Minnesota Department of Health

2012 was a banner year for chlamydia in Minnesota; STDs increased overall

According to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health, last year set a record for the number of reported chlamydia cases in Minnesota. In 2012, there were 18,048 cases, a 7 percent increase over the 16,898 reported the year prior.SEE ALSO: Male birth control pill, Gamendazole, being d ... More >>

Free mammograms offered through Minnesota Department of Health

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Minnesota, and the Minnesota Department of Health is offering free breast and cervical cancer screenings to uninsured and underinsured women age 40 and older.The MDH's Sage Screening Program provides the screenings year round, but hopes to make more women ... More >>

Two separate pig-borne flu strains now linked to State Fair

See also:-- New flu strain acquired through contact with pigs-- State Fair pigs examined, none sent home due to flu concerns-- Second case of pig-borne flu reported in Minnesota-- Fourth case of pig-borne flu linked to State FairTwo cases of flu strain H3N2 have been linked to the Minnesot ... More >>

Second case of pig-borne flu reported in Minnesota

See also:-- New flu strain acquired through contact with pigs-- State Fair pigs examined, none sent home due to flu concernsMinnesota has recorded its second case of the flu that had State Fair workers examining 250 pigs last week as a precaution.

State Fair pigs examined, none sent home due to flu concerns

See also:New flu strain acquired through contact with pigsThe Minnesota State Fair examined the 250 pigs that arrived at the fairgrounds on Wednesday, and none of the pigs were sent home because of flu concerns, according to the Pioneer Press.According to a Minnesota Department of Health statement, ... More >>

New flu strain acquired through contact with pigs

There's a new flu strain in Minnesota that people acquire through contact with pigs. But you don't necessarily have to cancel your trip to the upcoming State Fair, because this flu is apparently mild.

Minnesota reports its first West Nile virus case this year

The first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) disease in a Minnesota resident in 2012 has been confirmed, according to a statement by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) today.The state's first laboratory-confirmed WNV case of the year is a St. Louis County man who fell ill and was hospitalized ... More >>

Postal workers will distribute "anthrax medicine" on May 6

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor plume of weapons-grade anthrax stays these couriers come May 6. That Sunday, the Minnesota Department of Health will launch a dry run of an anthrax attack response using postal workers and law enforcement escorts. It's a strategy that's been studied nationally since 200 ... More >>

Minnesotans have a lot of STDs

According to a new report out from the Minnesota Department of Health, 2011 was a banner year for STDs. Finishing out the year with a record-setting 16,898 reported cases, chlamydia came out on top in the race to screw up our sex lives. Left untreated, that is a nasty little disease that can have r ... More >>

Poop-contaminated pool in Duluth causes Crypto outbreak

​Stop pooping in pools, people.The Minnesota Department of Health said yesterday that nine people are suspected to have Cryptosporidium (or Crypto) after swimming at Duluth's Edgewater Resort and Water Park. Crypto causes flu-like symptoms and diarrhea. It is caused by a parasite commonly spread t ... More >>

Look out, Minnesota: Here comes the flu

If you were standing right in front of this man, you'd get sick -- probably to your stomach, at least.​If the dip in temperature wasn't enough to convince you that fall is upon us, prepare yourself for a week of feverish, achy, weak-kneed biological torture. Yes, that's right. The flu is back. The ... More >>

35 Twin Cities 8th-graders sickened by black henna tattoo reactions

HeatherBlack henna tattoos are blamed for the allergic reactions of 35 8th-graders.​35 Twin Cities 8th-graders have reported experiencing allergic reactions -- including blisters and lesions -- the Minnesota Department of Health said today. And it suspects the reactions were due to a chemical ... More >>

Tick-born Powassan virus kills in Minnesota for the first time

A dear tick: These little buggers can kill you.​Add the grim tick-born Powassan virus to the list of natural calamities - tornadoes, floods -- that can kill you this summer in Minnesota. The first known fatality from the virus in the state was a woman identified by the Department of Health on ... More >>

New Minnesota HIV/AIDS cases drop 11 percent in 2010

Island NimbusHIV infections are down in Minnesota.​Last month the Minnesota Department of Health released some sobering numbers about the increase in reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases including chlamydia and syphilis. Today, there's better news on a similar front: The number of new ... More >>

Sen. David Hann: Incest victims should get judge's consent for medical attention

Sen. David Hann is an Eden Prairie Republican.​If a teenager is a victim of incest, Republican state Sen. Dave Hann of Eden Prairie says a judge's consent should be required before that teenager is allowed to seek medical attention, counseling, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Becau ... More >>

Syphilis, chlamydia rates jump and health officials are worried

wikiA syphilis awareness poster from the 1930s.​How can it be that after decades of public service announcements, education campaigns and plain old word of mouth, some nasty sexually transmitted disease infection rates are climbing, not falling in Minnesota? That's what's happening. Total ST ... More >>

Twin Cities poor people die younger than the rich

Image by chefranden on Flickr​There are a lot of reasons it sucks to be poor. And a new study has just added one more: poor people die younger. Craig Helmstetter of the Wilder Foundation mapped the life expectancy of people in the Twin cities in a new report.

