Summer’s here, the sun’s out, and the mosquitoes… well, they’ve RSVP’d to everything. Whether you're camping, grilling, or just enjoying your backyard, these tiny flying menaces always seem to show up uninvited — and they don’t come empty-handed. Besides leaving behind itchy welts, mosquitoes can spread some serious diseases like West Nile virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, dengue, malaria, and more. Not exactly the kind of souvenirs you want from a summer evening. And did you know they prefer feeding on human blood? It’s true! They actually gain a fitness advantage when they feed on humans. Mosquitoes bite (or feed) frequently, meaning (you guessed it) more opportunities to transmit illnesses. Our expert this month is Dr. Laura C. Harrington, Professor of Entomology at Cornell University and Director of the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector Borne Diseases (NEVBD). Laura has decades of professional experience; has published over 123 peer reviewed articles and 3...
Back-to-school is the furthest thing from our minds in early July, but before we know it school supply lists, registration information, and health forms will be headed our way. Use the summer months to be proactive in getting or keeping your children up-to-date on their recommended vaccinations . Did you know, schools risk a fine of $2,000 per day per child from the NYS Education Department for allowing students to attend without proof of certain vaccinations? If your child is not vaccinated according to the guidelines approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, they will not be allowed to attend school – and after a long summer of “I’m bored” and “Can I have a snack?” that will be the last thing you want! With us this month is Roberta Fredenburg, Supervising Public Health Nurse in the Health Care Services Division at CCHD. Roberta has been a nurse for 40 years working with all age groups. She has experienced back-to-school vaccination requirements as a mom, grandmo...