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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health has received a limited supply of vaccines to prevent against shingles, pneumonia and some Streptococcus pneumoniae strains.
Zostavax is a vaccine used for adults to prevent shingles, also known as Zoster.
Prevnar 13 vaccine is used for the prevention of pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive disease caused by 13 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains.
These vaccines will be provided free-of-charge except for a $9 administration fee while supplies last.
Eligibility guidelines to qualify for this program are:
– Prevnar 13 vaccine is only available to adults 65 years of age or older.
– Zostavax vaccine is available for uninsured and underinsured adults age 60 and over.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call Public Health at 707-263-1090 or 800-794-9291.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Eman Dalili to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.
“I would like to welcome Mr. Dalili to the board as our new student representative,” said interim Chancellor Erik E. Skinner. “He is an accomplished young man and brings a great deal of experience and perspective to the board. I am confident he will do well representing his fellow California Community Colleges students. We look forward to working with him on improving student success and expanding educational opportunities.”
Gov. Brown announced the appointment on Thursday.
Dalili, 20, of Palos Verdes Estates, has served as student body president of El Camino College since 2016 and is as a business analyst intern for Red Cross Blood Donation Services. He has been an ambassador in the Office of Outreach and School Relations since 2015.
Dalili was a trustee on the El Camino College District Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2016, intern in the Office of Congresswoman Janice Hahn from 2014 to 2015 and intern in the Office of Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi in 2014. Dalili is a Democrat.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 113 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year.
For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ , https://www.facebook.com/CACommColleges or https://twitter.com/CalCommColleges .
NAPA, Calif. – The Napa County Mosquito Abatement District detected the first mosquitoes positive for West Nile virus on Friday.
Two samples of mosquitoes collected in American Canyon tested positive for WNV.
“These first mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus in Napa County this summer reminds us that we must protect ourselves and our families from mosquito bites,” said Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio. “The good news is there are simple steps we can take at home and when we travel to stop mosquito bites, which can transmit viruses like West Nile.”
WNV is transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of an infected mosquito. The risk of serious illness to most people is low.
Napa County Public Health recommends that individuals “Fight the Bite” and prevent exposure to mosquito bites by practicing the “Three Ds”:
1. Defend – Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaradin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 according to label instructions. Make sure that doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes. Repair or replace screens with tears or holes.
2. Dawn and dusk – Most mosquitoes bite in the early morning and evening so it is important to wear proper clothing and repellent if outside during these times.
3. Drain – Mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water. Eliminate all sources of standing water including flower pots, old car tires, rain gutters and pet bowls. If a swimming pool is not being properly maintained, or for other mosquito problems contact the Napa County Mosquito Abatement District at 707-553-9610.
California's WNV Web site, http://www.westnile.ca.gov/ , includes the latest information on WNV activity in the state.
Californians are encouraged to report all dead birds and dead tree squirrels on the website or by calling toll-free 1-877-WNV-BIRD (968-2473).
For questions about local mosquito surveillance and problems with mosquito control contact the Napa County Mosquito Abatement District at 707-553-9610.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters quickly knocked out three fires that occurred Thursday afternoon and evening on the Northshore, in Clearlake and in Lower Lake.
The first of the fires occurred just after 4:45 p.m. on Sulphur Bank Drive at North Drive near Clearlake Oaks.
Northshore Fire and Cal Fire units responding to the scene said a trailer was on fire and had spread to vegetation, according to radio reports.
Reports from the scene indicated the forward progress on the fire was stopped about a half hour after it was reported. It was fully contained at a half acre shortly before 5:45 p.m., with one hour of mop up following.
At about the same time as the Sulphur Bank Drive fire was reported, firefighters were dispatched to another incident in the 18000 block of Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake.
Responding firefighters saw a large column of smoke at a distance. Radio reports indicated that once fire personnel arrived at the scene they found a four- to five-acre fire with a moderate rate of spread.
Lake County Fire and Cal Fire sent units to the Morgan Valley incident, with firefighters requesting that law enforcement respond to briefly close Morgan Valley Road at Bonham Road to all traffic but fire vehicles.
