Kern County Facing An STD Crisis
The county has some of the worst rankings in the state on STDs.
KBAK:
Health Officials Work Combat STD Crisis In Kern County
According to the Centers for Disease Control, California is currently ranked number one for having the most cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis. Kern County Health Department said that sexually transmitted diseases are a national problem right now, and locally in Kern County it is a crisis. Health officials said they have been working on this issue all year, so they hope to see an improvement in numbers for 2016. The work is also continuous, so with the new year right around the corner they hope to take big steps towards decreasing STD's. (Powers, 12/22)
In other news from across the state —
Fresno Bee:
Fresno County Health, Education Leaders Meet To Fight Teen Suicide
Faced with a big jump in suicides by young people this year in Fresno County, local school districts, hospitals, government agencies and law enforcement met Wednesday to begin addressing how to best handle mental health issues and ensure each agency has the ability to help those in need – especially children. “There’s stigma and discrimination against issues related to mental health that make people reluctant to seek help,” said Dawan Utecht, director of Fresno County’s behavioral health department. “You go to the doctor when you get a cold – take insulin when you have diabetes. It should be the same with mental health. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone.” (Appleton, 12/21)
Modesto Bee:
Shigella Cases Are Way Up In Stanislaus County And Health Officials Can’t Explain It
Stanislaus County health officials have no specific explanation for a spike in intestinal illness this year that now threatens to ruin the holidays for some folks. The county’s public health staff has confirmed 123 cases of Shigella infection this year. That is more than six times the 19 confirmed cases of Shigellosis here in 2015. (Carlson, 12/20)
Ventura County Star:
'Miracle' Return Of Somis Woman Turns To Practical Efforts
Dan Wurtz considers it nothing short of a miracle that two farmworkers came across his missing wife in late November about three days after she walked away from her home in Somis. Judy Wurtz, 76, has early dementia, her husband said recently. After she was found in an orchard along Old Balcom Canyon Road on Nov. 30, she was taken to Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. Aside from a few scratches and bruises, she was in good shape, Dan Wurtz said, despite spending three nights out in the cold. "I cried half the time and prayed the other half," he said of the 72 or so hours his wife was missing. (Scheibe, 12/21)