The Onondaga County Health Department’s General Immunization Clinic located at the Dr. William A. Harris Health Center, 301 Slocum Avenue, in Syracuse is closed for today, December 11, 2014 due to a plumbing issue.
The clinic will reopen next Thursday, December 18, 2014 for normal clinic hours, 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Please call 435-2000 for more information.
The Onondaga County Health Department’s Family Planning Clinic located at the Dr. William A. Harris Health Center, 301 Slocum Avenue, in Syracuse is closed for the remainder of today, December 9, 2014 due to flooding.
Please call 435-3295 to reschedule today’s appointment.
The clinic will reopen tomorrow, December 10, 2014 for normal clinic hours, 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
Don’t forget your annual flu vaccine! The Onondaga County Health Department will be holding a public flu vaccine clinic on Wednesday, November 19th from 10:00AM – 12:00PM, and again from 2:00PM-4:00PM, with special emphasis on reaching uninsured individuals. The clinic will be held at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center, located at 421 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202. The clinic will be held in Room 30 in the basement. Residents who would like more information on this flu vaccine clinic are encouraged to call 435-2000.
This clinic is a walk-in clinic and no appointment is necessary. Vaccines will be free for Onondaga County residents, while supplies last. The Onondaga County Health Department flu clinic will provide flu vaccines for anyone six (6) months of age and older.
Quoc Nguyen, MD, Onondaga County Health Department Medical Director, explained, “Getting your flu vaccine is the single best way to prevent getting the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone over six (6) months old get an annual flu vaccine.” Nguyen further emphasized that the flu vaccine is especially important for children and adults with high risk conditions such as asthma.
New this year, the CDC has recommended that FluMist® (a vaccine that is sprayed inside the nose) is preferred over the traditional flu shot for children 2 through 8 years of age because it offers better protection in that age group. At this flu vaccine clinic, FluMist„µ will be available for any children and adults who prefer an alternative to the traditional flu shot. FluMist„µ is only recommended and offered to healthy children and adults age 2-49 years old.
The CDC continues to reinforce that an annual flu vaccine is particularly important for persons at high risk for complications from the flu, or for those who have contact with people at high risk. Those include the following:
Health care workers
Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than six months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
Children under the age of nine who have never had a flu vaccine series before will need two doses of vaccine. The second vaccine should be given 4 weeks after the first shot or FluMist®. If your child is under age nine (9) and only received one dose of vaccine last year, they should receive one dose this year.
Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to protect your health as well as your family, friends, and others. Get your flu vaccine to protect yourself and others! For more information, call 435-2000.
The Onondaga County Health Department Family Planning Clinic located at 113 East Taft Road is closed for the remainder of today, November 6, 2014 due to a power outage.
The next clinic will take place as scheduled next Monday, November 10, 2014.
Onondaga County Interim Commissioner of Health, Michelle Mignano, announced today that the New York State Health Department’s laboratory has reported that a bat found in the Park Avenue area in the city of Syracuse has tested positive for rabies. This is the tenth bat that has tested positive for rabies in Onondaga County this season.
Ms. Mignano explained, “It continues to be important to contact the Animal Disease Program at 435-3165 when you find a bat in your home or in a place that they are not usually found, on your lawn for instance, as it may be rabid. The County would like to thank the community for their continued identification and reporting of bats in their homes during this season where the number of positive bat findings is greater than in past years.”
To bat proof your home, plug up any holes discovered with steel wool. Also, repair window screen holes with wire mesh and caulk any other openings or cracks.
To trap a bat:
It is important to keep your pet’s vaccinations current. This is especially important for dogs, cats, and ferrets. Getting your pet vaccinated can help stop the spread of rabies from wild animals to humans.
The Onondaga County Health Department offers a number of clinics throughout the year to protect your pet from rabies. New York State Public Health Law requires that all puppies and kittens get an initial shot at three months of age, with a booster shot every three years. Ferrets must get a shot every year. For a full schedule of upcoming rabies vaccination clinics visit www.ongov.net/health/documents/RabiesClinicSchedule.pdf, or call 435-3165.
Onondaga County Interim Commissioner of Health, Michelle Mignano, announced today that the New York State Health Department’s laboratory has reported that a bat found in the West Calthrop Avenue area in the city of Syracuse has tested positive for rabies. This is the ninth bat that has tested positive for rabies in Onondaga County this season.
Ms. Mignano explained, “This positive finding continues to show that it is critical, if you are exposed to a bat in your home (even if you do not touch the bat), to trap the bat and call Animal Disease Control immediately at 435-3165 for further guidance.”
To bat proof your home, plug up any holes discovered with steel wool. Also, repair window screen holes with wire mesh and caulk any other openings or cracks.
To trap a bat:
It is important to keep your pet’s vaccinations current. This is especially important for dogs, cats, and ferrets. Getting your pet vaccinated can help stop the spread of rabies from wild animals to humans.
The Onondaga County Health Department offers a number of clinics throughout the year to protect your pet from rabies. New York State Public Health Law requires that all puppies and kittens get an initial shot at three months of age, with a booster shot every three years. Ferrets must get a shot every year. For a full schedule of upcoming rabies vaccination clinics visit www.ongov.net/health/documents/RabiesClinicSchedule.pdf, or call 435-3165.
