Press Releases : NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Strong Demand for Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Strains Supplies

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

With H1N1 influenza dominating the headlines, New Yorkers have turned out in record numbers for seasonal flu shots this fall – depleting vaccine supplies and prompting the Health Department to issue new recommendations for vaccination. The agency continues to recommend seasonal vaccine for all children between 6 months and 18 years of age, for all adults 65 and older, and for people with underlying health conditions that increase the risk of complications from influenza. But until vaccine supplies increase, health officials are suspending the recommendation to vaccinate healthy, non-elderly adults.

City Officials Announce First Weekend H1N1 Vaccination Centers for Students

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Today the Health Department announced details of a five-week effort to provide free H1N1 vaccine to middle and high school students in all five boroughs. Through a series of weekend vaccination clinics – held at varying locations in each borough during November and December – the City will ensure that all school-age New Yorkers have a chance to get the H1N1 vaccine. Though intended for middle- and high-school students, the weekend vaccination centers will also serve elementary school students (ages 4 and older) who have not been vaccinated in their schools or at their doctors’ offices. All students 18 and under must present signed parental consent forms, which are available in 10 languages at nyc.gov/flu and at vaccination sites, and anyone under 16 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

City Officials Launch School-Based H1N1 Vaccination Program

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EDT

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas A. Farley and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today marked the beginning of a three-phase initiative to vaccinate the city’s school-age population against H1N1 influenza. The first phase starts today at 125 public elementary school buildings with enrollments of less than 400. Phase two starts November 4 in school buildings with enrollments of more than 600, and the third phase begins November 9 in the remaining schools. Vaccinations will continue at participating elementary schools for approximately eight weeks. Non-public schools that choose to participate in the city’s vaccination effort will also receive vaccine during this period. Weekend vaccine sites for middle-school and high-school students will be held in each borough starting in November.

In Preparation for School-Based H1N1 Vaccination Efforts, Parents of Elementary School Students Will Start Receiving Consent Forms This Week

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EDT

This week, New York City’s elementary school students will begin taking home H1N1 information packets that include vaccination consent and screening forms for the City’s upcoming school-based vaccination initiative. By signing and returning the forms – also available in 10 languages at nyc.gov/flu – parents can have their children vaccinated free-of-charge against the H1N1 influenza virus. The packets will be sent home with children over the next two weeks, starting today. All materials are available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Urdu.

It’s Time to Get Smart: Week-long Initiative Promotes the Proper Use of Antibiotics

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EDT

“If you have a cold, or the flu, antibiotics won’t work for you!” This is one of the main messages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) want people to take away from its second annual “Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work Week,” from October 5 to 11. Antibiotics become less effective when overused, because harmful bacteria have more opportunities to develop resistance to them. To combat this important public health problem, the Health Department will observe Get Smart Week at community events throughout the city.

First Shipments of H1N1 Vaccine Arrive in New York City

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs and Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner, visited the Montefiore Medical Center as children and health care workers received some of the City’s first doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine. The event marks the beginning of the city-wide H1N1 vaccination program that Mayor Bloomberg announced last month.

Health Department and Department of Education Launch Week-Long Vaccination Effort to Test Vaccine Distribution in Schools across the City

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT

In preparation for this fall’s school-based H1N1 vaccination effort, the Health Department and the Department of Education will hold a week-long vaccination program in six New York City schools next week. From Monday to Friday, trained nurses will administer the seasonal influenza vaccine to the approximately 700 students whose parents have completed consent forms.

Health Department Launches City’s New Influenza Web Portal

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EDT

Up-to-date information on influenza and vaccine locations is now just a click away with the launch of a new Web portal. By visiting www.nyc.gov/flu, New Yorkers can now find all influenza-related information – from surveillance data to information on schools and vaccination sites – in one place.

New Data Show that Child Lead Poisonings Fell by 19% in New York City Last Year

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT

The number of children with lead poisoning dropped by 19% in New York City last year, the Health Department announced today in its annual report to the New York City Council. In 2008, there were1,572 newly identified poisonings among children between 6 months and 6 years of age, marking a 92% decline since 1995, when nearly 20,000 lead poisoning cases were reported.

Is Your Afternoon ‘Pick-Me-Up’ Weighing You Down?

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT

They may taste like coffee, but when it comes to calories, the blended beverages sold at coffee chains are in a class by themselves. The Health Department recently surveyed the drinks purchased at coffee chains in New York City. The results – published this week in the online journal Preventing Chronic Disease – shed new light on a topic that has attracted little attention in nutritional research until now.

Mayor Bloombergand Health Commissioner Farley Unveil New Citywide Health Goals for 2012

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EDT

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley today unveiled New York City’s ambitious new health policy – Take Care New York 2012 – outlining the City’s plan to improve the health of New Yorkers by targeting 10 leading causes of preventable sickness and death, including lung cancer, heart disease and HIV.

Health Department Launches New TV Spot to Show How Smoking-Related Deaths Affect Families

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT

The health consequences of smoking are no secret. People who smoke die on average 14 years younger than those who do not smoke, and often endure years of progressive illness along the way. As the Health Department reminds New Yorkers in a new televised ad campaign, smokers themselves are not the only ones who suffer. Every time cigarettes claim another victim – as happened 7,400 times in New York City last year – they also rob a family of a loved one.

Mayor Bloomberg and City Officials Announce Strategy for Protecting New Yorkers During the Upcoming Flu Season

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:03:00 EDT

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that this fall and winter, the City will offer free flu mist and flu shots for H1N1 to elementary school students whose parents want them to receive it; encourage New Yorkers to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting flu shots or flu mist for H1N1 and seasonal flu; help people with influenza-like illness manage their symptoms and find care; work with hospitals to ensure the availability of expanded emergency room capacity if it is needed; and designate primary-care clinics as "flu centers" that can give flu shots, information and outpatient care. These recommendations are the result of the work performed by 15 interagency working groups that have been meeting throughout the summer.

Health Department and Department of Education Announce Open-School Policy and a School-based Vaccination Initiative for the Fall/Winter Influenza Season

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:02:00 EDT

As influenza returns to New York City this fall, the Health Department will work intensively with schools, parents and communities to prevent illness among children and teachers, but health officials do not plan to close schools that experience influenza activity. Instead, following the recommendations of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Department and the Department of Education will pursue measures designed to slow transmission while classes and activities continue. Key objectives of the plan include getting children vaccinated, keeping them home when sick, encouraging them to cover coughs and sneezes with sleeves or tissues, and ensuring that they wash hands thoroughly and frequently.

Health Department Announces Plans to Promote Widespread Vaccination against Seasonal and H1N1 Influenza this Fall and Winter

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:01:00 EDT

The Health Department urged all New Yorkers to protect themselves from influenza this fall, by getting vaccinated early. The vaccine for seasonal influenza is now being distributed to health care providers – and federal health officials predict that a separate vaccine to protect against the novel H1N1 virus will begin to arrive by mid- to late-October. The Health Department is developing a subway advertising campaign to ensure that people are aware of the benefits of vaccination, and the agency will soon launch an online locator at www.nyc.gov/flu, which anyone can use to find a nearby source of vaccine.