California Could See Epidemic-Level Of Whooping Cough This Year
The concerns have driven local public health officials to meet with local pediatricians and obstetricians recently to urge vaccination in the final trimester of pregnancy, and the county is launching a media campaign to try and bring attention to the issue.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Newborns Are In The Crosshairs Of Whooping Cough This Year
It was the homeless with hepatitis A and older people with the flu. Now, the next public health threat has newborns in its crosshairs. Fresh from the fight against two deadly vaccine-preventable outbreaks, San Diego’s public health leaders aren’t taking any chances with whooping cough, also known as pertussis. They are warning that, if historical patterns hold, 2018 could see epidemic levels of the highly contagious respiratory disease that is particularly deadly for the youngest among us. (Sisson, 2/24)
In other news from across the state —
The Bakersfield Californian:
Biomedical Innovation Right In Bakersfield's Backyard
The overarching goal of health care and hospitals is to get patients healed as soon as possible. Time is a devious element in all wings of the hospital. But with biomedical technological advancements, that light at the end of the tunnel is appearing brighter and brighter. Bakersfield is a hotbed of biomedical technology and innovative health care equipment. You don’t have to go to Los Angeles to get the speedy recovery and treatment. And that seemingly minuscule assumption can alter a patient’s recovery. And when it comes to treating a patient – it’s the little things. Even the smallest factors, like a surgeon’s wrist movement, incision size or being able to move patients more frequently, can essentially lead to life-or-death moments. (Meredith, 2/24)
The Mercury News:
Stephen Piscotty Sets Up Donation Page For ALS Research
ALS is a disease that has hit A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty on a personal level, and he’s looking to do whatever he can to bring more awareness to it. Piscotty, 27, has decided to set up a donation page along with his family to raise funds for ALS research. “My mom was on board with it and we felt like getting something started would be a really cool thing,” Piscotty said. “It actually came about by one of my mom’s really good friends, who has actually been helping us a tremendous amount at the house. She is going to run a couple races and dedicate those to my mom, so we are just rallying around that to raise funding and awareness and also kind of use my platform to attack it in that sort of way. I’m pretty excited about the support we have gotten already, and we’ll keep going.” (Gallegos, 2/23)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma Stories: Cotati Woman Keeps Pledge To Donate A Kidney; Santa Rosa Man Happy She Did
Taunya Moore did something for a fellow human being that was unusual and profound. But the Cotati resident prefers the act not be elevated to heroic, or even extraordinary. Because she’d like for many of the rest of us to feel fully capable of doing it, too. Years after Moore resolved to one day donate one of her kidneys to someone whose life or quality of life depended on a transplant, she did it. (Smith, 2/25)
Orange County Register:
Westminster Doctor Placed On Probation After Over-Prescription Of Opiate Painkillers Linked To 4 Patient Deaths
A Westminster doctor has been placed on five years probation by the Medical Board of California for excessively prescribing addictive drugs to four patients who died of overdoses. According to documents, Dr. Doanh Andrew Nguyen was accused of gross negligence, incompetence and excessively prescribing addictive drugs, particularly opiates, to addicts. The documents state that between 2005 and 2012, Nguyen prescribed opiate painkillers and anxiety medication to four unidentified patients who all died under his care. Three of those patients also were receiving controlled substances from other doctors, officials said. (Bharath, 2/23)