Ticks may be tiny, but they have a large pathogenic impact. In order to survive, these small arachnids need to gorge on blood in each of their four stages of life. Unfortunately, both humans and pets are attractive sources, making them susceptible to a range of debilitating tickborne diseases, such as Lyme disease.
The latest Occupational Health Services (OHS) Take a Hike event, held on an idyllic July day, featured a new route and welcomed several health-conscious vendors from the Frederick area.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus that is responsible for multiple outbreaks across Asia, including in Malaysia, Singapore, and India. The virus has been added to the World Health Organization’s 2018 Priority Diseases List, which indicates a pressing need for further research and development.
A task force led by physicians from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association has released new blood pressure guidelines in order to help doctors and clinicians better treat hypertensive and prehypertensive individuals who may be at risk of heart disease. The update, which comes nearly 15 years after its predecessor, has significantly broadened the definition of hypertension and reclassified other blood pressure categories.
From 2013 through the first quarter of 2018, NCI at Frederick has recycled over 1,667 tons of material, while incinerating or landfilling over 4,273 tons of trash. This earns us a recycling rate close to 28 percent, which is below the national average of 32 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and well below our goal of 50 percent. (These numbers only include operational wastes and not construction debris.) To help improve our rates, please read the following refresher on our recycling program.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its list of clinics that are administering the yellow fever vaccine Stamaril, which has been made available to address the total depletion of the United States’ primary yellow fever vaccine, YF-VAX. These clinics will provide the vaccine to individuals preparing for international travel, including NCI at Frederick staff and scientists.
Spring is here again, and with it come scientific meetings and spring vacations. Some of the scientists and staff at NCI at Frederick will be traveling across the globe in the next few months, so Occupational Health Services would like to share a few tips for staying healthy while traveling.
With February coming to a close, Occupational Health Services (OHS) has wrapped up American Heart Month, a four-week-long series of events that raised awareness about heart disease and promoted heart-healthy habits.
The lunchtime dash to a nearby eatery is a daily ritual at NCI at Frederick, but Occupational Health Services (OHS) recently showed employees a different, healthy kind of DASH—Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Employees who visited the educational lunch-hour event, called “DASH and Dine,” had the chance to speak with OHS staff about the benefits of the DASH Eating Plan, a diet developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
In celebration of American Heart Month this February, Occupational Health Services is hosting multiple events to promote heart health and raise awareness about heart disease and its associated risks. American Heart Month kicks off on Monday, January 29, when staff will be sponsoring a table outside of the 15th Annual Protective Services Chili Cookoff and holding a raffle for free gym bags to encourage employees to stay active.
