Blogs

Seasonal influenza is hitting our region hard as we see marked increases in flu hospitalizations and deaths. So far this season, 452 Spokane County residents have been hospitalized with lab-confirmed flu and 25 have died, compared with 222 hospitalizations and 11 deaths at this same time last year. Over the past 15 flu seasons, the current season is the first time all states in the continental US have reported widespread flu activity during the same week.

There is certainly lots of media, rumors and misunderstanding about a recent publication from Australia speaking to the effectiveness of this year's flu vaccine. Various sources report 10% effectiveness for a portion of the flu vaccine specific to influenza A H3N2 and the Southern Hemisphere. For a number of reasons, the Australian situation is not necessarily predictive of what we should expect in the U.S. or in Spokane County.

Jill Royston, student assistant specialist for NEWESD 101

Guest Contributor

As a substance use counselor in a local high school, I hear daily about the ways youth are using marijuana and the reasons they use. I have also heard an array of myths about the drug. Curious about what youth are saying? Here’s what I hear most often:

“Marijuana is an herb, it’s all natural, and it won’t hurt me.”
“Marijuana helps people with anxiety.”
“Everyone does it, so what’s the big deal?”

Under Washington State RCW 70.24.110, minors who are age 14 and over can give consent for STD diagnosis and treatment, which includes hepatitis B and HPV immunizations, without getting permission from a parent or guardian.

When the height of the travel season subsides with the start of school, every other year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases its annual Health Information for International Travel book (commonly called the Yellow Book) for healthcare professionals. This fully revised and updated resource codifies the U.S. government’s most current travel health guidelines, including pre-travel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy to reference maps, tables, and other charts.