Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a contagious bacterial infection that can occur sporadically in healthy individuals. Symptoms are typically similar to other common diseases, which can result in delayed diagnosis and treatment until patients are critically ill. In the United States, IMD outbreaks are rare and unpredictable. During an…

At the beginning of each school year, the school-nurse coordinator for the 3,000-student Ashland, Oregon, district plans a "parent's night" around the topic of vaccinations for the safety and health of children. That is only the beginning of the school-nurse coordinator's contact with parents who are skeptical about the necessity of…

America has a serious weight problem. Two-thirds of adults and nearly one-fifth of children in the United States are overweight, placing them at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases including cancer and arthritis. Furthermore, obesity and its related health problems are placing a major strain on the U.S. health care…

Reviews the debate over Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and how the legal and policy issues arising from the disease affect the schools. Reviews recent court decisions emphasizing the need for schools to adopt written policy for dealing with AIDS. Includes discussion of two court cases relating to school administration. (MD)

Discusses the need for environmental health inspections in schools. Reports on the results of a survey of Clackamas County (Oregon) school kitchens, in relation to a high incidence of hepatitis A. Describes the variety of violations found and urges that schools no longer be exempt from state health division regulations. (TW)

After seeking data from public, private, and voluntary health-related agencies, associations, and activities in the State, the committee reports on the following areas: health delivery system problems, health services, target groups (aged, medically indigent, migrants, newborns, infants, preschool children, and school-age children), personal…