Health officials received word late Wednesday that a Black-headed Grosbeak bird collected from the Pioneer area has tested positive for the West Nile Virus. This is the first positive bird identified in Amador County this season. According to Dr. Bob Hartmann, County Health Officer, “This was not unexpected. No humans have tested positive for West Nile this year.” Most individuals who are infected with West Nile Virus will not experience any illness. Up to 20 percent of infected individuals will have only mild to moderate symptoms, such as fever, headache and body aches. Less than 1 percent of individuals will develop serious neurological illness such as encephalitis and meningitis. The elderly and those with lowered immune systems are more susceptible to serious illness.

West Nile Virus is generally transmitted to humans and animals through a mosquito bite. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. There are a number of precautions individuals can reduce their risk of mosquito-borne diseases. These include, draining or dumping standing water in places where mosquitoes lay eggs, checking flowerpots, buckets, leaky water faucets or sprinklers weekly, making sure your doors and windows have tight-fitting screens, and applying insect repellant containing DEET. You can report any dead birds to 1-877-WNV-BIRD or visit www.westnile.ca.gov for tracking of West Nile Virus activity in your area.

Although many customers are unaware, Blue Cross of California has officially and
subtly announced that they will be changing their title to Anthem. The official name
change takes place today. Blue Cross has made no official announcements as to
why the name change is taking place. In advertisements that appeared in
newspapers throughout California yesterday, Blue Cross mentions the name change
in a full page ad that also highlights Blue Cross’ pledge to improve health services in
an industry with many problems. Many Amador residents and programs subscribe to
Blue Cross. One industry insider suggests that the name change is a way to avoid
the negative stigma associated with Blue Cross’ past problems.  Blue Cross
proclaims, “Today isn’t the end of an era. It’s the beginning of a new one.” Whichever the case, prepare to think of
the name Blue Cross in the past tense.

Union employees from Sutter Amador Hospital demonstrated today in downtown Jackson to make public what they perceive as unfair and unbalanced in the offers made in current contract negotiations. Sutter Amador Hospital is still in talks with union negotiators, and, although progress has been made, has yet to come to an agreement. Hospital management has thus far put down two proposals, neither of which has met the union’s satisfaction.

Sutter Amador Hospital wants to assure parents that Sutter Amador Pediatric Center patients who have received vaccinations recently are safe. Last week Merck & Co voluntarily recalled about 1.2 million doses of its widely-used children's vaccines after quality-control checks found production equipment may not have been properly sterilized. Vaccines recalled were certain lots of a vaccine which protects against Hib influenza and other conditions. The Sutter Amador Pediatric Center was notified immediately by the California Department of Health Services Vaccines for Children Program with affected vaccine lot numbers to discontinue using before any were administered to patients.

Thursday is the annual Great American Smokeout. Smoking cigarettes is the number one preventable cause of premature disease and death in the United States, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Cancer Society challenges all people who smoke to give up tobacco for 24 hours on Thursday, November 15 in hopes that they will stop smoking forever. According to the American Cancer Society, a smoker who quits reduces his or her risk of developing smoking-related heart disease, stroke, many cancers and emphysema. An estimated 15% of Californians are current smokers -- most smokers have thought about quitting at some point in their lives.

Amador County Public Health Department will kick off its fall flu vaccine clinics at the annual Sutter Amador Hospital Health Festival Friday afternoon. The Health Department and the hospital will administer flu shots and nasal mist immunizations as well as pneumonia and tetanus boosters including: FluMist nasal vaccine for healthy people ages 5 through 49 years of age, Flu shots for persons 50 years and older as well as any age with a high risk condition, Tetanus boosters for persons 7 years and older, Pneumonia shots for persons 65 years and older only.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Alliance for Rabies Control and other agencies around the world are celebrating the first annual World Rabies Day September 8, 2007. “The purpose of World Rabies Day is to raise awareness about the impact of human and animal rabies, how easy it is to prevent it and to honor those who work daily to prevent rabies” says Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County Health Officer. Rabies is a viral illness that humans and animals can get from exposure to saliva or nervous tissue from a rabid animal.  It is nearly always fatal if left untreated but is also very preventable. Worldwide 50-to –60-thousand people die from rabies each year.  Most of these deaths occur in Asia and Africa and are caused by rabid dog bites. In the United States the number of human deaths has plummeted over the last 100 years. 

Every year an estimated 3,000 children are diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome (S-B-S). SBS is a serious traumatic brain injury caused when an individual shakes a child, usually less than one year of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics further defines SBS as an act "of shaking/slamming that is so violent that any competent individuals observing the shaking would recognize it was dangerous."