public health

Two children in Boston day-care centers diagnosed with potentially dangerous bacterial infection, but officials say the risk from them is past

By adamg - 10/23/19 - 4:06 pm

The Boston Public Health Commission reports that two children in "day care centers specializing in serving children who have experienced homelessness" in the city were diagnosed with an infection of meningococcal disease, caused by a bacteria that can cause meningitis and septicemia. Read more.

Mass General to create mock-up of a safe-injection site

By adamg - 10/11/19 - 9:04 am

The Charlestown Patriot-Bridge reports that MGH will create a mock supervised-injection facility at its Charlestown offices next week to show the public what it would be like if a hospital opened a place where opioid users could shoot up under medical supervision. Read more.

First case of measles in a Bostonian since 2013 confirmed; officials list South End, Back Bay, Fenway spots where others might have been exposed

By adamg - 10/9/19 - 5:11 pm

The Boston Public Health Commission reports a Boston resident who was out and about last week has been diagnosed with measles, and is urging anybody who doesn't know their measles vaccination status to get a new MMR shot if they were at any of the following locations: Read more.

Governor declares public-health emergency, bans all vaping products

By adamg - 9/24/19 - 2:43 pm

Gov. Charlie Baker today ordered a four-month ban on the sale of all vaping aerosol products for four months as public-health officials try to figure out what's making vapers sick, MassLive.com reports.

Massachusetts doctors, nurses have to start reporting vaping-related illnesses

By adamg - 9/11/19 - 12:34 pm

The state Department of Public Health today ordered doctors and nurse practitioners to begin reporting "any suspected cases of unexplained e-cigarette or vaping-associated pulmonary disease" for at least the next 12 months, as officials here, as elsewhere, try to get a grip on what's putting vapers into the hospital. Read more.

Area girl survives battle with another, more deadly disease you can get from ticks

By adamg - 8/25/19 - 12:49 pm

The Chronicle of the Horse profiles Julia Sipp, 11, whose passion is competitive pony riding - she trains at Mor Linn Farm in Walpole - and who was diagnosed with, and survived, Powassan Disease, a (so far) rare virus that is spread through ticks. Read more.

Juul in denial: Boston councilors seek crackdown on e-cigarettes aimed at kids

By adamg - 5/15/19 - 1:01 pm

City Councilors Matt O'Malley (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury) and Annissa Essaibi-George (at large) will lead an effort to curb what they said was a growing epidemic of teens using nicotine inhalers known as e-cigarettes. Read more.

Anatomy of a measles case: How one clinic struggled to keep a confirmed measles case contained

By adamg - 5/2/19 - 2:06 pm

Undark details what happened after a mother walked into a Lowell clinic last fall with her daughter, who had measles. Read more.

East Boston third grader comes down with mumps

By adamg - 4/27/19 - 11:50 am

WBZ reports on the third grader at the Otis School on Marion Street.

Measles case diagnosed in Wellesley; state officials say person got around the area

By adamg - 4/1/19 - 9:54 pm

The Swellesley Report alerts us that Atrius Health is confirming one of the patients at its Harvard Vanguard health center in Wellesley was diagnosed with measles yesterday. Read more.

Gather up all your romaine lettuce and throw it out - but put some gloves on first

By adamg - 11/20/18 - 3:17 pm

The CDC reports another outbreak of E. coli disease linked to romaine lettuce and says some of the cases have been in Massachusetts. Read more.

Harvard getting mumpy again

By adamg - 11/7/18 - 10:28 am

The Harvard Crimson reports "recent cases of mumps and infectious mononucleosis" at the school.

City study: New federal immigration rules could harm Boston economy, increase risk of communicable disease

By adamg - 10/15/18 - 10:26 am

A new study by the BPDA tries to calculate the costs of proposed federal immigration rules that would bar anybody who ever applies for any taxpayer-funded programs - including early-childhood nutrition programs and state-subsidized health insurance - and concludes Boston could lose a significant part of its workforce and risk increases in communicable diseases as immigrants drop out of health-care programs to try to stay here. Read more.

Potentially dangerous disease spreading among Boston dogs; could spread to people

By adamg - 10/5/18 - 7:29 pm

Boston Veterinary Care reports:

There have been multiple confirmed cases of Leptospirosis in dogs throughout the city of Boston. Leptospirosis is a bacteria that can infect humans and pets, and can be life threatening.

Symptoms: Read more.

State: Hepatitis A outbreak hitting homeless people, drug users

By adamg - 9/24/18 - 3:29 pm

The state Department of Public Health reports an outbreak of Hepatitis A among homeless people in the state - with many of the cases in Boston. Read more.

100 years ago, death landed on a Boston pier

By adamg - 8/27/18 - 8:14 pm

Aboard the receiving ship at Commonwealth Pier in Boston

Sailors working out at Commonwealth Pier during the Great War. Source.

In August, 1918, Commonwealth Pier - today's World Trade Center - was a bustling place, with hundreds of sailors arriving there to await their permanent assignments for the "Great War" that the US had entered the year before.

Sometime on Aug. 27 or 28, two sailors reported, yes, flu-like symptoms. Read more.

Somebody with measles visited the Fenway Tasty Burger and Terminal B at Logan

By adamg - 7/27/18 - 7:00 pm

The Boston Public Health Commission reports anybody who might have visited the Tasty Burger on Boylston Street between 7 and 11 p.m. on July 19 or Terminal B at Logan Airport between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m on July 20 should check themselves for possible measles symptoms. Read more.