From the Santa Barbara Independent.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced today that the statewide annual quarantine on mussels taken by sport harvesters from California?s ocean waters ends at midnight on Wednesday, October 31, 2012, for all coastal counties except Del Norte and Humboldt.

Sampling of mussels has confirmed that shellfish-borne paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins remain at dangerous levels for these two counties, but are at safe or undetectable levels at all other areas of the California coast.

From myDesert.com.

The California Department of Public Health has recently released the latest statistics regarding the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in counties throughout the state. The news is discouraging and points to an alarming trend of rapidly increasing incidence rates of a wide range of STIs in many communities in our state.
As with many public health issues (such as obesity and drunk driving), there are a wide range of public and private agencies trying to educate the public about the basic steps that responsible adults can easily implement to protect themselves and others.
The availability of such information, however, is apparently not working because there is an increase in STIs among both young and old according to the latest data.

From CarsonNow.org.

The El Dorado County Department of Environmental Health was notified this week by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that two additional chipmunks in the South Lake Tahoe area have tested positive for plague. One of the chipmunks was found in the Tallac Historic Site area and one was near the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Taylor Creek Visitor Center.
The chipmunks were tested as part of a surveillance effort initiated by health officials after learning earlier this month that another chipmunk had tested positive for plague at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center in the Taylor Creek area.

From the Sierra Sun Times.

Climate change poses risks to the public health and well-being of all Californians through extreme weather events, wildfires and a shift in certain infectious diseases. To address the need for planning and preparation to meet these challenges, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has been awarded a four-year, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) climate change and health grant.

From the Sierra Sun Times.

Nearly 400 workers at Yosemite National Park have volunteered for Hanta-virus testing. Park epidemiologists and doctors with the California Department of Public Health say the testing consists of a survey asking workers questions ranging from what's their job, whether they deal with mice on the job and, if so, how do they handle them. The other part of the test involves drawing blood from park employees.

From KION News.

Flu season is coming and the California Department of Public Health is urging everyone to a flu shot.


This year's flu vaccine contains two different strains that were not a part of the 2011-2012 flu vaccine.

Dr. Eileen Yamada, Public Health & Medical Officer for the Immunization Branch of the California Department of Public Health said "It's very important for everyone to get an annual influenza vaccine. The influenza viruses that circulate each year often change every year and so it's important basically experts take a look usually in February and make a decision what type of strain should be in this year's vaccine depending on what they see."

From California Watch.

A state court today ordered the California Department of Public Health to disclose uncensored copies of dozens of patient abuse cases at institutions for the developmentally disabled.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the Center for Investigative Reporting in Sacramento County Superior Court in January, seeking citations issued to developmental centers in Los Angeles, Orange, Sonoma, Riverside, Tulare and Santa Clara counties.