declaring a public health emergency in Boston, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, reported that four people had died already this season from flu-related complications. All four of the individuals were 65 years or older. Residents in both age groups—over 65 and around five and under—are at particular risk to develop serious problems because of the flu, as are pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions, Ferrer said. Across Massachusetts, 18 …
The neighborhood had the highest per capita number of confirmed cases last week.
Charlestown experienced the highest per capita number of confirmed cases of influenza last week, according to statistics shared by the Boston Public Health Commission. For the week ending Jan. 5, Charlestown was the only city neighborhood with more than 65 confirmed cases of flu per 100,000 people, according to the report. Other neighborhoods showing high per capita numbers were Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Hyde Park, with 50-64 cases per 100,000 people. “The week ending Jan. 5, 2013 showed a continued increase in the number of reported influenza cases in Boston residents,” according to the report, posted on the BPHC website. “Two-hundred-thirty-one cases were reported between Dec. 30, 2013 and Jan. 5, 2013, with a total of 750 cases …
Monday, October 1, 2012
Fifty-seven former patients of Boston Emergency Medical Services have been notified.
More than 60 patients received doses of controlled medications that a former Boston EMS employee may have tampered with during the summer of 2011, according to the Boston Public Health Commission. A Boston EMS paramedic reportedly administered compromised medications to 64 patients during a six-week period in the summer of 2011. Seven patients died soon thereafter as a result of their initial trauma or illness, leaving 57 patients to be notified of the misconduct. Boston EMS’s review of transport records for these patients showed no indication of adverse health outcomes as a result of the medication they received, they said. All 57 patients have been offered free screening for infectious diseases, and the Boston Public Health …
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
A Dorchester man in his 40s, was hospitalized, but has been released. It is unclear at this time where he contracted the infection.
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Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The following is an announcement from the Boston Public Health Commission. It has not been edited. The Boston Public Health Commission today announced a second confirmed human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in a Boston resident this year. The case, a Dorchester man in his 40s, was hospitalized, but has been released. It is unclear at this time where he contracted the infection. Earlier this month, a woman in her 50s from Beacon Hill, was hospitalized with WNV and released. Because the woman traveled prior to becoming ill, it is unclear where she acquired the infection. Last month, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health elevated the WNV threat level for Boston and several surrounding communities after confirming other human cases of …
Friday, February 10, 2012
Boston teens worked with the city's Public Health Commission to choose "Marvin's Room" by Drake as the unhealthiest song (in relationship terms) in 2011.
With the 2012 Grammy Awards and Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Start Strong Boston, a program of the Division of Violence Prevention at the at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), is taking a critical look at the messages in songs from Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart. For the third year in row, program youth have created a Top 10 Healthy and Unhealthy Relationship Song List to help other teens think through which songs can serve as models for their own lives and relationships, and which should not. “We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t listen to certain songs because they may not have a healthy message, but it’s important to be able to recognize that a song, although it may be your favorite, may not have a positive message,” …
Thursday, October 27, 2011
In a public ceremony tomorrow, no smoking signs will be posted at Peter Looney Park -- an effort to curb second-smoke exposure for children.
This Friday, community leaders will meet with the mayor, Boston Public Health officials and City Councilor Sal LaMattina to unveil new "no smoking" signs that have been placed in Peter Looney Park, by the skating rink. There will be a public ceremony and everyone in the neighborhood is invited to attend. This is Massachusetts’s largest city attempt to eliminate a source of secondhand smoke that children are exposed to outdoors.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
But don't panic. The flu is preventable. And although the city's first victim was a man in his 40s, he had underlying health conditions.
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Thursday, October 6, 2011
A Boston man in his 40s is the first death linked to influenza this year in the city, the Boston Public Health Commission said today. The patient had underlying health conditions. Boston health officials recommend that everyone take the following steps to reduce their risk of illness:
