Hepatitis outbreak on the decline in Ky; 57 have died across the Commonwealth as result of the disease
The good news about hepatitis in Kentucky is that the number of hepatitis A cases is dropping. The bad news is that there are still as many cases each week as were once seen in a year’s time, and the state is by the far the leader in deaths from the liver disease.
According to the state’s weekly report, the number of hepatitis A cases in Kentucky has dropped to around 20 per week for several...
CDC says ground beef probably caused E.coli outbreak but source unknown; KY has most cases
Kentucky Health News
Investigation of people stricken by the recent outbreak of E. coli “suggests that ground beef is the source of this outbreak,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday. “At this time, no common supplier, distributor, or brand of ground beef has been identified.”
The outbreak, centered in Kentucky, has sickened 109 people and sent 17...
Kentucky accounts for about half the cases in an odd, 5-state outbreak of E. coli; here are precautions
Kentucky has about half of the cases in an outbreak of infections from a strain of E. coli bacteria that has also sickened people in Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the source of the 72 infections has not been identified.
The CDC said Kentucky had 36 cases as of Friday, but the day before, the state Department for Public Health...
Older Kentuckians demanding lawmakers intervene to regulate high cost of prescription medications
By Nadia Ramlagan
Public News Service
AARP members in Kentucky are calling on lawmakers to stop price-gouging by pharmaceutical companies.
New surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and AARP show nearly three-quarters of Americans over age 50 worry about the rising cost of prescription drugs. Of those surveyed, 80% said they regularly take at least one prescription drug – yet...
Department for Public Health reminds Kentuckians that March 24 is World TB Day
As part of its ongoing work to educate the public about tuberculosis (TB) and prevent the spread of the disease, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is reminding Kentuckians that March 24 is World TB Day.
This year’s theme from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is “It’s Time,” in an effort to encourage latent TB testing among providers and raise awareness for...
Widespread flu activity in Kentucky reported for 10th consecutive week; not too late to vaccinate
The Department for Public Health (DPH), within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, reports flu activity in Kentucky is at “widespread” for the 10th consecutive week. Widespread is the highest level of flu activity, indicating increased flu-like activity or flu outbreaks in at least half of the state’s regions.
“With the traditional flu season running from October through May, it is...
Rise in teen use of e-cigarettes erases years of progress in curbing teen smoking
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Teens’ use of electronic cigarettes is overwhelmingly responsible for erasing years of progress in reducing teen tobacco use, according to the latest annual National Youth Tobacco Survey.
The survey found that 4.9 million middle and high school students reported being current users of some type of tobacco product in 2018, a third again as many as the 3.6...
DPH continues to promote Hepatitis A vaccination; statewide outbreak continues, more deaths reported
People who are considered high risk for exposure to the Hepatitis A virus should get vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid contracting the virus and lessen the spread of the disease.
High risk groups include individuals who use illicit drugs, close contacts of illicit drug users, and homeless people.
The Department for Public Health (DPH) is making this recommendation as part of its efforts to respond...
American Lung Association report finds Kentucky must do more to prevent, reduce tobacco use
Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year.
Kentucky’s tobacco prevention and cessation funding. *Source: the American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control report (click to enlarge).
This year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report from the American Lung Association finds Kentucky earned nearly across-the-board...
KHIP: Nearly 90 percent of Kentuckians report having health coverage, but some still worry about losing it
Health care is an issue that’s at the front of mind for many policymakers, businesses and families in Kentucky. As health policy decisions are debated, it is helpful to understand how residents of the Commonwealth pay for health care. Thus, the 2018 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) asked Kentucky adults about their health insurance coverage.
KHIP, which is sponsored by Interact for Health and Foundation...
Dietitians say top New Year’s resolution of quitting smoking may cause weight gain, but do it anyway
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Of the 44 percent of American adults who said they would make a New Year’s resolution this year, 12 percent said they plan to quit smoking and 10 percent said they plan to lose weight, according to a Marist College poll.
Since Kentucky has the nation’s second-highest smoking rate, 24.6 percent, and the seventh-highest obesity rate, 34.3 percent, both...
Dr. Julia Richerson of Louisville named ‘HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award’ recipient
Julia Richerson, MD, FAAP, of Family Health Centers Iroquois office in Louisville, has been named an HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award recipient for her outstanding efforts to protect adolescents in Kentucky from cancers caused by HPV. Dr. Richerson is recognized for her efforts to achieve high HPV vaccination rates in her practice.
Led in partnership by Centers for Disease Control and...
Pew Trusts: Kentucky among states to strengthen school-based suicide prevention laws in 2018
By Christine Vestal
Pew Charitable Trusts
For Portland resident Stephen Canova, thoughts of suicide came unexpectedly one December night. Then 20, a sophomore in college, unhappy and disconnected from his tightknit home community, he tried to kill himself.
“I had no idea I had it in me,” Canova said. “I don’t remember a lot about that night. But I do know this — when I tried to kill myself,...
Don’t let flu ruin your holiday plans, health officials urge vaccinations for everyone six months and older
By Mary Kuhlman
Public News Service
With the holiday season here, health officials in Kentucky are urging people to take steps to help prevent spreading the flu.
During last year’s flu season, 325 adults and five children died in Kentucky due to flu or complications from the virus, and there were a record number of hospitalizations.
Christa Mitchell from Central Kentucky says she spent 49 days...
Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow to hold a half-day conference on electronic cigarettes Dec. 10
The Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow will hold a half-day conference on electronic cigarettes Dec. 10 in Louisville, and has added two more remote viewing locations, in Florence and Richmond. The other remote viewing locations are in Bowling Green, Hazard and Paducah. The news media are welcome to attend.
The Louisville conference is full, but is accepting names for a waiting list. Space is available...
National Influenza Vaccination Week is Dec. 2-8; get vaccinated to help prevent spread of flu
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH), within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, encourages Kentuckians to get a flu shot during National Influenza Vaccination Week, Dec. 2-8, to help prevent the spread of flu this holiday season.
“The flu vaccine is the single best way to protect you and your loved ones against the flu,” said Jeff Howard, M.D., commissioner of DPH. “If...
Kentucky, 26th in population among states, ranked fourth in number of drug overdose deaths in 2017
Kentucky had the fourth highest rate of drug overdoses among the states in 2017, fifth when the District of Columbia is added to the list, according to a new report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kentucky had 37.2 overdose deaths per 100,000 people. West Virginia had the highest rate, 57.8, and Ohio was second with 46.3. Pennsylvania and D.C. were close behind at 44.3...
CDC, Alzheimer’s Association release Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map, how to deal with dementia
In an effort to help state and local health departments address the growing Alzheimer’s crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alzheimer’s Association have released the third edition of the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map.
State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia, The 2018-2023 Road Map, provides public health officials with a set of strategies...
Ky. has 78 confirmed flu cases, two deaths this season; officials urge shots for all over six months
Kentucky is one of three states under an influenza threat defined as “regional,” with confirmed cases in 11 of the state’s 17 regions. During the 2018-19 flu season, Kentucky has had 78 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu and two deaths from it, according to the state Department for Public Health’s weekly influenza surveillance report. The flu killed 325 Kentuckians in last...
Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky reacts to CDC finding historically low smoking rates among adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported that the cigarette smoking rates for adults in the United States in 2017 reached a historic low of 14 percent or 34 million adults. This is a 67 percent decline since 1965 when the adult cigarette smoking rate was 42 percent. The rate for young adults, ages 18 to 24, was 10 percent, down from 13 percent in 2016.
Following is...
