Fair 21°
News
First Human Case Of West Nile Virus Reported In Maryland This Year First Human Case Of West Nile Virus Reported In Maryland This Year
First Human Case Of West Nile Virus Reported In Maryland This Year The Maryland Department of Health has confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus in 2024. On Monday, an alert was issued by the agency advising that an adult living in the Baltimore metro region of Maryland has tested positive for the virus and is recovering from the infection. West Nile virus infections have been rare in Maryland, with the state recording four cases in 2021 and just single cases in 2020 and 2022. That number rose to seven in 2023. "We are in the season when the West Nile virus can spread in Maryland,” Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Nilesh Kalyanar…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats
Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats Pet owners are being advised to keep their animals away from parts of the Potomac River after potentially deadly algae mats were detected.  A new alert was issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources cautioning that the algae - which was collected from Williamsport to Riley Lock - could be harmful to animals if ingested. This week, a second advisory was issued for the Cumberland area. According to officials, "the algae has the appearance of mats of fine, green cotton and can be found along the shoreline, attached to rocks or plants, on the bottom or floating downstream…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Feral Cat Prowling Outside Maryland Hotel Tests Positive For Rabies: Health Department Feral Cat Prowling Outside Maryland Hotel Tests Positive For Rabies: Health Department
Feral Cat Prowling Outside Maryland Hotel Tests Positive For Rabies: Health Department A feral cat who became aggressive outside a Cecil County hotel has tested positive for rabies, the Health Department confirmed on Wednesday. On Saturday, Aug. 10, Animal Services picked up a cat near the Best Western hotel on Elwoods Road in North East that later tested positive for the virus after acting aggressively in the area. The cat was described as being a small to medium-sized brown and white female tabby. Officials caution that although the cat was found at the hotel, it may have exposed other people and pets in the surrounding area. According to health officials, "rabies is a vi…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Sanitary Sewage Overflow Causes Closure In Anne Arundel County Park Sanitary Sewage Overflow Causes Closure In Anne Arundel County Park
Sanitary Sewage Overflow Causes Closure In Anne Arundel County Park The Anne Arundel County Department of Health has issued an emergency closing for the headwaters of the southern branch of Cypress Creek between Dill Road and Oak Grove Circle. An alert was issued by officials on Monday afternoon advising that the waters will temporarily be closed for swimming, waterskiing and other direct water contact. The closure is in effect for seven days through Monday, Aug. 19. According to health officials, the overflow was reported to the Department of Public Works at around 5 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. It was contained by 9:30 p.m., but the damage was done. Signag…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Business
Boar's Head Expands Deli Meat Recall To Include 7 Million Extra Pounds Boar's Head Expands Deli Meat Recall To Include 7 Million Extra Pounds
Boar's Head Expands Deli Meat Recall To Include 7 Million Extra Pounds Boar's Head has expanded a recall of deli meat products due to possible Listeria contamination. Click here for a new, updated story: Boar's Head Facing Lawsuit Over Deli Meat Recall  The company said on Tuesday, July 30, that it is now recalling approximately seven million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.  This expansion includes 71 products produced between Friday, May 10, and Monday, July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said. They have “s…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Rabies Alert Issued In Frederick County After Groundhog Tests Positive Following Dog Attack Rabies Alert Issued In Frederick County After Groundhog Tests Positive Following Dog Attack
Rabies Alert Issued In Frederick County After Groundhog Tests Positive Following Dog Attack A fresh alert has been issued in Frederick County after a groundhog tested positive for rabies after attacking a dog near the Taskers Chance swimming pool. An alert was issued by the Health Department after it was notified that a groundhog in the Frederick neighborhood tested positive for the virus after it was picked up from the stormwater management pond area near the swimming pool on Bel Aire Lane. Frederick County Animal Control collected the groundhog after receiving a report that it had attacked a dog earlier this month. Anyone who may have had contact with the infected animal, …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
