By Miriam Raftery

July 31, 2014 (Washington D.C.)—“We must act with urgency to stop the ever-increasing incidence of skin cancers in the United States,” Acting U.S. Surgeon General Boris Lushniak, M.D., announced this week.

County News Service

July 27, 2014 (Santee)-A 43-year-old Santee man has the first confirmed local case of West Nile virus  this year, the County Health and Human Services Agency reports.  There has not been a human case of the disease in San Diego County since 2012.

July 21,2014 (La Mesa)—A case of tuberculosis has been reported at La Mesa Middle School, where others may have been exposed, , the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reports.

July 19, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has issued a Boil Water Order and Public Notification for the Girl Scouts Whispering Oaks Program Center located at 4949 Pine Hills Road, Julian, CA 92036 effective immediately.  This public water system serves a ranger’s area, lodge, health center, three cabin areas, and restroom located by a ball field.

San Diego has sixth highest rate of valley fever in California; concerns voiced that Imperial County cases may be under-reported

By Janice Arenofsky

July 13, 2014 (San Diego)--More than 160 scientists, researchers and regional activists met in Phoenix on April 5^th to learn about and exchange views on the human and economic costs of Coccidioidomycosis (valley fever). Due to recent national and local media coverage of the valley fever epidemic across the Southwest and formation of a Cocci Congressional Task Force headed by two U.S. House Republicans from California and Arizona-- Kevin McCarthy and David Schweikert--the 58th Annual Meeting of the Cocci Study Group brought together a historic number of attendees.

Keynote speaker Steven Holland, MD, deputy director for intramural clinical research at the National Institutes of Health, spoke about human DNA mutations that leave a percentage of people especially vulnerable to valley fever, mycobacterial disease and Job’s Syndrome (immune-mediated disease). Holland concluded that in certain extreme cases of cocci, bone marrow transplants should be considered. He anticipates receiving more referrals of seriously ill cocci patients from Arizona and California physicians.

By Miriam Raftery

July 9, 2014 (Fresno) -- At least 621 people in 29 states have been sickened by a salmonella outbreak linked to Foster Farms chickens.   The government has  ordered a shut down of one of the company’s facilities in California and a voluntary recall has been issued by the company on chicken products sold at major retail outlets including large grocery store chains as well as military bases.

The outbreak has gone on for 16 months, but the company did not agree to recall most products until early July.  The outbreak includes seven strains of a drug-resistant form of salmonella that makes infections hard to treat.  Almost 40 percent of the victims have been hospitalized and 13 percent developed serious bloodstream infections, NBC news reports.

5 Catholic justices issue ruling, raising question over lack of religious diversity on the high court

By Miriam Raftery

July 6, 2014 (Washington D.C.)--The Supreme Court decision last week in the Hobby Lobby case is drawing strong reactions across the nation and here in San Diego County—and raising questions over whether the Supreme Court lacks adequate religious diversity.

By Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) --According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 200,000 people in the United States living with a spinal cord injury, many of whom have complete or partial paralysis, or paraplegia. But now there is hope that some of them may soon be able to walk again.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just approved marketing of  the first wearable, motorized exoskeleton  device to help people with lower body paralysis due to a spinal cord injury stand on their own two feet once again.

ReWalk is a motorized device worn over the legs and part of the upper body.  It helps a person sit, stand, and walk again with help from a trained companion, such as a spouse or home health aide.  Using a wireless remote control on the wrist, the user commands ReWalk to stand up, sit down or walk.

June 26, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with the Grossmont Healthcare District to offer  Summer Healthcare Saturday, the largest annual free health fair in San Diego’s East County region. The health fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, near the movie theaters at the Grossmont Center mall in La Mesa.

Information also will be available about senior housing and home care services, hospice, home safety, fitness centers, health insurance, herbal supplements, medical supplies and volunteer opportunities. Additional information will be available about Alzheimer’s disease, chiropractic, dentistry and eye surgery.

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2014 (San Diego)--The death of baseball giant Tony Gwynn at only 54 years of age has drawn national attention to the dangers of chewing tobacco.  Gwynn had suffered through surgeries and paralysis of part of his face following cancer linked to his habit of chewing tobacco – a custom shared by many baseball players as well as 9% of all high school students nationwide.

By Jaden Jimenez

June 18, 2014 (San Diego) -- Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have, for the first time, described the sequence of early cellular responses to a high-fat diet, one that can result in obesity-induced insulin resistance and diabetes.

June 20, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

By Jaden Jimenez

June 13, 2014 - The FDA has put out a consumer update to ensure safety among older adults when taking medication. The FDA strongly advises adults on medication to not prescribe your own doses, each person is different and should be dosed appropriate to the person by your healthcare provider. The FDA has also posted other safety tips when taking medication:

June 11, 2014 (San Diego) – Last week, our interview with Supervisor Dianne Jacob aired on KNSJ radio.  You can now listen online to the full interview by clicking here:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

Supervisor Jacob discussed the County’s new regional initiative to tackle the Alzheimer’s epidemic, which has reached epidemic proportions locally.  She also shared details on the County’s Aging Summit coming up on June 12. 

Scroll down to read the County’s press release on the Alzheimer’s project spearheaded by Supervisor Jacob, which aims to bring together top researchers to seek a cure, as well as bringing help to caregivers and patients.

By Nadin Abbott

June 9, 2014 (San Diego) Imagine if you will, going to the doctor and not understanding what your doctor is telling you. Worst, imagine if you will, an EMS crew taking you to the Emergency Room, a life or death situation, and again you are not being able to understand what language the EMS crew, or later the hospital, is speaking.