Providence: Director of Health Michael Fine, MD today declared the flu to be widespread again in Rhode Island. This declaration triggers the requirement that healthcare workers who have not been vaccinated against the flu wear surgical masks during direct patient contact. Rhode Island is seeing a second wave of flu that is even more intense […]readmore
Tags : healthcare
Katie Brooks is this week’s Medical Apprentice. She speaks fluent Spanish and said that she decided to become a doctor later in life. While in college she majored in Political Science, taking classes in sociology and Hispanic Studies. She also worked as a social worker in Philadelphia, working primarily with AIDs patients. Through her interactions […]readmore
Providence: Thirteen people, most of them in their 80s and 90s, have died from influenza this season, many since the arrival of the H3N2 strain of flu in late March. Rhode Island is also seeing cases of Type B strains recently. There have been 392 hospitalizations, with 40 of those occuring in the last week […]readmore
Can a traumatic experience, or any change in our lifestyle be transmitted genetically to our children? This phenomenon, called Epigenetic inheritance has been linked in a multitude of diseases, from obesity to psychiatric problems like bipolar disorder where there is a gene that is clearly identified. But up to this date, no mechanism by which this occurs has been identified. A team of […]readmore
Diabetes in the state of RI has increased in the past five decades and it is predicted that the numbers will continue to rise, especially among African American and Hispanic populations. Diabetes remains a chronic disease with no known cure, and without proper control and observations it can have a deep impact on a person’s […]readmore
Measures are being taken in West Africa to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus after an outbreak in Guinea. It was reported that the authorities in Mauritania closed its border with Senegal and Mali due to fears of infection. The Ministry of Health in Guinea banned the sale of bats because the animals carry […]readmore
Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin and Director of Health, Michael Fine, MD, are warning the public of a possible scam in which individuals, primarily women, are being called by a «medical compensation company» or «the state department of health» asking about recent surgeries and other personal information. The targets of the calls appear primarily to […]readmore
An influenza strain, different from the flu strain that is most common this season, is causing an increase in the flu in Rhode Island. This latest strain, H3, causes more severe illness and has a greater impact on the elderly. This year’s flu vaccine protects against both these strains of the flu. «If you haven’t […]readmore
Police in Northwest Pakistan found the body of a health worker in a field near the city of Peshawar. Salma Ghani was taken by force from her residence on Sunday by a group of unidentified armed men. According to the authorities, Ghani was tortured and shot several times. Her family believes that she was kidnapped […]readmore
Each year millions of people die unnecessarily of tuberculosis (TB). The lack of education and health care access, poverty and armed conflicts are some of the reasons. But perhaps the most serious is the lack of knowledge. On World TB Day, it is important to shine a spotlight on this devastating disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) […]readmore