By Miriam Raftery

September 23, 2019 (San Diego) -- Over 4,200 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, including 480 East County workers in El Cajon and La Mesa, will be joining a nationwide strike starting October 14th.  An overwhelming 98 percent of those members at Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 30 voted in support of the action. 

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

September 22, 2019 (San Diego) - Is the child safety seat your child is using going to work effectively in a traffic collision? Unfortunately, it may not if it is the wrong size.

An alarming statistic by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that 46% of car seats are not used properly.

By Sarah Sweeney, County of San Diego Communications Office

September 21, 2019 (San Diego) - In the midst of record-setting prescription drug deaths, the County of San Diego has received welcome news in the form of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant to strengthen efforts in the local fight against opioids.

Suicidal Tendencies?

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

September 20, 2019 (San Diego) -- Suicide is on the rise. Regardless of race, gender, age, fame, financial status, it is rising! Having suicidal thoughts does not mean someone is weak or flawed.

Not a single case of the disease, which is now curable with medications, has been transmitted locally in L.A. in the past 10 years

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by B. Jehle, Creative Commons license 

September 18, 2019 (San Diego) – An article published by the London tabloid Daily Mail and cited by some U.S. media outlets falsely suggested an outbreak of leprosy among homeless in Los Angeles to be an eminent threat. The Daily Mail quoted Dr. Marc Siegel as stating, “'Leprosy appearing among the homeless in LA is a sure recipe for instant public panic.”

But Associated Press has debunked the story.  The Los Angeles County Health Department confirms that the rate of leprosy has stayed steady for the past decade, averaging only two cases a year – and none of those were transmitted locally, AP reports.  This year, only a single case has occurred.

By Miriam Raftery

September 12, 2019 (Sacramento) – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a pair of bills aimed at increasing vaccinations of children in California.  The measures will allow the state to investigate doctors who write more than five medical exemptions from vaccines in a year and also empowers officials to investigate schools with less than 95 percent of students vaccinated.

In San Diego’s East County, some schools have vaccination rates as low as 10 percent, according to data compiled by Shots for Schools, as ECM reported last month.

The actions come after doctors and public health officials voiced growing concern over the rising number of measles cases in California, including recent exposures at Disneyland and other tourist attractions--and amid vocal protests at the Capitol.

September 11, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Trump administration plans to ban sale of flavored electronic cigarettes (NBC news)
• Vaccination Against Yellow Fever is Intensified in Brazil’s South Region (Rio Times)
• Vaping illness claims first Southland victim (Patch)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Dangerous new hot zones are spreading around the world (Washington Post)
• Major US Insurer Says It Will No Longer Underwrite and Invest in Coal (Truthout)
• Apple, angry at Google, hits back at hack claim (BBC)
• Ring doorbell cameras attract congressional concern (USA Today)

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

By Miriam Raftery

September 9, 2019 (Lemon Grove) – Grossmont Health District’s Kids Care Fest will bring “healthy fun for the kid in all of us” to the Lemon Grove Rec Center (3131 School Lane) on Saturday, October 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event also includes free dental and vision screenings,  fun and active games, flu shots, blood pressure checks, and information on a variety of health services and conditions. 

By Dr. Joshua Mansour

September 9, 2019 (San Diego) - The FDA is allowing e-cigarette makers until 2022 to submit their plans for preventing underage access to their products.  But will that be too late?

The underage vaping problem has escalated in recent years, and some consequences are starting to arise. While these devices were and still are marketed as “being safer”, they can lead to nicotine addiction, harmful side effects of frequent nicotine use, irritation to the lining of the lungs and now as shown by countless recent cases, hospitalization.

By Miriam Raftery

September 7, 2019 (Ramona) – A state investigation has determined that infected birds moved from within the virulent Newcastle disease (VND) quarantine area in Riverside County led to the recent detection of the disease in the Ramona area, Dr. Annette Jones, California’s state veterinarian, announced yesterday.

September 5, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH 

• Vitamin E chemical is 'key focus' in vaping illness investigation, health officials say (CNN)
• Vegetarians, Vegans Have Higher Stroke Risk: Study  (Time)
• Surgeon General: Marijuana Use During Adolescence And Pregnancy Is Risky (NPR) 
• Cigna rolls out new plan to fully cover multi-million dollar gene therapies  (Reuters)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Idaho artifacts show humans came to North America via a water route, not land (CNN) 
• Facebook, Microsoft launch contest to detect deepfake videos (Reuters)

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

How much more damage will be done before the fix is in?

By Joshua Mansour, M.D.

Photo via Creative Commons

August 27, 2019 (San Diego) - Despite the recent vaping death, the FDA is still allowing e-cigarette makers until 2022 to submit their plans for preventing underage access to their products.  But is that too late?  While e-cigarettes and vaping were initially intended to help adults quit smoking traditional cigarettes, they have managed to entice younger individuals to pick up this dangerous habit.  The colorful packaging, different flavors, and seemingly harmless. 

2 cases of measles in San Diego County are unrelated to the Anaheim exposure

Creative Commons photo by CrispyCreme via Wikimedia

By Miriam Raftery

August 25, 2019 (Anaheim) – For the second time in four years, a visitor to Disneyland has exposed countless others to measles.  The patient, a girl from New Zealand, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on August 11 and visited Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park on August 12, followed by Universal Studios, the Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussauds wax museum August 14-15.  She and her family stayed at the Desert Palms Hotel in Anaheim.

By Elizabeth Aguilera, CALmatters

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

August 20, 2019 (San Diego) - In a northern California valley stretching under miles of bright blue sky between two snowy volcanic peaks, Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta, Daniel Dahle is known as a godsend, a friend, a lifesaver, a companion until the end.