Nearly half a million children living in the United States have elevated blood lead levels that may cause significant damage to their health, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In Onondaga County, more than 8% of children tested in 2013 had high blood lead levels. The major sources of childhood lead exposure in Onondaga County include lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust found in older homes. The good news is that childhood lead poisoning is entirely preventable.
To raise awareness of childhood lead poisoning prevention, the Onondaga County Health Department (OCHD) is joining our state and federal partners to promote National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW), October 19-25th, 2014. This year’s theme, “Lead Free Kids for a Healthy Future”, reinforces the importance of testing your home for lead, testing your child for lead, and learning how to prevent lead poisoning.
Onondaga County Health Interim Commissioner, Michelle Mignano, states, “The most important thing we can do to prevent childhood lead exposure is to treat the source of the problem, which is often in the home.” Mignano emphasized that there are many ways families can reduce a child’s exposure to lead and encourages following these simple steps to protect your family:
Onondaga County Interim Commissioner of Health, Michelle Mignano, announced today that the New York State Health Department’s laboratory has reported that a bat found in the Westminster Avenue area in the city of Syracuse has tested positive for rabies. This is the eighth bat that has tested positive for rabies in Onondaga County this season.
Ms. Mignano explained,” This bat was found in a room where an individual was sleeping. It is critical that if you are exposed to a bat in your home, (even if you do not touch the bat) to trap the bat and call Animal Disease Control immediately for further guidance at 435-3165.”
To trap a bat:
It is important to keep your pet’s vaccinations current. This is especially important for dogs, cats, and ferrets. Getting your pet vaccinated can help stop the spread of rabies from wild animals to humans.
The Onondaga County Health Department offers a number of clinics throughout the year to protect your pet from rabies. New York State Public Health Law requires that all puppies and kittens get an initial shot at three months of age, with a booster shot every three years. Ferrets must get a shot every year. For a full schedule of upcoming rabies vaccination clinics visit www.ongov.net/health/documents/RabiesClinicSchedule.pdf, or call 435-3165.
Onondaga County Interim Commissioner of Health, Michelle Mignano, announced today that the New York State Health Department’s laboratory has reported that a bat found in the area of Howlett Hill Road in the town of Onondaga has tested positive for rabies. This is the seventh bat that has tested positive for rabies in Onondaga County this season.
Ms. Mignano stresses, “It is important to bat-proof your home now to keep bats out of your house and away from you and your family. However, if you are exposed to a bat in your home, it is important to trap the bat and call Animal Disease Control for further guidance at 435-3165. It is also essential to reinforce to children, that if they see a bat, to stay away from it and inform an adult.”
To trap a bat:
It is important to keep your pet’s vaccinations current. This is especially important for dogs, cats, and ferrets. Getting your pet vaccinated can help stop the spread of rabies from wild animals to humans.
The Onondaga County Health Department offers a number of clinics throughout the year to protect your pet from rabies. New York State Public Health Law requires that all puppies and kittens get an initial shot at three months of age, with a booster shot every three years. Ferrets must get a shot every year. For a full schedule of upcoming rabies vaccination clinics visit www.ongov.net/health/documents/RabiesClinicSchedule.pdf, or call 435-3165.
This fall, don’t forget your flu and pneumonia vaccine! The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive an annual flu shot. People should be vaccinated every year because immunity to flu viruses declines over time and circulating strains often change from year to year.
Quoc Nguyen, MD, Onondaga County Health Department Medical Director, explained, “Getting your flu vaccine is the single best way to prevent getting the flu.” Dr. Nguyen further emphasized that the flu vaccine is especially important for children and adults with high risk conditions such as asthma.
New this year, the CDC has recommended that FluMist® (a vaccine that is sprayed inside the nose) is preferred over the flu shot for children 2 through 8 years of age because it offers better protection in that age group. FluMist„µ is only recommended and offered to healthy children and adults ages 2-49 years old.
The CDC continues to reinforce that an annual flu vaccine is particularly important for persons at high risk for complications from the flu, or for those who have contact with people at high risk. Those include the following:
o Health care workers
o Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
o Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than six months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
Children under the age of nine who have never had a flu vaccine series before will need two doses of vaccine. The second vaccine should be given one month after the first shot or FluMist®. If your child is under age nine (9) and only received one dose of vaccine last year, they should receive one dose this year.
Recommendations for pneumococcal vaccines (often referred to as the “pneumonia shot”) have changed this year for persons 65 years and older. A new type of pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13) is being recommended for seniors this year, in addition to the standard “pneumonia shot” (PPSV23). Adults 65 years and older who have never received a pneumococcal vaccine should receive the PCV13 shot first, followed by the PPSV23 6 to 12 months later. If you have already received the standard “pneumonia shot”, a dose of PCV13 is recommended at least 1 year following that vaccine.
Getting a flu vaccine and a pneumonia vaccine is the best way to protect your health as well as your family, friends and others. If you do not have a health care provider or health insurance, call the Onondaga County Health Department at 435-2000 for more information on where you can get a vaccine.