Public Health

Latest California Healthline Stories

After Terribly Deadly Flu Season, California Aims To Track Deaths More Closely

During the previous flu season, 329 Californians under 65 died from flu-related complications, but state officials acknowledge that is just a fraction of the actual death toll. Why? The state’s public health department hasn’t counted deaths in the vulnerable, 65-and-over age group. That’s changing.

Smoke-Filled Snapshot: California Wildfire Generates Dangerous Air Quality For Millions

Smoke from the deadly and destructive Camp Fire has caused air quality readings to spike into “hazardous” and “unhealthy” levels for millions of people far outside of the burn zones. Is smoky air the new normal for California?

Paradise Lost: Wildfire Chases Seniors From Retirement Havens To Field Hospitals

Having fled quickly — often without medications, wheelchairs or pets to comfort them — refugees from the Camp Fire manage as best they can in makeshift shelters miles from home. A virus is spreading, and medical attention is spotty.