Friday, June 14, 2013
Patch offers mosquito prevention tips, and the map below shows the number of West Nile cases last summer.
After a particularly tough year for the West Nile virus in 2012, Massachusetts health officials are bracing for what could be another busy summer for the mosquito-borne illness. Although, with so many factors playing into the problem, the track of West Nile is not an easy one to predict, said Kevin Cranston, director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “We can’t pin down all of the elements that go into why one season is bad and another season is not,” Cranston said. But if this summer is similar to last summer—marked by extended periods of very hot weather—some parts of the state could see a high number of cases as occurred in 2012. To give residents a sense of West Nile’s prevalence in …
Friday, April 19, 2013
It's wise to look for ticks on yourself and your children and pets after being outdoors.
Among the budding flowers and greening grass, another sign of spring has arrived. Tick season. The evidence? Two ticks, one on each of my dogs, I found this week. One dog had a tick on her snout, the other dog had a tick on her head that I found while petting her. Both ticks were about the size of a pinhead, and attached, but not yet engorged. I was able to remove them, and promptly gave both dogs a dose of K9 Advantix, which my husband I had stopped using for a few months this winter. I also checked the rest of the dogs' bodies for more ticks, finding none. With evidence that tick season is here (at least in Wayland where I live), it's a good reminder to check yourself, your children and your pets after being outdoors. The Centers for …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
CDC offers tips on keeping extreme cold at bay.
The National Weather Service predicts Burlington will feel some of the coldest temperatures of the season during the next 72 hours. An arctic blast of frigid air will cause evening temperatures to drop into the single digits and daytime highs will struggle to get out of the teens. "This will definitely be the coldest weather so far this season, and perhaps even colder than anything observed last winter," according to the NWS. The U.S. Center’s for Disease Control & Prevention’s brochure, entitled “EXTREME COLD: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health & Safety,” provides a number of tips people can use to help combat the cold and its effects on homes, cars and people this week.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Outbreaks are earlier than normal in the area.
- NEWS
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Wednesday, January 9
The Red Cross said there's still time for folks to get flu shots and be covered from what is considered to be a more active flu season. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said flu outbreaks are high for this time of the season, with "widespread activity" in Massachusetts. How do you prevent the flu? According to the CDC, in addition to getting the vaccine, you can: How do you know if you have the virus? Symptoms include: high fever, severe body aches, headache, being extremely tired, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, and vomiting and/or diarrhea (which is more common in children). When should you call the doctor? According to the Red Cross, if you think you have the flu, your doctor should be consulted immediately if you …
Friday, December 14, 2012
Here's where to get an influenza vaccine, how to recognize symptoms and what to know about treatment if you get sick.
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
- John Ness
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Flu season is coming early in some parts of the country: This time last year, flu cases were lower in Boston than they are now, according to data on Google's Flu Trends. Overall in Massachusetts, activity is considered high now; it was considered moderate at this time last year, according to Flu Trends. If you're considering getting a flu shot, here are some places in Burlington that offer the vaccine (besides your own doctor, of course): More locations According to this week's CDC Flu activity report, influenza levels are on the increase across the country. Five states – Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee – are reporting flu rates not normally seen until January, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The flu …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
It's National Influenza Vaccination Week and this year is shaping up to be one of the worst flu seasons in a while. Did you get your flu shot?
More than one-third of United States residents have already been vaccinated against the influenza virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday. With National Influenza Vaccination Week, which started last Sunday and ends Saturday, health officials aim to increase that percentage, especially since this year's season may be a bad one. Influenza—more commonly known as simply "the flu"—is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses infecting the nose, throat and lungs. It spreads via infected people coughing, sneezing or talking, though people can also get infected by touching something with the flu virus on it before touching their mouth, eyes or nose. The 2012-2013 season is shaping up to be one of the worst …
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CVS Pharmacy
75 Middlesex Tpke, Burlington, MA
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Monday, September 17, 2012
The potentially contaminated ricotta salata cheese may have been sold in Massachusetts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning Massachusetts residents of potentially contaminated ricotta salata cheese sold in the state. Forever Cheese Inc. voluntarily recalled one lot of Frescolina brand ricotta salata cheese because of Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recall affects more than a dozen states, including Massachusetts. The recalled cheese was sold to distributors for retailers and restaurants between June 20 and Aug. 9. The CDC has not reported the exact locations of the sales or companies that may have sold the cheese. “The recall affects lot number T9425 and/or production code 441202. Products were sold to supermarkets, restaurants and wholesale distributors,” according to the CDC. The CDC …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
The Burlington Board of Health is advising residents of how to avoid mosquito bites after infected insects were found in town.
As it has in many area communities, the West Nile Virus has been found in mosquitoes in Burlington. According to a release by the Board of Health, which was carried on The Daily Times Chronicle, the virus was found in mosquitoes collected in town on Aug. 22. According to the Board of Health, West Nile Virus infected mosquitoes have been found in 67 Massachusetts communities from nine counties so far during 2012 including Billerica, Reading, Waltham, Chelmsford, Tewksbury, and Wakefield. Cases of human infection of West Nile Virus are up around the entire country this year. ABC News reported today that the CDC said there have been a total of 1,590 reported cases of West Nile virus in the United States, a 40 percent rise from last week's …
