Health

Santa Clara County health officials on Aug. 14 reported the first local death attributed to West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness. The death this month of an immunocompromised adult at a local hospital “after experiencing West Nile virus symptoms” is the second reported human case...

California Coastal Cleanup Day will celebrate its 41st year this September with its first ever “Trashure Hunt,” offering participants the chance to win a variety of prizes by volunteering to pick up litter and garbage at hundreds of locations across the state, organizers announced...

Santa Clara County’s top health official urged residents Monday to get an updated Covid-19 booster vaccine if they are eligible to do so as the holiday season approaches. According to Health Officer and Public Health Director Dr. Sara Cody, just 11% of Santa Clara County...

With 100% of precinct ballots counted, Santa Clara County voters on Nov. 4 overwhelmingly supported adding 0.625% to the county sales tax rate for five years. As of 10am, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters office reported 200,430 YES votes and 152,850 NO votes,...

Food pantries across South County are experiencing unprecedented demand following the suspension of SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown, with lines wrapping around blocks and new families seeking assistance at rates not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Reach Out Food Pantry in...

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department recently released new data showing a 19% increase in new tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses in the county in 2023, compared to the previous year.  This follows a 6% increase in new TB diagnoses in the county for 2022,...

Santa Clara County supervisors —and the public—on Dec. 12 got their first public explanation from county officials on the explosive revelations a week earlier that county-run hospitals had for at least a year illegally dumped medical waste, drugs and patient data into dumpsters. Healthcare officials...

Gilroy police are investigating a traffic collision that resulted in the death of a female pedestrian over the weekend. On Dec. 12, emergency dispatchers received calls reporting a vehicle had hit a pedestrian on the 5400 block of Monterey Road, Gilroy Police said in a...

Thousands of volunteers flocked to the California coast and waterways on Sept. 21 to participate in the 40th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day.   The event, which is the largest single-day volunteer event in the world, according to Guinness World Records, invited eco-friendly volunteers across the...

To help customers prepare their gas appliances for safe use during the cold months ahead, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is offering free in-home gas safety checks, the utility company said in a press release. During the gas safety checks, PG&E also will re-light...