Anginae Monteverde

            These public health trends come from my hometown; Fresno, California. I spoke with Mike Mirigian who is apart of Fresno County’s public health and also environmental health department. The five trends we talked about were consumer food product recalls, the flu virus, water contamination, air pollution, and smoking prevention.

           

Food

In Fresno, there have been a few issues dealing with consumer food product recalls. For instance, River Ranches bagged salads had to be recalled because there were signs of Listeria contamination. Mr. Mirigian informed me that this type of contamination has a huge effect on young children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems and it has a smaller or more short-term effect on others. Food contamination is a problem that Fresno County is currently dealing with. Over the past few months they have made sure that the packaged food is free from any possible contamination so the public may be healthy and can trust what they are eating.

Flu

Flu season is here and every year Fresno, and I am sure a lot of other county’s across America, makes the point that getting a flu vaccination is very important. The immunization program in Fresno provides vaccines to adults and children to ensure they do not catch any diseases. The spread of diseases and viruses like the flu are hard to stop or slow down and vaccines are the best way to prevent them from spreading at a faster rate. Especially in lower income areas, the public health department is trying to inform those people that they do have the opportunity to get a vaccine at any local clinic.

Water

            Discussing this trend about water contamination, Mr. Mirgian had a lot to say about it. Fresno has monthly reports making sure that our water is clean and safe to drink. There is a number of treatment facilities that pour water goes through. For instance, at various well sites, they fluoridate, remove synthetic organic material, and disinfect. These reports are highly known for how thorough and affective they are. Fresno County’s water contamination management is very organized and it keeps our drinking water clean.

           

Air Pollution

            The air pollution problem in Fresno has grown over the years. Mr. Mirgian informed me that due to how many people are driving on the roads, our air quality has gone way down. Because of these findings, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District has made it a commitment to improve the quality of air so our residents can stay healthy. Every month the community meets and they come up with ideas and ways to improve the air quality and it sometimes leads to new rules and regulations. Mr. Mirigian believes that at this rate Fresno County’s air pollution problem will decrease in the next few years.

Smoking

            Smoking is a trend that has improved over the years. Since 2003, Fresno State University has been a smoke-free campus and this great idea has spread and has also had a positive affect on the students. College campuses around the world are now committing themselves to provide all students with a comfortable and healthy environment to be in. The California state law also bands smoking in all work places and some areas even 20 feet from publicly accessible buildings. It is very clear that California’s public health is a very important and the state public health officials are realizing that problems like smoking need to be managed in order to keep the public healthy.