Public Health

Flu season has arrived early this year in Washtenaw County. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor reports.

A new voter guide aims to help voters understand how the November midterm elections will affect environmental issues around the state and locally. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor reports.

Extreme heat, wildfire smoke and power outages are becoming more and more familiar parts of summer in Washtenaw County each year, and a growing network of local officials, health professionals and community organizers is working to help Ypsilanti residents do more than simply weather the next emergency. Lee Van Roth spoke about the actions being taken to protect residents with the director of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Desirae Simmons.

U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell and nine fellow House Democratic colleagues want to know why the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put two research projects related to cyclospora on hold. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor reports.

The Washtenaw County Health Department has issued an information warning after two bats with rabies were discovered locally. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the details.

Michigan’s attorney general is joining another multi-state lawsuit against the Trump Administration. Colin Jackson reports this one concerns public health grants.

The mid-July Canadian wildfires released intensive amounts of smoke, resulting in days of hazardous air quality in Washtenaw County and all across Southeast Michigan. Studies have shown that climate change remains a major factor in these extreme conditions. Dr. Stuart Batterman, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health Sciences and Global Public Health at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, joined Rebekah Warren to discuss these studies in detail and what future precautions should be taken.

Residents in the Middle Huron River Watershed are facing an escalating environmental challenge as warmer summers and severe storm events increasingly trigger harmful cyanobacteria blooms, which threaten recreational water use, local wildlife, and the health of our regional impoundments like Ford Lake. Rebekah Warren discussed the matter and the actions being taken to fight it with Ric Lawson, director of programs for the Huron River Watershed Council.

The Washtenaw County Health Department will continue to uphold its recommended childhood vaccine schedule, regardless of the new executive order from President Trump. WEMU’s Ana Longoria reports.

Health officials have closed Independence Lake County Park in Webster Township because the water contained high levels of E. coli. The beach has experienced more closures than any other public swimming area in Washtenaw County. WEMU’s Ana Longoria reports.