Recent News

"Maryland looks to neighboring states for help with heroin trafficking" (Baltimore Business Journal - February 12, 2015)

Baltimore is becoming a destination for drug traffickers looking to take advantage of rising demand among heroin users. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh on Wednesday announced that Maryland will join a six-state coalition to target a heroin supply line along the East Coast that is driving heroin deaths in Baltimore and throughout the state. Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake have made reducing heroin deaths a priority. The city is looking into training police officers and first responders to carry naloxone, an overdose-reversing drug, and wants to find ways to expand rehabilitation services for users.

 

Who Cares for the Caregiver?

The job of a caregiver is one of the most challenging roles anyone will undertake.  Unfortunately, there is no step-by-step manual that someone can read on what it takes to keep a loved one safe and well once he or she has serious medical problems. Typically, caregivers are family members or friends who provide emotional, physical and practical support. But what about the well-being of the caregiver and their need for service?

"Measles outbreak spreads to three more states and Washington DC; 121 people now affected" (Washington Post - February 10, 2015)

The measles outbreak spread to three more states and Washington D.C. last week, affecting 19 additional people, according to an update posted Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The highly contagious disease is now in 18 jurisdictions, with 121 people affected. The vast majority of the cases are part of the large outbreak that began in Southern California Disney theme parks in late December, the health agency said. Public health authorities have begun campaigning about the importance of vaccinating children against measles. President Obama, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy and Baltimore Public Health Commissioner Leana S. Wen, as well as the CDC and other public health organizations have called on parents to vaccinate children.

"Baltimore pediatricians, health officials urge parents to vaccinate children against measles" (WBAL-TV - February 9, 2015)

Pediatricians from 10 Baltimore-area hospitals and the city's health commissioner are urging parents to vaccinate their children against the measles. Some of the area's leading pediatricians converged Monday at a measles symposium at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to, in essence, put their foot down, saying the public is at risk when parents decide not to vaccinate their kids. "We stand here as pediatricians and public health leaders of Baltimore City and County to express our solidarity on the importance of childhood vaccination," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said.

"Baltimore Health Officials Urge Parents To Vaccinate Kids Against Measles" (WJZ-TV - February 9, 2015)

Measles cases are on the rise across the country. Seventeen states are now reporting the illness. Tracey Leong explains what area doctors are doing to stop the disease from hitting Maryland. In this multi-state outbreak, there are 121 people with the measles. Health officials say the best form of protection is to get vaccinated. A rallying cry across the nation for parents to vaccinate their children against measles, as the highly contagious and potentially fatal disease explodes across the nation.

"Baltimore health officials urge parents to vaccinate kids against measles" (WMAR - ABC2 - February 9, 2015)

Pediatricians from 10 Baltimore-area hospitals and the city's health commissioner are urging parents to vaccinate their children against the measles. "We've now eliminated measles but measles is making a come back because of parents not vaccinating their children," Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner, told ABC2.  

"Panel of Baltimore-Area Doctors, Health Officials Discuss Measles” (FOX45 News - February 9, 2015)

The CDC puts the latest measles outbreak numbers at 121 cases in 17 states, and growing. On Monday in Baltimore, "Measles Rises Again: The Science and Policy of a Preventable Outbreak" was the title of a symposium at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A panel of the area's top doctors and public health officials spoke about the status of the current outbreak as well as the effectiveness of the vaccine and problems with a minority of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, putting the rest of the public at risk. They did say Monday that 99% of Baltimore City's public school children are up to date on the vaccine, and that Maryland has one of the highest rates of vaccination in the country
 

"Doctors to Vaccine Doubters: Get Your Kids Vaccinated" (NBC News - February 9, 2015)

Baltimore-area doctors made a public stand in favor of vaccines Monday, standing literally shoulder to shoulder to urge holdouts to get their kids vaccinated against measles. "Ours is an unequivocal message. Vaccines are safe, they are effective, and they save lives every single day," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said as the group stood up in front of a seminar about measles at the Johns Hopkins University school of public health. "The Disneyland outbreak raises the real risk that measles may come roaring back. We have come too far to let that happen," the group said in a statement.

"Baltimore experts urge widespread measles vaccination" (Daily Record - February 9, 2015)

In the wake of the Disneyland measles outbreak, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen is urging all parents to vaccinate their children against measles and other preventable diseases. Wen will be joined by a coalition of pediatricians and public health experts at a symposium Monday afternoon at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The topic is “Measles Rises Again: The Science and Policy of a Preventative Outbreak.” Wen — who said the recent outbreak should be a “wake-up call” to parents and caregivers — and 15 other experts signed a consensus statement in favor of widespread vaccination.

"Amid measles outbreak, public health officials take on obstacles to vaccination" (Baltimore Sun - February 9, 2015)

After the worst month for measles in more than two decades, public health officials gathered at the Johns Hopkins University on Monday to talk about ways to prevent 2015 from becoming the worst year for the disease. Local, state and federal officials spoke of boosting vaccination rates against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease by making it more difficult for parents to claim exemptions for religious or personal beliefs, by reaching out to those who refuse vaccinations and by better tracking of children who are not vaccinated.

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