California looks for agency help with anti-obesity campaign
From PR Week.
The California Department of Public Health is seeking a firm to carry out a campaign in support of the state’s anti-obesity program. The contract is worth up to $32 million over three years. The Champions for Change program, managed through the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch, is looking for a firm to develop and implement a campaign that will include PR, advertising, social media, and other elements, according to an RFP released this week.
Late spring rains ease worries for driest Calif. towns
From USA Today.
While California and much of the West remain gripped by drought, spring storms have eased drinking water worries for some rural communities most critically affected, state officials say. Rain and snow from storms prompted state health officials to scale back its list of communities in danger of running out of drinking water.
In February, the California Department of Public Health listed 17 mostly rural water systems, out of some 7,500 water districts statewide, as having less than two months water supply in storage. This week the department reduced the list to just three small rural communities in Siskiyou, Mendocino and Mariposa counties, with a population totaling about 5,500 people.
CDC report: Measles in California, 2014
From the San Jose Mercury News.
During January 1-April 18, 2014, the California Department of Public Health received reports of 58 confirmed measles cases, the highest number reported for that period since 1995. Patients ranged in age from 5 months to 60 years. Three (5%) patients were aged less than 12 months, six (10%) were aged 1-4 years, 17 (29%) were aged 5-19 years, and 32 (55%) were aged 20 years. As of April 18, there had been 12 hospitalizations, and no deaths had been reported. During 2000-2013, the median annual number of measles cases reported in California was nine (range = four to 40).
Coccidioidomycosis Among Cast and Crew Members at an Outdoor Television Filming Event – California, 2012
From InsuranceNewsNet.com.
In March 2013, the California Department of Public Health identified two Doctors First Reports of Occupational Injury or Illness regarding Los Angeles County residents who had worked at the same jobsite in January 2012 and had been evaluated for possible work-associated coccidioidomycosis (valley fever). Occupational exposure to Coccidioides, the causative fungi, typically is associated with soil-disrupting activities. The physicians noted that both workers were cast or crew members filming a television series episode, and the site of possible exposure was an outdoor set in Ventura County, California. On the basis of their job titles, neither would have been expected to have been engaged in soil disrupting activities.
Report Finds Numerous Schools Near Toxic Pesticide Fields
From eNews Park Forest.
A new report from the California Department of Public Health finds 36 percent of public schools in the state have pesticides of public health concern applied within a quarter mile of the school. Persistent and toxic pesticides like chlorpyrifos, methyl bromide, and malathion are among the pesticides found to be applied near schools. The report also finds that Latino children are also more likely to attend schools near areas with the highest use of pesticides of concern.
New Community Air Monitoring Project Launches in Imperial County
From Imperial Valley News.
Comité Cívico del Valle, an organization that advocates for health and the environment, is collaborating with the California Department of Public Health’s California Environmental Health Tracking Program, the University of Washington, and others to conduct a community-based air monitoring research project in Imperial County. The project team received funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct this four-year project, with the long term goal of protecting the health and improving air quality for Imperial County residents.
"The information collected will be publicly available real-time or near-real time. Our monitoring will not interfere with Imperial County’s ambient air monitoring, but will focus on what’s happening in neighborhoods where residents may find greater concentrations of particulate matter," said Luis Olmedo, Executive Director of Comité Cívico del Valle.
State officials warn pertussis still on rise
From the Martinez News-Gazette.
Director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer Dr. Ron Chapman warned yesterday that the number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in California is increasing. CDPH has received reports of 1,711 cases of pertussis occurring from January through April 2014, more than triple the number of cases in the same period last year. To date, the Martinez Unified School District has over 15 confirmed cases, according to Susan Fairley, a public health nurse from Contra Costa Health Services.