JONEIGH KHALDUN

Michigan’s newest chief medical executive has been on the job for just a few weeks.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, who stepped down last month from her role as chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at the Michigan Department of...

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the former chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, has been named the vice president and chief health equity officer of CVS Health.

A top Michigan health official who resigned last month will take on a new role with CVS Health, the company reported on Monday. CVS Health announced Khaldun will join the company as vice president and chief health equity officer. Dr. Kyu Rhee, senior vice president and Aetna chief medical officer, praised Khaldun’s expertise and qualifications in a statement. In that role, she has provided oversight for public health and aging programs, Medicaid, and behavioral health for the state. Bagdasarian received her medical degree from Wayne State University and her master of public health from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the former chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, has been named the vice president and chief health equity officer of CVS Health.

Local COVID-19 cases are continuing to see an increase, mirroring previous spikes observed earlier this year and last fall.

They are: First responders, including healthcare workers, firefighters, police and “congregate care” staff; education staff, such as teachers, support employees and daycare workers; food and agriculture workers; manufacturing workers; corrections workers; U.S. The state urges those eligible to seek the booster shots, she said. Pharmacies in Michigan and across the country began administering booster shots the same day the CDC endorsed them. They are available for free wherever the Pfizer vaccine is distributed; the location does not have to be the same place patients received primary doses. For people seeking a third Pfizer dose, health officials have indicated there will not be rigorous checks.

Those enrolled in other Michigan PFAS studies are eligible to participate. “Study results will guide decisions to better protect public health, including community members exposed to PFAS across the country.”The national PFAS Multi-Site Study launch builds upon ongoing work to gather similar data through the Michigan PFAS Exposure and Health Study (MiPEHS), a long-term study in the same areas that began last November and is following participants for five years. The cross-sectional study will compare PFAS exposure and health outcomes among different populations. The Michigan DHHS study team is led by DHHS environmental health director Kory Groetsch. The discovery of PFAS in northern Kent County helped spur creation of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).

LANSING, MI — Michigan’s 2021-22 fiscal budget is headed to the governor’s desk after lawmakers approved a $70 billion budget agreement this week that includes major investments in child care and infrastructure. Read more: $70B Michigan budget deal includes spending boosts for child care, higher ed, infrastructure and moreGov. Coupled with a $17.1 billion school aid budget signed into law this summer, the upcoming budget will clock in at $70 billion. Leonard, a Dewitt Republican, lost a close race to Nessel in 2018 for the open attorney general seat vacated by term-limited Republican Bill Schuette. Nicole Hester/ MLIVE.comThe Michigan Republican Party and its chair, Ron Weiser, are suing Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over allowing contributions to Gov.

The COVID situation has changed drastically in Michigan since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held her last briefing to lift restrictions on June 22, exactly three months ago.

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Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, has taken a new job outside of state government and will be replaced by Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian during a search for a permanent replacement, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive for the state of Michigan and chief deputy director of health for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, announced her resignation Friday, Sept. 24. State statute requires there to be a chief medical executive in place, but the appointment does not need consent from the legislature. Khaldun’s position within the health department -- chief deputy for health -- will need to be filled by Director Elizabeth Hertel. Whitmer said she looks forward to collaborating with her new chief medical executive in the continued fight against COVID-19. I am honored to be named the state’s chief medical executive.”Related: Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun stepped into the national spotlight as Michigan battled coronavirusBefore joining the state health department, Khaldun served as director and health officer for the Detroit Health Department.

As passed, the budget bans enforcement of mask mandates for children and bars state agency vaccine requirements.

The COVID situation has changed drastically in Michigan since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held her last briefing to lift restrictions on June 22, exactly three months ago.

Monroe County Health Department Director Kim Comerzan said the county is continuing to see an increase of positive COVID-19 cases.

Michigan and Wayne County officials announced Zone 2 in Flat Rock is now clear of any impact from the gas leak at the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant.

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President Joe Biden is calling on all governors to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for teachers and members of school staffs.

Flat Rock Residents who smell gas are asked to call 734-782-2496.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Wayne County Health Department (WCHD) are recommending residents of the Flat Rock area bounded by I-75 to the east, Gibraltar Road to the north, Cahill Road to the west and Woodruff Road to the south evacuate their homes until further notice due to the potential risks caused by fumes from a gasoline leak from a storage tank at Ford Motor Company’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant.

Anyone in need of assistance with evacuation and/or relocation is asked to call Flat Rock’s hotline at 734-782-2455, ext. 6.

OSCODA, MI — Michigan health officials have shrunk the perimeter of an Iosco County advisory area where hunters shouldn’t eat deer meet due to toxic PFAS contamination near the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. “As we have now gathered additional data about deer, PFAS levels and their proximity to Clark’s Marsh, we have updated our health advisory,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive at DHHS. The Air Force contaminated Oscoda area surface waters like the marsh by using PFAS-based firefighting foam for years at Wurtsmith before the base closed in 1993. The Air Force installed a groundwater treatment system near the old fire training area in 2014 and is expanding that system to begin capturing more of the plume entering the marsh next year. The Clark’s Marsh remediation system is one of two interim cleanups the Air Force is building at the base.

Adding to expert confidence over the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC announced this week that its advisory committee on immunization has given the vaccine

BARRY COUNTY, MI — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is reminding residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites following the detection of the first Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)-positive mosquito pool of the year in Barry County. “These discoveries indicate that the EEE virus is here in Michigan and provides warning that residents could also become infected by a mosquito,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health. “For horses, EEE is a serious but preventable disease,” said State Veterinarian Nora Wineland, DVM. • Placing horses in a barn under fans (as mosquitoes are not strong flyers) during peak mosquito activity from dusk to dawn. Additionally, West Nile virus activity in Michigan has increased in wildlife and mosquito populations.

Officials have confirmed the discovery of the first mosquitoes carrying Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in Michigan this year.

Michigan is leaving the creation of school masking policies up to local health departments and school districts, with no plan to implement another statewide order. “It is not easy but we know that school boards, working with parents, it’s the best way to move forward and protect kids and their workforce,” Whitmer said. Health officials recommend that school districts, like local communities, ramp up their coronavirus prevention strategies when cases and positive test rates are surging in a given area. At the end of her remarks, she fielded a handful of questions from reporters, all of which pertained to school masking policies. The governor acknowledged a number of school districts that have adopted masking policies, including Grand Rapids, Holland, Spring Lake, Kentwood, Grand Haven, Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee, and Kalamazoo.

A right-wing group’s second petition to quash health orders is underway, this time aimed at eliminating the ability of state and local health officials to...

JACKSON, MI - Jackson County schools plan to begin the school year on Wednesday, Aug. 25, with masks being optional in classrooms. Guidance from the Jackson County Health Department provided during a recent county superintendents meeting “strongly recommends” masks be worn in classrooms, Jackson County Intermediate School District Superintendent Kevin Oxley said. Per federal guidance, all county districts will require that masks be worn on buses, Oxley said. “The way to stay consistent is to strictly adhere to the language coming out of the health department. READ MORE:Left in the lurch: Michigan schools desperate for clear mask guidance while dealing with angry parentsMichigan hasn’t adopted school mask mandate despite top doc’s adviceKent, Ottawa county health officials order PreK-6 students, staff to wear masks in school

The great mask debate: Michigan schools stuck between changing guidance, safety and parent opinionsAs many schools prepare to start, Michigan health officials have not instituted a mask mandate, despite what sounds like a recommendation to do so from the state’s top medical leader. In Kalamazoo County, Portage Public Schools parents on both sides of the argument protested a mask mandate for the upcoming school year. In Genessee County, hundreds protested a mandatory mask mandate the county health department issued for K-6 students. This year, he said, there is one question on the minds of parents: To mask or not to mask? “And now, when there’s a concern again of increases in positive cases, I’m getting a recommendation, not a public health order.

Michigan’s top health officials spoke Wednesday about the possibility of a mask mandate, the state’s “high” COVID-19 transmission rate, the spread of the delta variant and a third dose of the vaccine.

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – Kent and Ottawa county health officials have ordered local schools to enforce mandatory masking for all students and staff in preschool through sixth grade buildings. “This was a necessary decision as we are seeing rapid increases in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant,” said Adam London, administrative health officer at the Kent County Health Department. RELATED: Michigan hasn’t adopted school mask mandate despite top doc’s adviceA few local health departments in Michigan have mandated school masking at the county level. The Kalamazoo, Allegan and Genesee county health departments are all requiring local schools to mandate masks for grades K-6. “We ask, instead, that you leave the decisions that need to be made with local school officials in consultation with parents in those districts and your department.

Despite a recommendation from the state’s top health official, the State Board of Education and the governor are still not mandating masks in schools.

Indications of a divide on pandemic policy within the Whitmer administration emerged Wednesday as Michigan’s chief medical executive said she had recommended the state impose statewide school mask mandates – a recommendation the governor apparently did not follow.

We’re tracking which Michigan school districts and colleges are requiring face masks to be worn during the upcoming school year amid the ongoing COVID pandemic.

