Public Health

Latest California Healthline Stories

Heavy Use Of CT Scans Raises Concerns About Patients’ Exposure To Radiation

CT scans, which are administered more than 85 million times a year, are an important diagnostic tool, but just one can be equivalent to 200 X-rays. Some doctors warn that health providers are not considering possible consequences when ordering the tests.

Polio-Like Illness Identified in California; Cause Remains Mystery, Reports Says

A mysterious polio-like illness has struck 59 people, mostly children, in California over the past three years. The cause of the illness remains unknown, according to a report today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

‘Meducation’ Putting Ethnically Appropriate Drug Information in Patients’ Hands

Bay Area clinics and hospitals are using a drug information platform, called Meducation, designed to help patients, especially those with low literacy and English as a second language, understand how and when to take medications by providing materials in 21 languages.

State Hit by First Non-Senior Flu Death

An influenza-related death in Santa Clara County — the season’s first fatality of a Californian under 65 — prompted state Department of Public Health officials to remind people to get flu shots.