Despite Zika Fading From Headlines, Officials Warn Californians Not To Let Down Their Guard
San Diego is launching a campaign particularly targeted to pregnant women, couples who may wish to become pregnant, travelers and people who commute back and forth between Mexico and the San Diego region.
KPBS:
Campaign To Maintain Vigilance Against Zika Virus Underway In San Diego
A campaign for San Diegans to maintain vigilance against the Zika virus got underway this week with broadcast and billboard messages, county officials said Thursday. The messages urge people to fight invasive Aedes mosquitoes, which can transmit Zika and other illnesses if they first bite an infected person. Residents can reduce the Aedes population by finding and dumping out standing water in and around homes so the insects cannot breed. (9/7)
In other public health news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Tuberculosis Exposures Reported At Two South County Schools
Public health officials are warning the public of possible tuberculosis exposures at two Sweetwater Union High School District schools. The county Health and Human Services Agency said in a statement Thursday that an unidentified person infected with the disease may have exposed others at Hilltop High School between Aug. 28 and Aug. 30. Another possible exposure occurred at San Ysidro High School from Feb. 18 through June 2, according to the agency. (Sisson, 9/7)
BuzzFeed:
The Hepatitis A Outbreak In San Diego Is Now A Public Health Emergency
According to the San Diego Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA), as of Sept. 5, 2017, the current outbreak has infected 398 people, causing 279 hospitalizations. The San Diego HHSA wrote that the majority of the people who have been infected with the disease are either homeless or illicit drug users, and that the outbreak is being spread between people through contact with a "fecally contaminated environment" — i.e. when an uninfected or unvaccinated person ingests food or water, touches an object, or uses drugs contaminated with fecal matter from an infected person. (Kee, 9/7)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Consumers Sue Annie's For Labeling Its Naturals Salad Dressings As 'Natural'
Two consumers have filed a class-action lawsuit against Annie's Homegrown for falsely labeling its salad dressings as "natural." The plaintiffs allege that the dressing contains what they consider to be a synthetic ingredient, specifically xanthan gum, and therefore is erroneously represented as a "natural" product. (Robertson, 9/7)