Public Health

The plan of Los Angeles County's Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen to cut public health funding drastically (April 22) is an immediate blow to clients and workers in that system. Given the recent federal welfare "reform," and the state government's enthusiastic diminishment of aid to large numbers of residents already living below the poverty line, this plan to further cripple our health care safety net is mean-spirited and shortsighted. Even if additional cuts (which would undoubtedly follow if predicted receipts fail to materialize)

A report examining an HIV scare that temporarily shut production in the adult film industry faulted production companies for not providing information to public health authorities. "Limited cooperation from many adult film industry companies restricted this contact investigation. Rarely did industry legal counsel give information for investigation," the report said. The report, written by Dr. Francisco Meza, a physician with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found two male porn actors were HIV-positive when they had sex with Derrick Burts, an adult film performer whose HIV diagnosis in October caused filming to be suspended.

Dr. Derrick B. Jelliffe, a UCLA professor who was internationally recognized as an expert on public health and nutrition, has died. He was 71. Jelliffe died Wednesday of a heart attack. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Jelliffe. He was a distinctive international health leader and a warm, caring humanitarian who endeared himself to people everywhere in all walks of life," said Dr. Abdelmonem A. Afifi, dean of the UCLA School of Public Health.

Discouraging adolescent obesity, offering free blood pressure and pregnancy tests, providing breast exam education and promoting regular exercise are among the goals of Ventura County Public Health Week '97, which runs April 7 to 13. Services aimed at promoting better health from Ojai to Thousand Oaks will be offered all week at the county's public health clinics, senior centers, hospitals and community service groups.

The county Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to create a separate Department of Public Health to oversee disease control and bio-terrorism preparedness. Public health efforts had been a part of the county's Department of Health Services, which will maintain oversight of public hospitals and medical clinics in the county. The matter requires a second vote, scheduled for Monday.

Seventeen people died violently in Los Angeles County last weekend, most killed by guns (Aug. 10). On the other hand, just one person died presumably from West Nile virus. Yet the press, the public health community and citizens have us believing we are in a crisis, and money and effort are being spent to drain standing water, advise people to wear insect repellent and spray for mosquito infestations. The possibility of a cure and even an inoculation are being pursued. Did the public health community enhance its search for prevention strategies for gun violence?

Saying it was an offer he couldn't refuse, Ventura County Public Health Officer Gary Feldman has quit to become Riverside County public health director. "My leaving is to seize an opportunity in my professional life, it's not because I was unhappy in Ventura," said Feldman, who has held his current job since 1993 and has worked in the county since 1976. "They made an offer I couldn't refuse both in terms of professional growth and the structure of the situation."

Students found a rabid bat on an elementary school playground, prompting health officials to warn residents not to come into contact with wildlife. The dead bat, found Monday by students at Newcomb Elementary, was removed by animal control officers and tested positive for rabies, said Michael Johnson of the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services.

Throughout history, diseases spread through water have been a leading cause of death and illness. Indeed, the purification of our water supply is one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. But even today we're still discovering new threats to public health in our water. That's why Proposition 50 is so important. It invests in our local water districts, providing them with grants to upgrade equipment that can prevent contamination at the source. Today we can eliminate or dramatically reduce levels of dangerous chemicals like chromium, the gasoline additive MTBE and arsenic.

Beginning this month, a vaccine is available for chickenpox, a disease that strikes nearly 4 million people a year in the United States. Though more of a nuisance than a danger, chickenpox nonetheless kills 100 Americans a year. Here is a look at how the Varivax vaccine works and a review of how other major vaccines have performed: Q & A What is chickenpox?