Inquirer
CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said Monday during a visit to Philadelphia that the number of new HIV cases has been dropping steadily since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s, when more than 100,000 people a year were newly diagnosed with the virus that can lead to AIDS. But beginning in about 2008, when about 40,000 people a year were diagnosed with HIV, improvement largely stalled, he said.
By Aubrey Whelan
Release:
The Philadelp
hia Department of Public Health (PDPH) reports promising reductions in new diagnoses of HIV. The number of newly diagnosed persons decreased 14.3% from 495 diagnoses in 2017 to 424 new diagnoses in 2018 with a notable decline of 35.8% in Black men who have sex with men (MSM); the City has experienced steady declines in new HIV diagnoses since the mid-2000s consistent with national trends.
https://www.phila.gov/2019-11-01-city-reports-promising-reductions-in-new-hiv-infections/
Patch
The number of HIV diagnoses in Philadelphia has gone down, according to new date from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
The PDPH released the 2018 HIV Surveillance Report, which contains data reported through June 30, 2019.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/chestnuthill/hiv-diagnosis-rates-philly-drop-dept-public-health
By Max Bennett
PhillyVoice
The city has records of 19,011 people living with HIV, while another 2,019 people are estimated to have the virus without yet knowing. In 2018, Philadelphia’s 424 new HIV diagnoses were down from 495 new diagnoses in 2017. That continues a trend of steady declines since the mid-2000’s.
https://www.phillyvoice.com/philly-hiv-aids-diagnosis-needles-health-departments-report-2019/
By Michael Tanenbaum
When the site was initially rolled out in 2011, some media outlets reported it targeted the age bracket of 11 to 19 years old, which some parents felt was too young a start. The city acknowledges it can’t actually age-verify who used the service — but remains nonplussed about it.
“It’s possible that younger folks may have received the condoms,” Garrow told Billy Penn. “And honestly, we were never opposed to that happening.”
https://billypenn.com/2019/10/31/philly-gives-out-750000-free-condoms-a-year/
By Max Marin
More than 3,000 School District of Philadelphia students may be barred from their classrooms if they fail to deliver proof that they have received all of their state-required shots.
https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/students-may-be-barred-school-not-being-vaccinated
By Mark Abrams
Hepatitis A — a curable but highly contagious and debilitating liver disease — is primarily caused by a virus transmitted by the so-called fecal-oral route.
By mid-October, the number of reported cases in Philadelphia had surged to 360, according to city health officials. A typical year brings two to six cases.
By Aaron Moselle
Addiction and homelessness is a major dilemma in Kensington, Philadelphia, and those directly affected have very limited access to basic resources like restrooms. So when Hepatitis A broke out across the neighborhood, the city of Philadelphia installed public restrooms equipped with toilets, running water, attendants, and Narcan. Host Shirley Min heads to Kensington to take a look at the initiative, and meets Jacelyn Blank, a mother and resident, who contracted Hep-A while planting trees and tending a community garden.
https://whyy.org/episodes/combatting-disease-in-kensington/
By Shirley Min
But first, we’ll talk with Philadelphia’s Health Commissioner, THOMAS FARLEY, about what he wants to do to keep vaping products out of the hands of minors.
https://whyy.org/episodes/vaping-a-public-health-crisis/
RadioTimes
“The Health Department and L&I are responsible for following up on complaints they receive through the 311 system, many of which — including complaints against this shopping center — are anonymous,” Garrow said. “If there are no violations found during the inspection, L&I will mark the complaint as unfounded, and the Health Department will post a clean health inspection report.”
By Meir Rinde
More than three months later, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday released its conclusions on the deaths. The cause for both: Drowning. The manner of Patterson’s death was “undetermined,” while Siler’s was “accidental.”
By Julie Shaw
He was told the process could take up to a year, he said. Identifying the remains also will take time, a spokesman in the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has said.
By John Beauge
The Collected Works of Jim Garrow 