Category: Public Health
Despite recent legislation to keep dangerous toys off the market, many hazardous toys are still available on store shelves, warns the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer activist organization. The reason? Many of the new law’s protections will not take affect until next year. The group has put out a Tips for Toy Safety [...]
An estimated 76 million Americans come down with food poisoning every year. To reduce your risk during the upcoming holiday season, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control urges you to follow the four basic rules of food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
Varicella (Chickenpox) Virus An outbreak of chickenpox has hit Salem Woods Elementary School in Monroe, Washington, and Snohomish Health Officials say children who have not been fully immunized against chickenpox should stay home. To date, sixteen children have come down with the highly contagious viral infection. “Although generally a mild illness,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, [...]
MRSA Infection control measures advocated by the Seattle Times in its series on infections in Washington hospitals by the antibiotic-resistant superbug MRSA are not supported by the current evidence, Seattle & King County health officials say. In the series, the Times reports that Washington hospitals have failed to introduce aggressive infection control measures targeting the antibiotic-resistant [...]
_______________________________________________________________________________ African Americans, Native Americans and men who have sex with men at higher risk, report says African Americans, Native Americans and men who have sex with men in King County are at much greater risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, according to a new report by Public Health – Seattle & King County. [...]
If you found this page because you were searching Google using the “flu” as a keyword, it may be because you’re feeling under-the-weather. In which case, you’re not alone. Google reports that as flu season approaches more and more people search the web using key words related to influenza. By tracking the trends, Google says, [...]
With the coming winter rains, there is an increased risk of flooding in the Seattle and Puget Sound area. The Seattle Red Cross has tips for keeping safe in the event of a flood. Among the Red Cross’s tips are: Have an evacuation plan and practice it. Make sure everyone knows how to shut off [...]
Taking vitamins E and C failed to prevent heart attacks and strokes in a large study of older men being released online today by JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study followed more than 14,600 male physicians over the the age of 50 years who were randomly assigned to take either a [...]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has safety tips to help you avoid food poisoning during the upcoming holiday season. Incompletely cooked turkey, inadequately refrigerated leftovers and other perils can lead to painful but avoidable bouts of illness. The very young, the very old, pregnant women and people with impaired immune systems are particularly [...]
The end of Daylight Savings is a good time to change your smoke alarm batteries, the Seattle Red Cross says. Smoke alarms batteries should be changed twice a year, says Carol Dunn, a community disaster educator for the American Red Cross. “To make it easier to remember, make the change when you change your clocks [...]
October 22—Health officials today approved the reopening of the Lake Stevens restaurant that investigators had linked to an E. coli outbreak that had sickened 17. The restaurant Ixtapa at 303 – 91st Ave. NE in Lake Stevens, north of Seattle had shut its doors voluntarily yesterday (Oct. 21) in order to sanitize the entire restaurant and remove all [...]
Health officials investigating the E. coli outbreak in Snohomish County, north of Seattle, say “the likely exposure site Ixtapa restaurant, 303 – 91st Ave. NE, #B201, in the city of Lake Stevens (east of Everett, central Snohomish County).” “On hearing the investigators’ findings, the restaurant owner voluntarily closed the Lake Stevens today at 12:30 p.m. and pledged [...]
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Seattle Times Health News
Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
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