Author Archives: ongovhealth

Lyme Disease is Preventable!

By Jackie Shostack, MSEd, Public Health Education Supervisor Bureau of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Onondaga County Health Department It’s been a great summer and I hope everyone’s been enjoying the outdoors. Onondaga County has so many beautiful parks to explore and play in. However, when you are outside, you need to play it safe!… Read more >

Spring is here and may bring fix-up projects around your house…could there be lead paint?

Ann Barnett, Public Health Educator Along with spring flowers, the season usually brings home repair projects. If you are thinking about doing some home repairs or remodeling projects, which may disturb old paint, I urge you to take safety precautions. Lead paint and lead dust continue to be the major source of lead exposure for… Read more >

December 1st, 2015 World AIDS Day

By: Indu Gupta, MD, MPH, Commissioner of Health Contributing author: Frances Daye, SUNY Cortland student and intern with the Bureau of Disease Control As we acknowledge 2015 World AIDS day in Syracuse NY, I cannot help but look back more than 30 years, when the first 5 cases of AIDS were reported. That was 1981.… Read more >

Recognizing the Women of “Celebrating Survivors: A Traveling Road Show”

By Indu Gupta, Commissioner of Health Contributing Author: Jenny Dickinson, Cancer Services Program Coordinator On October 15th, the Onondaga County Cancer Services Program had the honor of thanking seven local breast cancer survivors for taking part in “Celebrating Survivors: A Traveling Roadshow”. The posters traveled over a 6 week period to 16 locations throughout Onondaga… Read more >

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

By Indu Gupta, Commissioner of Health Contributing Author: Emily Young, Public Health Educator, Cancer Services Program A few years ago, my close friend called me in a panic and informed me that her mammogram was abnormal. She was tearful because she was asked to have more tests. She was very concerned about cancer. I offered… Read more >

Beware of These Mosquito Menaces!

By Indu Gupta, MD, MPH Commissioner of Health When I was growing up in India, my mother used to remind us all, “Put mosquito repellent on, wear long sleeves, cover your skin, and make sure you tuck yourself inside the mosquito net at night so you don’t get bitten!” As a little girl, I listened… Read more >

Can You Prevent Lyme Disease?

By Indu Gupta, MD, MPH, Commissioner of Health and Anna Amaya, RN, Public Health Nurse, Bureau of Disease Control During the cold winter month of February, I was driving with Anna to attend a Lyme disease conference in Albany, NY. We were sharing life experiences, including our experiences with Lyme disease. She told me how… Read more >

Moms: Are You Ready for Your New Beginnings?

By Indu Gupta, MD, MPH, Onondaga County Commissioner of Health Contributing Author: Lisa GreenMills, RN, MPH, Syracuse Healthy Start Project Director Let us take our focus to the time where the life begins. We all know that to have a healthy baby, the most important thing is a mother’s complete health- physical, emotional, and social… Read more >

What is Health?

By Indu Gupta, MD, MPH Onondaga County Health Commissioner Everyone uses the word “Health” every day irrespective of age, sex, gender, race, nationality, occupation, species, environment, and even in the context of non-living concept of money. So what is health? The answers vary. From healthy habits to the sense of relief that comes with being… Read more >

My Salute to the Power of Vaccination

By Indu Gupta, MD, MPH Onondaga County Health Commissioner Growing up in India, I witnessed first-hand, the wrath of many infectious diseases. I clearly remember standing in a long line in my elementary school, waiting to get the small pox vaccination by the health care workers. The vaccination needles were long, with two prongs. I… Read more >