[media-credit name=”AP graphic” align=”aligncenter” width=”967″][/media-credit] This flu season is on track to be one of the worst in 15 years, with nearly 12,000 people needing to be hospitalized, federal health officials reported Friday. The latest weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the season, which started early and hit many […]
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Posted inNation / World
Synthetic opiates drive surge in overdose deaths
The national opioid epidemic escalated in 2016, driven by an unprecedented surge in deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opiates, according to new data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 42,000 Americans died of opioid overdoses in 2016, a 28 percent increase over 2015. The number of people fatally […]
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Posted inNation / World
CDC warns of diarrhea-inducing parasite in U.S. pools
Kids appear to be enjoying the water at the 2009 Summer Days Program in the wading pool at Hippach Field in Farmington. If you’re planning to take a dip in a pool this summer, make sure to plug your nose and close your mouth. Any inadvertent ingestion of even chlorinated pool water could wind up […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
CDC reports life expectancy dips slightly for white females
WASHINGTON — Life expectancy at birth for white, non-Hispanic females in the United States declined slightly from 2013 to 2014, a change that could be a statistical blip but still represents a rare drop for a major demographic group, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This unusual in life […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine CDC director supports stronger vaccine legislation
AUGUSTA — Maine’s top health official says he supports vaccinations and efforts to help parents make an informed decision. But he says a bill that would’ve made it more difficult for parents to opt out of immunizations went too far. The “informed consent” bill would have required parents seeking philosophic exemptions to vaccinations to obtain the […]
Posted inOxford Hills, sj-web
Maine CDC says E. coli death investigation to take several days
OXFORD — Maine authorities say it will be several days before they comment on the results of an investigation into two cases in which Androscoggin County children were hospitalized with symptoms associated with E. coli. The agency says both children attended the Oxford County Fair in September and visited animals barns and a petting zoo. […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Lewiston-Auburn, Oxford Hills
Superintendent reports confirmed case of viral meningitis
PARIS — Oxford Hills School District Superintendent Rick Colpitts has notified parents of a confirmed case of viral meningitis in SAD 17. The affected student has been identified as a fifth-grader. Colpitts is prohibited from revealing specific information under federal law, but he said the notification to school officials appears to have been done quickly […]
Posted inMaine
Oversight committee reviews report on workplace culture at Maine DHHS
AUGUSTA — The state’s largest agency may include “unfit” supervisors and the occasional “despicable” boss, but most employees of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services are satisfied with the workplace culture. A recent report issued by the nonpartisan Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability received close scrutiny from the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee […]
Posted inMaine
Ethics bill passes Maine House with broad support
AUGUSTA — A bill that aims to ensure all state employees follow the same set of ethical standards was approved with little debate and broad bipartisan support in the Maine House of Representatives on a 134-13 vote Thursday. The bill, LD 6, is the result of a document-shredding scandal at the Maine Center for Disease Control […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Secretary of state vows fixes for records retention program
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap told a legislative committee Friday that he will immediately begin to implement recommendations from a working group that found that the state’s records retention program is in disarray. The Secretary of State’s Office oversees the State Archives, which is responsible for keeping or discarding public records. Dunlap said he plans […]