The New York State Department of Health and local health departments such as GO Health collect and share a variety of data on communicable diseases to help residents make informed decisions about their health, and to help public health professionals and our partners focus resources where they are needed most to improve the health of the community.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the disease is still present, and still causes severe illness, hospitalization, and death in many Americans annually. The best way to prevent hospitalization or death from COVID is by staying up to date with your COVID vaccine. Everyone 6 months or older should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine if they have not already.
HIV does not discriminate. Have you been tested recently?
About 125,000 people are living with HIV in New York State, and more than 2,000 people are newly diagnosed each year, according to the NYS Department of Health. But there are many ways to reduce your risk of getting HIV, or prevent passing it on to other people:
The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine. Everyone 6 months or older should get a flu vaccine every year.
Preventing infections starts with you. Here are a few simple things you can do to lower your risk of getting sick, and also protect the people around you:
- Wash your whole hands (including the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Watch the GO Health Minute Watch a video of the proper technique here.
- Always wash your hands:
- Before, during, and after food preparation
- Before and after eating
- Before and after caring for someone who is vomiting or having diarrhea
- Before and after treating a cut or wound After using the bathroom, changing a diaper, or helping someone else use the bathroom
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing After touching an animal or pet, their food, or their waste
- After touching garbage
- After gardening
- Regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces like door knobs, light switches, and countertops.
- Cook your meat and poultry to the recommended temperatures, avoid undercooked foods like rare beef or runny eggs, choose pasteurized milk and dairy products, keep uncooked meat and poultry separate during food prep, and wash your fruits and veggies before eating them.
- Stay home when you’re sick, and keep your children home when they’re sick, too. This includes if you or your children have a fever, diarrhea, or are vomiting.
- Never work in food service or provide patient or child care when you have diarrhea.
- Make sure you and your family are up to date on all recommended vaccines.
- Don’t get sick on your vacation! If you travel internationally, check CDC’s Traveler’s Health page to find out what vaccines or other preventative measures are recommended for your destination
RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, is a very common virus that can cause cold-like symptoms in many people. For most, RSV is a mild illness, but for babies, young children, and older adults, RSV can be serious or even fatal. In fact, RSV is the number one cause of hospitalization in infants in the United States.
Thankfully there are now several options for preventing severe RSV and hospitalization. RSV vaccines are recommended for pregnant women, people 75 and older, and people ages 60-74 at increased risk, and RSV immunization with an antibody is recommended to temporarily protect babies and some young children during RSV season (the fall through the spring). Talk to your doctor about whether these options are right for you.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are spread from person to person through sexual contact. One in five people in the United States has an STI at any given time. There are many diseases that can be spread through sexual contact, such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B and C, HPV, HIV, and mpox.
Vaccines are available to protect against three infections that can be transmitted sexually: HPV, hepatitis B, and mpox. HPV and hepatitis B virus can both cause cancer, including liver cancer, cervical cancer, and head and neck cancer. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, and according to the National Cancer Institute, almost everyone is infected with HPV within months to a few years after becoming sexually active. Community Health Services nurses regularly hold clinics to vaccinate residents against HPV and hepatitis B.
Important facts:
- Many STIs cause no symptoms.
- It is possible to have more than one STI at the same time.
- It is possible to get some STIs more than once, so partners can re-infect each other if they are not both treated at the same time.
- Having an STI can raise your risk of getting another STI or HIV.
- Delaying treatment can make STIs worse, and can result in loss of fertility or problems with a pregnancy.
- Some STIs can cause cancer.
If you are sexually active, it is important to be regularly tested for STIs. It is also important to be tested as soon as possible if you believe you may have been exposed. Because of the risks to the fetus, it is also important for people to be tested during pregnancy. Several local clinics are available for testing and treatment.
If you are sexually active, talk to your doctor about whether you are at higher risk for mpox or HIV. There are ways to protect yourself from both. Vaccinations for mpox are available, and PrEP prevents HIV infection.
For more information on STIs and prevention:
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that usually affects the lungs but can affect any part of the body such as the kidneys, lymph nodes, bones, joints, brain, or spine.
Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. People who are infected with TB bacteria but do not have any symptoms have what is called latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and they can’t spread TB to others. People who are infected with TB bacteria and are having symptoms have what is called TB disease, and may infect other people. Both conditions can be treated. Without treatment, LTBI can turn into TB disease. If not treated, TB disease can be fatal.
For more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
For more information from the New York State Department of Health: