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Roadside Springs

Roadside Springs: Are they safe?

The Maine CDC Drinking Water Program (DWP) does not recommend drinking water from an unregulated roadside spring.

A natural spring occurs where groundwater flows to the surface of the ground. Springs are typically located in places like a cut in a hillside, the base of a slope, or a low-lying area. In general, water from a spring is more susceptible to microbial (bacteria and viruses) contamination than water from a properly installed and maintained drilled well.

Bicillin L-A Recall and Recommendations for Syphilis Treatment

Pfizer has issued a voluntary recall of certain lots of penicillin G benzathine injectable suspension (Bicillin L-A) due to particulates identified during visual inspection. Health care organizations should confirm whether any of their current stock of Bicillin L-A has been affected by the recall. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) has provided information on priority actions to take following the recall.

COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory with a recommendation that clinicians continue to vaccinate eligible individuals for COVID-19 based on Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) recommendations. COVID-19 vaccines remain available and recommended for individuals 6 months and older, including all children, adults, and pregnant individuals.

Maine Cancer Registry - Requests for Data

The MCR welcomes requests for data. The end goal of collecting information on all cancers diagnosed in Maine is to use the data for cancer control planning and evaluation. When requesting data, it is important to know that the most recent data, both state and national, will be at least 2 years old due to the time necessary for processing and ensuring high quality and complete data. Requests are grouped into 3 categories:

Wastewater Sandbox

What is wastewater surveillance? 

Wastewater is also known as sewage. It includes water that may contain human waste. Some examples include toilets, showers, sinks, and other household activities. Wastewater can also include rainwater and water used in industrial processes. Each wastewater treatment plant handles the sewage from buildings in the sewage system. All of this water flows to the same treatment plant. Some germs that make people sick end up in wastewater. We use wastewater testing to measure changes in germs and chemicals.

Clone of Arboviral Surveillance Reports

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV) are arboviral illnesses spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquito, animal, and human specimens are tested for the presence of EEE and WNV at Maine's Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL). Animal specimens may also be tested through the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL). The state of Maine organizes routine mosquito trapping at selected sites, and routinely tests those mosquitoes for disease. The mosquito trapping season runs from July to September. Maine no longer routinely tests birds.

Animal-borne Diseases

Animal-borne diseases/infections are those which can be naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. Approximately 75% of recently emerging diseases affecting humans are diseases of animal origin. Many factors like environmental changes, human and animal demography, pathogen changes and changes in farming practice lead to the emergence of animal-borne diseases. Social and cultural factors such as food habits and religious beliefs play a role in the emergence of animal-borne diseases.

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