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Do bugs make you buggy? Do snakes make you jump our of your skin? Do you have a fear that you’ve been battling, coping with for years?
If so, we might want to interview you for a Halloween story about fear and the effect it has on people.
Email me at acuda@ctpost.com or call 203-330-6290 and tell me what scares you, and it might be part of the story.
I look forward to hearing from you!
October is National Fire Safety Month and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is encouraging Connecticut’s employers and workers to keep their workplaces safe from accidental fires.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than half of all non-residential structure fires from 2005-2009 occurred in workplaces. Almost 20 percent of those workplace fires occurred in office settings.
DPH recommends that all of Connecticut’s employers and workers review the “Workplace Fire Safety Top 10” checklist, which can be found on the DPH website at www.ct.gov/dph/occupationalhealth.
Below is a sampling of some of DPH’s fire prevention tips:
For more information about workplace fire safety or fire prevention in general, visit the National Fire Prevention Association at www.nfpa.org or contact DPH at 860-509-7742.
Windham County, New Haven County and Fairfield County had the highest uninsured rates of all of Connecticut’s eight counties in 2008 and 2009, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Small Area Health Insurance Estimates provide information on health insurance coverage for each of the nation’s 3,140 counties.
Estimates are pulled from a number of sources, including the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
According to the numbers, the percentage of uninsured in Connecticut remained steady between 2008 and 2009, hovering around 10 percent. Many of the state’s counties were near that level both years as well. For instance, in New Haven County — which had the third highest rate of uninsured in 2008 and 2009 — 10.3 percent of residents were uninsured in both years.
Fairfield and Windham Counties were locked in battle for the title of most uninsured. In 2008, Windham County had the highest rate, at 12.3 percent, with Fairfield County second, with 11.3 percent of residents uninsured.
But, in 2009, the percent of uninsured in Windham County dropped to 11.1. That left Fairfield, with 11.4 percent of residents uninsured, with the highest rate.
The Small Area Health Insurance Estimates are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others in the health care field. CDC uses these stats to support its National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. At present, SAHIE is, according to the Census Bureau, the only source of health insurance estimates for all counties. For more information on the SAHIE, visit http://www.census.gov/did/www/sahie/about/index.html .
Though the state can expect a few more weeks of biting mosquitoes, West Nile Virus activity in the state has largely died down, said Theodore Andreadis, chief of medical entomology for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven.
Andreadis said, so far this season, mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile in 36 towns and there have been nine human cases of the disease, including at least two in Bridgeport. There were no human fatalities this year, though eight of the nine West Nile victims were hospitalized. The ages of the victims ranged from the mid-40s to the mid-80s.
There was also one can of West Nile in a horse — the first since 2003, Andreadis said. The horse died of the illness.
There has been no Eastern Equine Encephalitis detected in the state this year.
Though testing is still going on, Andreadis said West Nile activity has dwindled. However, if you’ve noticed that you’re still getting bitten — despite the fact that it’s mid-October — Andreadis said you’re not alone. Due to the recent rain and high temperatures, the mosquito season is expected to be a little longer than usual.
“As long as the weather remains mild, biting activity will continue,” he said.
Last year, there were 11 human cases of West Nile, nine of them acquired in Connecticut, and WNV-positive mosquitoes were trapped in 24 municipalities. While most people do not become severely ill from West Nile virus, people over the age of 50 are more likely to become ill and develop serious symptoms when infected.
Andreadis said he expected more people to get West Nile, given the prevalence of infected mosquitoes. However, West Nile activity dropped significantly after Tropical Storm Irene hit in late August, he said. “Were it not for the storm, there would have been even more human cases.”
Andreadis said he doesn’t know whether West Nile activity will continue to be strong next summer, but, if we get another hot summer, it’s likely that WNV-positive mosquitoes will continue to pop up.
Adolescents who experience weight-based bullying in school often cope with these experiences in ways that may be harmful for their emotional and physical well-being, according to a study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.
A release put out by the center this week touted the study as the first to provide an in-depth examination of reactions and coping strategies among adolescents in response to weight-based bullying. The study is published online in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
Yale researchers asked several hundred high school students (grades 9 through 12) about their experiences with weight-based teasing and bullying at school, how they felt after these experiences, and the strategies they used to cope with their victimization.
Findings showed that 40 to 50 percent of the adolescents who were victimized because of their weight felt sad and depressed, worse about themselves, bad about their body and angry. Some even felt afraid.
The more that boys and girls reported negative feelings resulting from weight-based bullying, the more they reported coping with these experiences by avoiding gym class, consuming more food, and binge eating. In addition, the odds of students skipping school or reporting that their grades were harmed because of weight-based teasing increased by 5 percent per teasing incident. These findings remained even after accounting for students’ gender, age, race, grades, and weight status.
The researchers call for increased support for adolescents who are experiencing weight-based bullying, and to help these students replace unhealthy coping strategies with more adaptive responses that can buffer against the harmful effects of victimization.
Covering the health beat teaches you a lot of things — mainly, that, in addition to well-known events likes Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, there are a lot of lesser-known recognition days and months.
For instance, I bet you didn’t know that today was World Arthritis Day. Well, it is, according to a release I got this morning from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Also, this year’s World Arthritis Day has a theme — “Move to Improve.” The theme comes from the idea that one of the best things you can to manage arthritis is to simply get moving. Even a small amount of extra activity around the home can make a big difference for your health.
Today, one in five adults suffers from arthritis. Each year, the condition leads to more than 40 million outpatient visits and roughly one million hospitalizations. Beyond the painful human costs, the disease also carries a high economic price tag: $128 billion annually in medical expenses, lost earnings and reduced productivity.
The good news, according to the HHS press release, is that arthritis is not inevitable or untreatable. For osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, prevention is possible. Relief is available for many forms of the disease. And more promising treatments are on the horizon.
To learn more about new benefits for people dealing with arthritis, visit Healthcare.gov. And for tips on what you can do to prevent arthritis and how you can get involved in finding ways to conquer the disease, visit www.cdc.gov/arthritis.
Don’t let the recent run of warm temperatures fool you: It is indeed October, and it’s the time of year when you really should think about getting a flu shot. Now, there are lots of place where you can do this. About a week ago, we ran a story about flu vaccines and the increasing popularity of drug store vaccinations.
But if you’re still not sure of where to get a shot, there are a few place where you can go for help. First, the U.S. Department of Health and Human services sponsors the site Flu.gov, which allows you to enter your zip code to find a flu clinic near you. The American Lung Association runs a similar site, that also allows you to enter your zip find the closest clinic.
According to Health and Human Services, annual outbreaks of the seasonal flu usually occur during the late fall through early spring. Most people have natural immunity, but, in a typical year, approximately 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the seasonal flu. Flu-related deaths range from 3,300 to 48,600 (average 23,600) a year.
For more about the flu, visit the About the Flu section on Flu.gov.
The State of Connecticut and breastfeeding advocates are offering a new resource to help businesses, employees, and parents understand and comply with Connecticut’s breastfeeding workplace and public accommodation laws. The state Department of Public Health announced the guide Wednesday morning.
Connecticut law allows mothers to breastfeed their babies in public places and the workplace. The law also protects employed mothers’ rights to express milk during the workday.
According to a press release put out by DPH, the Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition joined with the Departments of Public Health and Labor, and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to create the “Guide to Connecticut Breastfeeding Nondiscrimination and Workplace Accommodation Laws.” The guide answers frequently asked questions, such as “Why can’t the mother cover the baby when nursing?” and “Do I need to provide a special room or space for an employee who wants to breastfeed or express milk at work?”
The guide also details what recourse a woman has when she believes her rights to breastfeed have been violated under Connecticut’s breastfeeding laws.
According to state health officials, one of the most highly effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant and herself is to breastfeed. Although most mothers in the United States hope to breastfeed – and 75 percent of babies start out being breastfed – only 13 percent are exclusively breastfed six months later.
The guide is available online at “>www.breastfeedingct.org or by calling 860-509-8261.
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