CDC

Health officials in central New York this week have announced that three people in Onondaga County and one in Oneida County have tested positive for the Zika virus. Officials say all four people contracted the virus while traveling outside the country, none were hospitalized, and there is no risk to the public. 

New rules for school vaccines in New York take effect September 1. The updates impact students entering kindergarten through seventh grade.

The major change is that kindergarteners need to have all their shots done before they start school. Previously, they could be part-way through the set of vaccines for four- to six-year-olds and still go to class.

The update also changes requirements for three vaccines that older kids get. It brings New York in line with federal recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

New York State Health Department officials are in Syracuse this week looking at how SUNY Upstate Medical University is preparing to become one of two hospitals in upstate New York designated to deal with Ebola patients.

Being an Ebola hospital means Upstate has to be ready on three fronts, according to hospital CEO John McCabe.

"One is identifying the patients early," McCabe said. "Second is taking care of them in a safe way, and third is being sure that no other patient, staff member, family member has any exposure.”

New York state received mixed grades in the annual American Lung Association report card.  But the advocacy group says more can be done to help people quit the smoking habit..

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in this country, in New York state that translates to about 25,000 people who die every year from smoking-related diseases. So while the state got good grades as far as smoke free air and the nations highest cigarette tax, it got failing grades when it comes to helping people quit.  

The “baby boomer” generation – Americans born between 1945 and 1965, has had a big impact on American society and culture. Now a disease is having a big effect on them. Baby boomers are five times more likely to have contracted Hepatitis C than the rest of the population. With symptoms that may not appear for decades, most may not even know they have Hepatitis C until it is too late.

This week on Take Care, Dr. Bryce D. Smith explains why all baby boomers should be tested for Hepatitis C. Dr. Smith is a lead health scientist in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Viral Hepatitis, and is the primary author of recent Hepatitis C testing recommendations that are aimed at members of the baby boomer generation.

Click 'Read More' to hear our interview with Dr. Smith.

Public pools are a community hotspot during the summer to cool off, but could they be harmful to your health? This week on “Take Care,” we talk to Michele Hlavsa, chief of the Centers for Disease Control's Healthy Swimming Program, on how to be cautious when using public pools this summer.

Click 'Read More' to hear out interview with Michele Hlavsa.

For some grown-ups, vaccines bring up thoughts of childhood when dreaded shots were followed by a cool Band-Aid and perhaps a lollipop. However, public health officials say immunizations are just as important for adults. This week on “Take Care,” we talk to Dr. Carolyn Bridges, associate director for adult immunizations at the Centers for Disease Control.

Click 'Read More' to hear our interview with Dr. Carolyn Bridges.