2 Dead, 28 Sickened In Multistate Deli Meat Listeria Outbreak, CDC Says 2 Dead, 28 Sickened In Multistate Deli Meat Listeria Outbreak, CDC Says
2 Dead, 28 Sickened In Multistate Deli Meat Listeria Outbreak, CDC Says Two people died, and dozens of others sickened in a Listeria outbreak tied to deli meats in several states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty-eight people across 12 states had been sickened between late May and mid-July, the CDC says. The deaths occurred in New Jersey and Illinois, health officials said. All 28 individuals had been hospitalized as of Friday, July 19. According to the CDC map, seven illnesses were reported in New York; six in Maryland; two in New Jersey; two in Virginia; two in Massachusetts; and one in Pennsylvania. Click here for the…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Alert Issued For Possible Measles Exposure At Virginia Grocery Store, DC Locations Alert Issued For Possible Measles Exposure At Virginia Grocery Store, DC Locations
Alert Issued For Possible Measles Exposure At Virginia Grocery Store, DC Locations The Arlington County Public Health Division has issued an alert after being notified of a confirmed case of measles in a person who visited a grocery store earlier this month.  An out-of-state resident reportedly visited Harris Teeter on North Glebe Road between noon and 4 p.m. on Monday, July 1, and the health department is cautioning that some shoppers may have been exposed. The same person may have also reportedly visited CVS and a LabCorp site in the 2200 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW the following day, investigators are warning. "Measles is a contagious vaccine-preventable vi…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats
Pet Owners Warned To Keep Animals Away From Potomac River Due To Algae Mats Pet owners are being advised to keep their animals away from parts of the Potomac River after potentially deadly algae mats were detected.  An alert was issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources cautioning that the algae - which was collected from Williamsport to Riley Lock - could be harmful to animals if ingested. According to officials, "the algae has the appearance of mats of fine, green cotton and can be found along the shoreline, attached to rocks or plants, on the bottom or floating downstream."  PET HEALTH ALERT: Algae mats detected in the Potomac Riv…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Popular Ice Cream Products Recalled Over Listeria Concerns, FDA Says Popular Ice Cream Products Recalled Over Listeria Concerns, FDA Says
Popular Ice Cream Products Recalled Over Listeria Concerns, FDA Says Approximately 70 ice cream products sold by multiple brands including Friendly's and Hershey's are being recalled due to a possible presence of listeria, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. The brands were recalled this week by Totally Cool, Inc. based in Owings Mills, MD, which has stopped the production and distribution of the affected products due to FDA sampling. Some of the most popular items recalled include: Friendly's 60 fl oz Celebration Ice Cream Cake 40 fl oz Strawberry Krunch Ice Cream Cake; Hershey's 38 fl oz vanilla and chocolat…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Dollar Tree Sold Lead-Infused Applesauce Pouches For Weeks After Recall, FDA Says Dollar Tree Sold Lead-Infused Applesauce Pouches For Weeks After Recall, FDA Says
Dollar Tree Sold Lead-Infused Applesauce Pouches For Weeks After Recall, FDA Says Despite a recall notice and multiple warnings from the Food and Drug Administration, Dollar Tree continued to sell applesauce pouches containing lead for weeks, federal officials say. The popular retail chain was issued a letter from the FDA this month regarding the WanaBana fruit puree pouches, distributed by Negasmart. "As described below, laboratory analysis of multiple lots of WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches, including finished product samples collected from Dollar Tree stores, detected extremely high concentrations of lead," the letter reads.  "... you conti…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
First Heat-Related Death Of Summer Reported In Maryland First Heat-Related Death Of Summer Reported In Maryland
First Heat-Related Death Of Summer Reported In Maryland A 59-year-old Prince George's County man has become the first heat-related death this year in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Health issued an alert on Wednesday, June 5 advising of the man's death, though few details were released. Each year, health officials monitor temperature conditions and incidents of heat-related illness and death between May and September, officials said. “We are very saddened to report our first heat-relat​ed death of the 2024 season,” Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Nilesh Kalyanaraman said. “As we experience more hot days in Maryland this summer…

SHARE

by Zak Failla