Michigan has not yet instituted a mask mandate for the upcoming school year, despite what sounds like a recommendation to do so from the state’s top medical executive. “I have recommended that if a mask mandate were in place and it were followed, it would likely decrease the spread of COVID-19 in schools,” Khaldun said. Instead of recommending that schools recommend masking, the state now recommends that schools require masks be worn by students and staff. When determining which prevention strategies to implement, school administrators should work with their local public health officials. In Michigan, pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 remain “very stable” since late June, with no available data on underlying health conditions, according to MDHHS.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan’s health officials have stopped short of issuing a mask mandate for schools, instead strongly recommending local districts adopt such policies on their own.

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Michigan’s top doctor was questioned repeatedly Wednesday about why the state hasn’t issued a mask mandate if it could help slow the spread of the COVID delta variant, particularly in schools.

Michigan’s top health officials spoke Wednesday about the possibility of a mask mandate, the state’s “high” COVID-19 transmission rate, the spread of the delta variant and a third dose of the vaccine.

Michigan’s health chief said if the state did issue a school masks mandate, and it was followed, then the spread of COVID-19 could be mitigated this fall as students and teachers return to in-person classrooms.

“Throughout the pandemic, our top priority has been protecting those who are the most vulnerable to COVID-19, including older Michiganders, residents in long-term care facilities, and immunocompromised individuals,” Whitmer said in a news release. “When vaccines first became available, we ensured that 100 percent of residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities had first dibs at the safe and effective vaccines. An additional dose will be available for anyone who is eligible effective Saturday, Aug. 14, the governor’s office said. “I urge anyone who is immunocompromised and meets the eligibility criteria to get an additional dose. There will be no need to provide a vaccination card to receive the additional dose, said the press release.

Michigan health officials are strongly recommending schools to require universal masking when students return for in-person learning.

Dale Blain, a truck driver, is staunchly opposed to COVID-19 vaccines and would quit a job if an employer required vaccination. “You can’t believe anything, anything you hear on the statistics on this stuff.”Both are retired and in their 60s with homes in the Jackson area, but have very different views on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine mandates. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told USA Today he expects a “flood” of vaccine requirements as soon as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issues full approval for a COVID-19 vaccine. Michigan State University senior Peter “PJ” Sarotte, 21, said he founded a group called Americans Against Forced Vaccinations in opposition of COVID-19 vaccine mandates. MSU, along with the University of Michigan, announced late last month that students, faculty and staff would have be immunized against COVID-19.

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As K-12 schools prepare to resume in-person learning in Michigan and across the nation this fall, many are discussing whether children should be required to wear face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) have been detected in animal and mosquito populations in Michigan again, emphasizing the importance of people taking precautions to stay safe from mosquito-borne illnesses.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, childhood vaccination rates declined. For children 12 years and older, she also recommended getting a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to school this fall. Some have fully eradicated illnesses, while others have significantly limited them, but declining vaccination rates could allow them to return. As of Monday, about 58.8% of Michigan residents 12 and older had gotten a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and about 54.3% were fully vaccinated. To find a COVID-19 vaccine near you, visit Michigan’s COVID-19 vaccine website or go to VaccineFinder.org.

The decision by the Grosse Pointe Public Schools to start the school year with masks optional has parents divided.

Michigan’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joneigh Khaldun joined forces with school officials Monday to call on parents before school starts to catch students up on childhood immunizations that were missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re teaching them something that honestly just breaks my heart, that we don’t have responsibility to care for and about one another,” Eisenberg said.

“We’re teaching them something that honestly just breaks my heart, that we don’t have responsibility to care for and about one another,” Eisenberg said.

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Michigan has revealed its updated COVID-19 safety guidelines to protect students from the virus when they return to in-person learning.

Michigan has revealed its updated COVID-19 safety guidelines to protect students from the virus when they return to in-person learning.

Here are tonight's top stories.

Some Metro Detroit school districts claim to be consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state guidelines, but don’t appear to be.

Michigan has revealed its updated COVID-19 safety guidelines to protect students from the virus when they return to in-person learning.

State health officials are recommending that schools, like local communities, implement various COVID-19 prevention strategies based on the level of transmission within their area this fall. On Wednesday, Aug. 4, Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services issued updated recommendations for preventing COVID-19 transmission in schools and reducing disruptions to in-person learning. The changes, which also included listing prevention strategies in order of effectiveness, were made to align with the latest CDC guidance. Recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. As of Monday, Aug. 2, more than 30 Michigan counties were reporting seven-day COVID-19 transmission levels deemed “high” or “substantial,” according to CDC data.

