CDPH in the News
Vaccination Rates for California Kindergarteners Are Higher Than Ever After New Law
from KQED
Vaccination rates hit an all-time high for California kindergartners, the California Department of Public Health said Wednesday as it announced its first findings since a new law ended the era of the “personal belief exemption” that allowed thousands of parents to choose not to vaccinate their children who attend public and private schools. The percentage of kindergartners who received all required vaccines rose to 95.6 percent in 2016-17, up from the 92.8 percent rate in 2015-16. This is the highest reported rate for the current set of immunization requirements, which began in the 2001-02 school year, the state said.
Report Finds Dangerous Amount of Lead Found in Children in the Valley
from ABC 30
Peeling paint in aging homes, imported ceramics, even contaminated soil– all have the potential to cause lead poisoning. According to the California Department of Public Health– some Valley kids are exposed to dangerous amounts of lead; exposure that could harm a child’s nervous system and impair brain development. “It is a concern that should not be overlooked and it is a concern in our community and in others. We have a lot of housing that was built prior to 1978 that have lead based paint in there, and that is exposure that we want to mitigate,” said David Pomaville, Fresno County Public Health Director.
The report found that nearly 14-percent of children living in and around Downtown Fresno tested extraordinary high for lead– eight more Fresno County communities made the list. Local experts say those numbers are from 2012 and current data shows a decrease in lead exposure.
UC Irvine Medical Center Defends Its Handling Of MRSA Outbreak Infecting 10 Infants
from CBS Los Angeles
UC Irvine Medical Center on Thursday defended how it handled an outbreak of the dangerous superbug that infected 10 infants in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. The newborns tested positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA between August and March. But the babies were successfully treated, and the parents were notified, hospital spokesman John Murray said.
According to Marian Hollingsworth, a member of the state’s Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee, she filed a complaint with the California Department of Public Health in August. She said she was alarmed that neither the hospital nor county health officials alerted the public immediately.
How will the cigarette tax hike affect the Sacramento region?
from ABC 10
Smokers will soon have to shell out an extra $2 when buying cigarettes. A $2 cigarette tax hike goes into effect April 1st, months after being approved by voters. The tax is estimated to bring in $1 billion to $1.4 billion in revenue, most of which will be allocated to increase funding for the Medi-Cal health care program for low income residents, as well as tobacco prevention programs and tobacco-related disease research among other things. The $2.87 tax will place California in the nation’s top ten cigarette tax rate.
Yolo and Placer Counties have the lowest number of smokers in the state. Yolo County had a 9.4 percent smoking prevalence among adults between 2012 and 2014, the third-lowest in California, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Placer County had a 9.8 percent smoking prevalence, the fourth-lowest in the state.
Humboldt County Has California’s Highest Rates of Gun Deaths, Suicides and Fatal Car Crashes
from Lost Coast Outpost
Humboldt County is a dangerous place to be, and a big part of the problem is us. That has to be one of the key takeaways from the latest annual County Health Status Profiles report from the California Department of Public Health.
Granted, we’re no longer the most dangerous county in the state, as we were back in 2010. Nor are we the second most dangerous, as we were in 2011. No, this year we wound up in the same position as last year: sixth among California’s 58 counties on the list of where you’re most likely to buy the farm. But what’s even more alarming is how Humboldt County residents seem more than willing to meet the Grim Reaper halfway, often cashing in our chips not through natural causes but with our own reckless behavior.
Here’s what we mean: Among counties with reliable data, Humboldt County has the highest rates of death from firearms, car crashes and suicides, and we’re second-highest in how frequently we die from drugs, chronic liver disease and unintentional injuries.