Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The first pediatric influenza-related death in Nebraska has been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, as of Dec. 18. Nationally, two additional pediatric flu-related deaths have been reported this season according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been two flu-related deaths in Nebraska this season. Antiviral drugs like oseltamivir - Tamiflu - should be used as early as possible in people with flu-like illnesses. For those who are not sick, common preventive measures along with flu...
People are encouraged to use caution as avian influenza is affecting waterfowl and other bird species throughout Nebraska and adjacent states. Nebraska Game and Parks officials said waterfowl die-offs and sick birds have been reported at water bodies from Niobrara to Alma recently. About 300 dead or dying snow geese have been collected at Harlan County Reservoir and additional ones at locations in northeast and southeast Nebraska. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has been confirmed in two cases. Due to the widespread nature of...
Two pediatric influenza-related deaths have been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. One of the deaths occurred within the North Central District Health Department service area. “NCDHD shares our deepest condolences with the families impacted,” said Heidi Kuklis, director of NCDHD. Nationally, 20 children have died from flu this season according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Nebraska, there have been a total of three flu-related deaths so far this season. Protect yourself from the flu by: ...
North Central District Health Department will sponsor a vaccine clinic, Friday, in Orchard at the community center. The clinic will run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Vaccines for influenza, shingles, Tdap, RSV, pneumonia and COVID-19 will be available....
Area residents received the red carpet treat, June 29, as Antelope Memorial Hospital unveiled its latest updates. "We rolled out the red carpet at Antelope Memorial Hospital to celebrate the open house for our newly remodeled patient rooms/nursing floor and infusion room," said Diane Brugger, AMH chief executive officer. "More than 100 individuals from area communities attended." The $3.7 million project started in September 2021 and completed in three phases to allow the hospital to continue...
ANDREW ELLSWORTH, M.D. One late summer day, fresh out of residency and seeing patients for the first time as a full-fledged family physician, I examined a young man who had a fever, fatigue and a bad headache. Considering the time of year, influenza was low on the list of possibilities, and COVID-19 did not yet exist. After a physical exam and listening to his story, I ordered some tests, which resulted in a diagnosis of West Nile virus. Now that we are entering the later half of the summer, the weather and environment are prime for West Nile...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced Friday, an order cancelling all poultry events across Nebraska, due to highly pathogenic avian influenza. The order prohibits birds of any type at events including, but not limited to, fairs, expositions, swap meets, exotic sales and live bird auctions. The order is effective immediately and will be in effect until May 1, at which time the order will be reevaluated. “The decision to cancel poultry events was not taken lightly but is a necessary s...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is urging poultry owners to monitor flocks for signs of the avian influenza. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed HPAI in commercial and/or backyard flocks in Iowa, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York and Virginia. As of Friday, the virus has not been found in Nebraska. “While we have not seen HPAI in Nebraska since 2015, protecting the health of pountry in the state is a top priority,” said state veterinarian Dr. Roger Dudley. The virus can cause sudden death in birds,...
One of my favorite parables describes the difference between heaven and hell. In both places, hungry people sit at tables laden with delicious food. In hell, people suffer and starve because they cannot eat with the long utensils provided. In heaven, people are happy and thrive because they use the utensils to feed each other. Many cultures and religions have some variation of this story. It illustrates a universal truth: we depend on each other. The current pandemic has starkly illustrated...
In medicine, we routinely ask people about their family health history. Knowing that your mother had diabetes, or that your grandfather battled alcoholism, helps us be alert for health conditions to which you may be predisposed. Sometimes, though, what is revealed by those histories isn't a medical problem, but a family tragedy. Earlier in my career, my older patients commonly told me that their grandmother, or even their mother, died in childbirth. Today, it is all too easy to forget just how p...
It is September, fall is in the air and what we might call "respiratory season" is nearly upon us. Respiratory season refers to the colder months in which we spend much of our time indoors, maybe October through March. Normally, this season correlates with when we see high rates of typically seasonal respiratory infections, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has given us knowledge we can use to greatly decrease the spread of all respira...
While I count my blessings each and every day, I have never cared for Thanksgiving. Bad memories tend to resurface. Like how the smell of turkey roasting in the oven reminds me of three-year-old LuAnn, who was ill with influenza, tried a bite of turkey and couldn’t keep it down. Grandma Fields understood my pain, and every year, she also baked a ham so people, -er, I could have another choice. Simpler times then. In 2003, my husband died from a pulmonary embolism, two days before T...
North Central District Health Department has been made aware of 159 cases in the district since the last reporting on Nov. 12, including: 19-Antelope; 9-Boyd; 21-Brown; 26-Cherry; 27-Holt; 6-Keya Paha; 13-Knox; 36-Pierce and 2-Rock. NCDHD has expanded its COVID-19 testing capacities to include a 15-minute rapid test, in addition to the gold standard PCR test already offered. The rapid test will be offered only to individuals who are currently exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19. All testing is offered free of charge at the below...
North Central District Health Department has been made aware of 145 cases in the district since the last reporting on Nov. 9: 21-Antelope; 6-Boyd; 18-Brown; 17-Cherry; 31-Holt; 1-Keya Paha; 21-Knox; 28-Pierce and 2-Rock. NCDHD announced 110 new recoveries since the last recovery report from Nov. 5, including: 16-Antelope; 2- Boyd; 10-Brown; 4-Cherry; 24-Holt; 0- Keya Paha; 41-Knox; 10-Pierce and 3-Rock. NCDHD has expanded its COVID-19 testing capacities to include a 15-minute rapid test, in...
North Central District Health Department will host the following upcoming drive-through public influenza vaccine clinics throughout the district: • Monday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ainsworth - Ainsworth School – Ag Tech Building • Monday, Oct. 12, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Springview - Activity Center -Enter on the south side • Tuesday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Bloomfield • Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2 to 6 p.m., Plainview – Plainview Elementary School – Line up on Woodland Avenue and enter from th...
UPDATED: APRIL 1, 2020 @ 8:04 P.M. North Central District Health Department, in communication with state officials, have signed the NCDHD counties, including Antelope, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Pierce and Rock, into the Directed Health Measures, effective April 1, at 10 p.m., through May 11, unless the order is extended. Please read the Directed Health Measures in full carefully, they can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services website at htt...
On a normal day, the streets of Rome bustle with activity: tourists tossing coins into Trevi Fountain, viewing mosaics at St. Peter's Basilica or taking in ancient history at the Colosseum or Pantheon. As COVID-19 wound its way through the Italian countryside, infecting approximately 64,000 natives, activity in the nation's capital slowed to a standstill. Studies continued at the Pontifical North American College, despite the lull of activity across the sprawling city of eight million...
At some point, most people have experienced sniffling, aching, coughing, stuffy head and fever associated with the human coronavirus. But symptoms of the common cold differ from COVID-19, a new or novel disease not previously seen in humans. Here's what is known, according to Dr. Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School: • COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, China, on Dec. 8, 2019; • Officials assumed the virus was caused by zoonotic - animal to human - tra...