Michigan’s health department issued new guidance to schools that recommend masks be worn by all, but doesn’t mandate it.

Michigan has revealed its updated COVID-19 safety guidelines to protect students from the virus when they return to in-person learning.

MUSKEGON, MI – A cluster of COVID-19 cases connected to the Rebel Road and Muskegon Bike Time motorcycle rallies has prompted state health officials to urge attendees to be tested. However, Kathy Moore, the county’s public health director, told MLive that attendees at that event should also be tested. The two events are held in downtown Muskegon at the same time and attendees often co-mingle. The COVID cases have been diagnosed either in people who attended the motorcycle event or their close contacts, according to the release. About five attendees who tested positive are from Muskegon County, Moore said.

Michigan health officials have linked 16 cases of COVID-19 to a four-day motorcycle event on the west side of the state.

The University of Michigan and Michigan State University will require all students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of the fall semester.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has resumed wearing a mask at indoor events, citing revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a recommendation from the state’s chief doctor.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday, July 27, resumed wearing a mask at indoor events, citing revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a recommendation from Michigan's chief doctor.

LANSING, MI – A Michigan country music festival held near Brooklyn, Michigan, has been connected to more than a dozen COVID-19 cases. Attendees of Faster Horses are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 if they have not been fully vaccinated, or have been vaccinated but develop symptoms. More than 5 million Michiganders 16 and older have received at least their first dose of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. MDHHS encourages all eligible Michiganders, those age 12 years and older, to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are able. Then, a ‘freak accident’ claimed their lives at Faster HorsesPolice identify woman who died at the 2021 Faster Horses Festival

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is working with local public health departments on an investigation of cases of COVID-19 associated with the Faster Horses Festival held Friday, July 16 through Monday, July 19.

Michigan health officials are investigating a notable increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases across the state this summer, and excessive rain and flooding appear to be the culprit.

Michigan health officials are prioritizing equity as they continue to urge more residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Delta variant now accounts for the...

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is collaborating with local health departments to investigate a recent increase in reports of Legionnaires’ disease.

Michigan is seeing more cases of Legionnaires’ disease in recent weeks than would be typical. Legionnaires’ disease is an infection caused by the bacteria Legionella. Symptoms of the disease include fever, cough and pneumonia, while a milder infection can look like a flu-like illness without pneumonia. But this year’s count is higher than usual, which has health officials warning health care providers to keep alert for new cases. If you are displaying similar symptoms, health officials recommend speaking with your health care provider.

Michigan health officials are investigating a notable increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases across the state this summer, and excessive rain and flooding appear to be the culprit.

Whenever I step into my backyard I am inundated with mosquitoes.

Whenever I step into my backyard I am inundated with mosquitoes.

HOLLAND, MI – Hope College has received millions in state funding to expand its COVID-19 wastewater testing program across southwest Michigan over the next two years. The state health department announced last month that it will distribute nearly $49 million in grant funding to 19 labs across the state to expand local surveillance projects. The new grant, which will run through July 31, 2023, will further expand Hope’s program throughout southwest Michigan. The second site will be located in space rented at the Michigan State University Bioeconomy Institute in Holland. More on MLive:Michigan universities and health departments get money to test wastewater for COVID-19Testing wastewater for coronavirus will continue into 2023 thanks to $49M grantUniversity of Michigan gets $5.3M from state to expand COVID-19 wastewater monitoring

The state unveiled its opioid data dashboard earlier this week to monitor the use of overdose prevention and substance use disorder treatment services. However, the 2020 total will be higher than the 2,354 overdose deaths from 2019. May was the worst month for 2020 with 309 overdose deaths, followed by June with 279 and July with 230. Related: Opioid-related deaths surge in parts of Michigan during coronavirus pandemicProvisional data from 2020 shows overdoses disproportionately affected Black residents in Michigan. In addition to the overdose data, the dashboard provides geographic data to highlight progress in opioid prescribing, treatment and harm reduction efforts.

More than half of Michigan residents 12 and older have received at least the first dose of the vaccine. Younger children are not yet eligible.

COVID-19 infections may be waning in Michigan, but the latest guidance from the state health department recommends students should still count masks among their school supplies as they return to classrooms this fall. The recommendation is in line with current state guidance, as well as recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recommendations are not mandatory like previous health orders, and the state recently did away with statewide masking requirements. “These vaccines are the reason transmission of the virus in Michigan is at the lowest point in a year. Infections have been trending downward in the state, and the seven-day average of new infections currently sits at 130 per day.

