Health

Health Officials Issue Alert About Counterfeit Xanax

Xanax
SAN FRANCISCO—A San Francisco County Health official has issued a warning, urging people not to buy Xanax on the street.  As of Friday, October 23, four people have been found dead due to overdosing on what are believed to be counterfeit Xanax pills containing a strong opioid called fentanyl. The most recent victim was identified as 34-year-old Andrea Choye. Fentanyl is...

The Children Of Our Vaccination Nation

CALIFORNIA—In June 2015, California passed a new law requiring children to be vaccinated against high-risk infectious diseases. Starting July 1, 2016, all children, 18 months or older, enrolled in public or private schools or in daycare facilities will be required to be vaccinated against whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis (polio), diphtheria, tetanus, varicella (chickenpox), haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), mumps, and...

Squirrels Test Positive For Plague At Yosemite

The California Department of Public Health discovered two dead squirrels that tested positive for the plague virus at Yosemite National Park.Photo courtesy of California Department of Public Health
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK—Two squirrels were discovered to have been killed by a plague at Yosemite National Park’s Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds on Friday, August 14. According to the National Park Service, Tuolumne Meadows Campground will be closed from noon on August 17 to noon on August 21. All individuals who held camping reservations were contacted by the park services to have...

American Beverage Association Sues San Francisco

San Francisco is being sued for new ordinances that will require labeling sugary beverages.Photo by: Sam Hodgson The San Francisco News
SAN FRANCISCO—The American Beverage Association (ABA) sued the city of San Francisco in federal court on Friday, July 24, in an effort to stop the implementation of the city's new ordinances that will require health risk warnings to be labeled on sugary beverage advertisements, including sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks ads. According to San Francisco officials, on June 9 lawmakers unanimously...

Price Increase Of Eggs Caused By Bird Flu

CALIFORNIA—The recent avian influenza epidemic has caused a price increase in eggs across the nation. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are two types of avian influenza classified as H5N1; one strain is highly pathogenic and capable of producing rapid widespread disease, and the other is a lower risk. The influenza virus is highly susceptible to mutation,...

Blue Shield Of California Tax Audit

Blue Shield of California
CALIFORNIA—On June 3, 2014, tax officials sent a 16-page report to Blue Shield California, the state’s third largest insurer. The tax board did not comment on why blue shield was audited, but after consideration it was decided that the non-profit health plan provider would now have to pay state taxes. They had earlier cited confidentiality reasons for not making...

UCLA Makes PTSD Breakthrough

WESTWOOD—UCLA scientists have discovered specific genes that are linked to a predisposition to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study was published in the February 2015 edition of the Journal of Affective Disorders, and is significant because it answers the question of why some people suffer from PTSD and others do not. The findings also provide a “biological basis for diagnosing and treating...