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Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Active Tuberculosis Case Leaves 40 People Exposed At UMass Boston: Officials Active Tuberculosis Case Leaves 40 People Exposed At UMass Boston: Officials
Active Tuberculosis Case Leaves 40 People Exposed At UMass Boston: Officials Doctors have diagnosed a person at UMass Boston’s campus with active tuberculosis, with 39 people having possibly been exposed to the potentially fatal virus, officials said in a school-wide letter on Monday, Nov. 6. It’s unclear how the person with tuberculosis is associated with the school, wrote Robert Pomales, executive director of the university’s health services. Officials said the person is being treated and may have been infected years before this flare-up, NBC Boston reported. "Although TB is a serious disease caused by a germ that is spread through the air, it is important to not…
Mosquitoes In Western Mass Test Positive For West Nile Virus; Here's How To Protect Yourself Mosquitoes In Western Mass Test Positive For West Nile Virus; Here's How To Protect Yourself
Mosquitoes In Western Mass Test Positive For West Nile Virus; Here's How To Protect Yourself Health officials in Massachusetts are urging people to take precautions after testing confirmed the presence of West Nile Virus. In Berkshire County, weekly samples of mosquitoes collected in Pittsfield found two instances of West Nile Virus, the state health department revealed Friday, Sept. 8. One positive sample was taken from the Pittsfield Cemetery, and the other came from the Pittsfield Airport. West Nile Virus is most commonly spread to humans through mosquito bites in the fall months when the insects are most active, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…
Woodchuck Found At Ice Cream Shop Sparks Rabies Concerns In Mass Community Woodchuck Found At Ice Cream Shop Sparks Rabies Concerns In Mass Community
Woodchuck Found At Ice Cream Shop Sparks Rabies Concerns In Mass Community A small, furry mammal that is considered a high-risk animal for rabies transmission is causing a town's police department and Board of Health to attempt to locate a person who handled one such critter.  An unknown person is said to have picked up a woodchuck, found at John George Ice Cream in Dartmouth around 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 11, and placed it in a cardboard box, according to Christopher Michaud, Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The woodchuck escaped the box by the time animal control arrived, meaning that the woodchuck cannot be tested for rabies.  The per…