Marion Board of Health

08/12/2016

http://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heattips.html

Information on extreme heat. Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

08/05/2016

BOSTON — Fentanyl helped fuel an increase in opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts over the first six months of the year, according to state public health officials, whose new numbers show the addiction epidemic's continuing toll even as state officials pour time and money into fighting it.

The Department of Public Health (DPH) on Wednesday reported 488 confirmed cases of unintentional opioid overdose deaths since January, a total that could grow by 431 to 509 deaths when accounting for active cases. The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl was confirmed in 66 percent of those cases, up from 57 percent in 2015.

Health officials said current unintentional overdose deaths are higher than the first six months of 2015. At 1,531, confirmed opioid overdose deaths during 2015 in Massachusetts were up 18 percent over 2014. Opioid deaths in 2014 were up 41 percent over 2013, according to DPH.

"Collecting statewide data on fentanyl-related deaths will play a critical role as the Commonwealth works to bend the trends and combat the opioid crisis in our communities," Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. "While we have completed several reforms and passed landmark legislation, this deadly epidemic is still devastating too many Massachusetts families and treatment, education and prevention will remain a top priority for our administration."

While deaths are still on the rise, data culled from the state Prescription Monitoring program shows the number of prescriptions for opioids and the number of patients receiving those prescriptions are at their lowest level since the first quarter of 2015.

The DPH report also found that emergency medical personnel administered the overdose-reversing drug Naloxone 1.4 times per incident on average. Officials say that's evidence that more of the drug is now needed to reverse overdoses.

07/28/2016

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160512100947.htmy

For the first time, science has shown a direct link between continued ma*****na use during pregnancy and pre-term birth. The results show that once all other major risk factors have been accounted for, continued ma*****na use through to 20 weeks' gestation is independently associated with a five-fol...

07/27/2016

http://www.cdc.gov/powassan/ #

Powassan (POW) virus is transmitted to humans by infected ticks.

07/20/2016

Tickborne illnesses are on the rise in Marion! To protect yourself from tickborne illnesses, view the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JqI_SJ8j3w

06/08/2016

this short article will explain added tick concerns

In severe cases, babesiosis can result in serious anemia or spleen rupture and can be life-threatening.

06/05/2016

Instead of scapegoating doctors, the government needs to see what they bring to the table.

07/20/2015

Millions of Americans rely on Dunkin' Donuts for their morning coffee -- and part of what they love about the chain is that they know they can get the exact same cup of coffee every time. But customer

07/15/2015

Search API-driven view.

06/16/2015

06/04/2015

Each year, we celebrate National CPR & AED Awareness Week during the first week of June. We discuss the importance of learning CPR and the use of an AED throughout the year, but from June 1-7 we really step up our efforts while we own the spotlight. Five years ago we set some aggressive strategic goals to guide us in ...

05/15/2015

Here are the Massachusetts towns with the highest number of opioid deaths per capita. Data comes from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the US Census.