Winona County wants porn-free hotels for workers

Photo: Karl BaronWinona County employees can wave bye-bye to Serra Paylin.​This is looking like a grim week for smut. First, Craigslist takes down its "adult services" tab. And now we learn that there's going to be no more on-the-job hotel Skinemax for Winona County workers. It's employees wi ... More >>

Summer bummer: Hello Lyme disease [Video]

Via WikipediaDeer ticks: Remember what they look like​Today's the last day of school for kids in Minneapolis this year. Time to get outside, take a dip in the lake, a walk in the woods, and -- oh, yeah -- worry about Lyme disease. According to the Minnesota Lyme Action Support Group, our stat ... More >>

That blows: Coke tainted with anti-worm medicine could kill

Via WikipediaSeeing isn't believing​Your day maybe done and you may want to ride on, but you may want to put down the razor blade and step away from the mirror. The cocaine running around your brain these days is increasingly diluted at its production point with something called Levamisole -- ... More >>

Minnesota Department of Health marks STD decline

​Good news: The total number of reportable sexually transmitted diseases in Minnesota -- chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and chancroid -- took a 5 percent drop to 16,702 in 2009 from 17,649 cases in 2008 the Minnesota Department of Health said today. Way to keep it clean, folks. But there's a ... More >>

Minnesota HIV/AIDS rates leap, infection rate highest since 1992

Some may mistakenly feel the threat of dying from HIV/AIDS is over. It's not.

Minnesota's HIV rates climb sharply and MDH wants to know why

Health care workers and activists get the heads up on some troubling news.

Roseville Subway customers say subs gave them norovirus

Sick Subway employees likely to blame for outbreak of norovirus says a lawsuit filed this week.

State confirms 7 new flu deaths, 6 from H1N1

The total number of H1N1 flu deaths in Minnesota since April now stand at 21.

New WIC law requires more fresh produce options

A new WIC law allows the coupons to be used for healthier foods.

Minn. reports two more swine flu deaths

Two more Minnesotans died from complications related to the swine flu, according to Minnesota Department of Health officials.

Minn. swimming tips: Don't drink the water, avoid the runs

The Minnesota Department of Health is trying to help you make the most of your swimming experience by not getting terribly sick from that unfortunately disgusting water you're bathing in with too many other people.

Twin Cities child first Minn. swine flu-related death

The child also had underlying medical conditions and the flu's role in the child's death is unclear.

More probable Minn. flu cases, people shrug?

The Minnesota Department of Health announced three more probable cases of the H1N1 influenza today. Two cases are in Hennepin County and one is in Washington County.

326 new cases of AIDS in Minnesota

The Minnesota Health Department released some sad, sad statistics this week. The number of new cases of AIDS in the state last year was 326.

Minnesota death may be related to polio vaccine

State health officials announced that polio may have played a role in the death of a Minnesotan last month. They are urging all parents to make sure that their children have up-to-date vaccinations.

STD rates are on the rise in Minnesota

This time in the suburbs

STD rates continue to climb in Minnesota

Chlamydia and syphilis, in particular, are on the rise. (Not an April Fool's gag).

Minnesota Somali families facing autism

The Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating possible causes of autism among Somali children.

Salmonella culprit dinged by Minn. agencies

Syphilis on the Rise, Again

That south Minneapolis dirt

Governor Buzzkill

Pawlenty vows to veto medical marijuana, protect cancer patients from "the munchies"

Department of Health concerned about rising HIV cases in MN women

Hold Your Breath and Count to One Million

How an Uptown condo conversion turned a basement into an OSHA hazard

H.I.V. cases spike amongst gay men

Minneapolis by the numbers: Tops in STDs

Instant follow-up: 3M's bluegill problem

Off Beat

A Few Gay Men

The state's HIV task force is supposed to mirror the epidemic's demographics. So why is it filled with straight white women?

Any willing provider

The Other Epidemic

HIV can be deadly. But other STDs also impact the health of Minnesota's GLBT community

Going After Ashland Oil

Ginger Sanders, like a lot of Pine Bend area residents, believes her home is in the middle of a cancer cluster, but officials from industry and the state say they see no problem.

The Age of Plagues

It wasn't that long ago that medicine declared a victory over infectious disease. Now a raft of new and mutating bugs are at the door, and a declining public health system is in no shape to fight them.