Forward progress on the fire was stopped shortly after 5:30 p.m., according to radio reports, with the fire estimated to be between five and seven acres.
Units remained on scene for mop up for a few hours afterwards, radio reports indicated.
Just after 7 p.m., Lake County Fire units were dispatched to a fire in the area of Austin Road and Locust Street in Clearlake on the report of smoke and flames in a field with homes threatened.
Firefighters arriving at the scene quickly knocked the fire down within minutes, according to radio reports.
The fire was completely out by 7:45 p.m., with firefighters reported to be remaining on scene for a short time for mop up.
The Clearlake Police Department was asked to respond to the scene to assist firefighters with the investigation.
In other fire news, on Thursday evening Cal Fire reported that the Foothill fire, which had begun on Tuesday evening in Lucerne, was 100-percent contained. That fire burned a total of 69 acres.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A United States Forest Service K9 that formerly worked on the Mendocino National Forest in Lake County was stabbed during a marijuana eradication operation in Trinity County on Thursday.
The incident involving K9 “Ice,” a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, occurred at around 7 a.m. Thursday, according to Patrol Captain Chad Krogstad of the Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers national forests.
Krogstad said Ice and his handler, who had previously worked in Lake County, was on a raid in a marijuana garden.
“He was stabbed in the course of apprehending a suspect,” Krogstad said of Ice.
Ice suffered wounds to his chest and face, Krogstad said.
Krogstad said the California Highway Patrol responded to the scene with a helicopter and flew Ice to a veterinarian in Redding, where he underwent surgery.
On Thursday evening, Ice was stable and was just coming out of the anesthesia from surgery, Krogstad said.
Krogstad said the suspect, a man tending the grow when law enforcement arrived, was taken into custody after stabbing the dog.
No one else was injured in the raid, Krogstad said.
Krogstad said Ice's handler “is doing as well as can be expected” in the wake of the injury to his four-legged partner.
Ice is a law enforcement veteran who Krogstad said “has been around the block,” and encountered dangerous situations before.
The stabbing of Ice occurred just a week after another law enforcement K9 in the Trinity County area was stabbed during a pot grow eradication.
On July 14, Trinity County Sheriff's Office K9 Johnny was stabbed in the side of the neck while attempting to apprehend a male subject, the agency reported.
Johnny survived the attack but had to return to the animal hospital earlier this week due to an infection, according to media reports.
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Children who are thumb-suckers or nail-biters are less likely to develop allergic sensitivities, new research has found.
And, if they have both “bad habits,” they are even less likely to be allergic to such things as house dust mites, grass, cats, dogs, horses or airborne fungi.
The research, published in the journal Pediatrics, was completed by researchers of New Zealand's Dunedin School of Medicine, assisted by professor Malcolm Sears of McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and formerly from Dunedin.
"Our findings are consistent with the hygiene theory that early exposure to dirt or germs reduces the risk of developing allergies," said Sears, who is also a researcher for the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at McMaster and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. "While we don't recommend that these habits should be encouraged, there does appear to be a positive side to these habits."
The researchers were testing the idea that the common childhood habits of thumb-sucking and nail-biting would increase microbial exposures, affecting the immune system and reducing the development of allergic reactions also known as atopic sensitization.
The habits of thumb-sucking and nail-biting were measured in a longitudinal birth cohort of more than 1,000 New Zealand children at ages 5, 7, 9 and 11; and atopic sensitization was measured by skin-prick testing at 13 and 32 years old.
The researchers found 31 percent of children were frequent thumb suckers or nail biters.
Among all children at 13 years old, 45 percent showed atopic sensitization, but among those with one oral habit, only 40 percent had allergies.
Among those with both habits, only 31 percent had allergies. This trend was sustained into adulthood, and showed no difference depending on smoking in the household, ownership of cats or dogs; or exposure to house dust mites.
However, the study did not find associations between the oral habits and development of asthma or hay fever.