State health officials urge residents to check their homes for radon. It’s a tasteless, odorless, radioactive gas that can be deadly over time.
State Health Officials Tout Success of Naloxone Kits
Opioid-antidote Narcan is having an impact on the number of overdose deaths. According to the Indiana State Department of Health’s winter newsletter, the rate of unintentional drug poisoning deaths increased by nearly 900 percent from 1999 to 2015. In 2016, over 1,800 Hoosiers died from drug poisoning, mainly from opioids.
ISDH Begins Toxicology Pilot Program to Improve Coroner Consistency in the State
The Center for Disease control said that Indiana is one of the three worst states for overdose fatality reports because of inconsistencies in the way coroners test and fill out death certificates. In an effort to improve that reporting, the Indiana State Department of Health’s Division of Trauma and Injury Prevention launched a toxicology pilot program that works with coroners and allows them to order either a basic or more comprehensive panel. Continue reading
West Nile Virus Increases across the State
Officials with the Indiana State Department of Health are keeping an eye on the West Nile Virus activity in the state.
As of Aug. 18, 261 pools of water tested positive for the West Nile Virus in 58 counties this year. According to statistics compiled by the Indiana State Department of Health, three mosquito infections were separately reported in Starke County, La Porte County and Fulton County. One mosquito infection was reported in Porter County while there were no reports in Marshall County or Pulaski County.
West Nile Virus on the Rise Throughout Indiana
West Nile virus activity is on the rise across Indiana. Now, state health officials are urging Hoosiers to protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases.
Increase in Whooping Cough Cases under Investigation
The Indiana State Department of Health is looking into an increase in pertussis, or whooping cough, cases.
Whooping cough was confirmed in 136 cases in the first half of the year in Indiana. The state recorded only 66 cases during the same time period in 2016. The number of cases is expected to continue to rise.
Change Gives Children Hearing Aid Assistance
Changes made to the Hearing Aid Assistance Program of Indiana means more funding for hearing aids for eligible children.
Beginning today, children ages three and older will be eligible for up to $2,000 per hearing aid, including bone anchored hearing aids, through a participating audiologist. The new requirements increase the age range and an additional $500 in funding.
State Health Officials Encourage HIV Testing
Today is National HIV Testing Day, and Hoosiers are urged to learn their status. The human immunodeficiency virus weakens a person’s immune system by destroying cells that fight disease and infection. You learn more about different diseases at https://reportshealthcare.com/blue-waffle-disease-know/ Read for yourself to know how to prevent them.
It can be transmitted sexually, through shared needles, blood, breast milk and other bodily fluids. HIV can also progress to a severe condition called acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Continue reading
West Nile Virus Confirmed in Indiana, State Officials Offer Mosquito Safety Tips
State officials have confirmed the first cases of the West Nile Virus in Indiana. As the mosquito season progresses, the state is urging citizens to take preventive action against the virus. Continue reading
Stay Safe While Using Fireworks This Summer
As the Fourth of July approaches, so does the season for firework-related injuries, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Last year, over 70 percent of firework-related injuries occurred during the first week of July.
More Families to Qualify for WIC Program Under Revised Poverty Guidelines
More Hoosiers may be able to get nutrition benefits, thanks to revised federal poverty guidelines. That’s according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
State Health Officials Offer Tick Disease Prevention Tips
Hoosiers are urged to protect themselves against ticks when taking part in outdoor activities. The small, insect-like creatures are found in grassy, wooded areas throughout the state. Ticks tend to be most active during the late spring and early summer.
State health officials warn they can transmit a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Last year more than 200 cases of tick-borne illness were reported in Indiana. Continue reading
County Opioid Profiles Released by State Health Officials
Health problems related to opioid use are being tracked by the Indiana State Department of Health. County-level statistics on things like opioid overdoses resulting in a trip to the emergency room or death, as well as diseases like Hepatitis C that may indicate the sharing of needles, are all included in the new county opioid profiles. Continue reading
State Officials Warn of Deadly “Gray Death” Heroin
State officials from headshop suppliers are warning of an extremely potent and potentially deadly mix of heroin that has made its way into Indiana.
It’s known as Gray Death and is a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil and other synthetic opioids. At least one person has overdosed in central Indiana this week. Continue reading
State Health Officials Raise Awareness of Hepatitis Risk, Encourage Prevention
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, and state health officials are encouraging Hoosiers to get tested for the disease and learn how to prevent it. They say more than 7,000 cases of viral hepatitis were reported in Indiana in 2015. Additionally the number of reported acute Hepatitis C cases has risen by 400 percent since 2010. Continue reading
Indiana Tobacco Quitline Offers Free Resources for Hoosier Smokers
Indiana smokers who want to quit can now get free help from the state. Those who enroll in the Indiana Tobacco Quitline between now and April 2 or until supplies run out, will be eligible for free medication, such as gum or patches. Continue reading
State Health Officials Discuss Heart Disease Prevention
February is American Heart Month, and the Indiana State Department of Health is asking Hoosiers to help raise awareness of overall heart health, check here their contact information for a medical check.
Continue reading
State Officials Urge Testing for Potentially Deadly Gas
Hoosiers are urged to test their homes for a cancer-causing, radioactive gas during the month of January. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Continue reading
State Health Officials Report Season’s First Flu Death
Indiana state health officials have recorded the first influenza-associated death of the 2016-17 season. They will not release any additional information about the patient due to privacy laws. Continue reading
WIC Converts to EBT Cards
Families who participate in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program will now have an easier time shopping for approved grocery items. Indiana health officials say programs in all 92 counties are now using electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards instead of paper checks. Continue reading