Michigan will continue conducting wastewater surveillance to track community spread of coronavirus, thanks to grant money from the federal government. Over the course of the project, health officials estimate that more than 87,000 wastewater samples will be collected and analyzed. The program testing samples from 280 sites across 41 counties and the city of Detroit. Researchers noted spikes in active cases in campus residence halls that were found to correlate with wastewater surveillance data. The health department said it plans to update its online wastewater testing dashboard in the future as more data becomes available.

Michigan health officials have issued 12 safety recommendations to protect students and teachers from COVID-19 during in-person learning at schools.

A bipartisan group of Michigan lawmakers announced a package of bills Wednesday to curb opioid overdose deaths in the state, which experts say spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state has provided mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccine units to West Michigan counties to assist individuals with barriers to receiving services. Mobile units have been sent to Kent and Muskegon counties for use by local health departments. The mobile units also will provide personal protection equipment as well as other health and social services. The state’s six mobile units were developed as the result of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities. The mobile units are outfitted with supplies, including tents, to set up outdoor clinics.

Michiganders have lived under some form of restriction designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 -- from stay-at-home orders to mask mandates to restaurant and bar closures -- since March 2020. But on Tuesday, the biggest public-facing pieces, including the mask mandate, ended with the repeal of the public health order that had put them in place. Related: Michigan’s mask mandates, capacity limits are over – here are the remaining restrictionsLt. Gov. He’s glad to see the mask mandate lifting and restrictions on businesses coming to a close. “That’s what our country’s about.”More on MLive:Michigan’s mask mandates, capacity limits are over – here are the remaining restrictionsMichigan will end COVID-19 mask mandate, capacity limits earlyThe post-pandemic office?

Governor Whitmer officially announced Mask mandate has been lifted in the State, as well some COVID restrictions.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a briefing Tuesday to officially lift the state’s COVID restrictions and fully reopen for the first time in about 15 months.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a news conference Tuesday afternoon as the state lifts nearly all COVID-19 restrictions after more than 15 months.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is set to hold a briefing today as the state of Michigan reopens to full capacity and drops its COVID-19 mask and gathering restrictions.

Michigan is lifting all of its COVID restrictions for capacity, masks and gatherings next week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced.

State to open to full capacity soon; 42.9% of county residents vaccinated

Michigan is lifting all of its COVID restrictions for capacity, masks and gatherings next week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced.

Michigan is ending its 50% indoor capacity limit and mask mandate for the unvaccinated earlier than originally announced, Gov. Plummeting COVID-19 numbers led Whitmer to end these restrictions early. Guidance for how to handle COVID-19 in schools will be announced next week, the news release said. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration also has pandemic workplace safety rules, which are in place through October. “It is anticipated nearly a quarter of all Michigan fitness centers and gyms will close in 2021, victims of the pandemic,” Rief said.

After more than 15 months, Michigan's COVID-19 pandemic restrictions will soon be over, says Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Capacity limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings, as...

Michiganders might not have to wait until July for COVID restrictions to be lifted.

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, currently, the state is seeing its lowest infection rates since the start of the pandemic at four percent.

Michigan health officials reported the first confirmed human case of Sin Nombre hantavirus in the state, an illness spread by rodents, but not between individuals.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – Health officials have confirmed the first human case of Sin Nombre hantavirus in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Washtenaw County Health Department are investigating the case, which was detected in an adult female in Washtenaw County who is hospitalized with a serious pulmonary illness. The individual was likely exposed when cleaning an unoccupied dwelling that contained signs of an active rodent infestation, according to MDHHS. Hantavirus infections are associated with domestic, occupational, or recreational activities that bring humans into contact with infected rodents. “We can prevent and reduce the risk of hantavirus infection by taking precautions and being alert to the possibility of it,” says Dr. Juan Luis Marquez, medical director with Washtenaw County Health Department.

Michigan health officials reported the first confirmed human case of Sin Nombre hantavirus in the state, an illness spread by rodents, but not between individuals.

A Washtenaw County woman has been hospitalized with Michigan’s first confirmed human case of the Sin Nombre hantavirus, a rare and sometimes fatal respiratory disease...

LANSING, MI — Michigan officials are advising people to avoid touching surface water foam as they hit the great outdoors for Memorial Day weekend. Touching surface water that may contain PFAS chemicals is not generally considered harmful, DHHS says. Children, in particular, should avoid suspected PFAS foam because they are prone to hand-to-mouth behavior and the chemicals have developmental toxicity. PFAS foam can occur year-round during open water, but tends to accumulate on breezy days when a chemical microlayer on the water surface froths up due to wind and wave action. More information on PFAS foam can be found here.