Novel H1N1 Influenza A By: Hammond-Henry Hospital, 13 Oct 2009 In early 2009, what came to be known as novel H1N1 influenza A surfaced in Mexico and the United States. It quickly spread around the globe and was declared the first pandemic of the 21st century by the World Health Organization. This virus was originally referred to as "swine flu" because early lab tests showed that many of the genes in this new virus were similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs. But further study showed otherwise. In addition to genes found in swine influenza, other parts of the virus can be traced to humans and still other parts to birds. (Read the full article for symptoms of H1N1 and influenza prevention information.) Full Story

Immunizations By: Hammond-Henry Hospital, 29 Jul 2009 Believe it or not, the start of the school year is just around the corner. This is a good time to check if your child's vaccinations are up to date. A number of diseases that once killed thousands of people each year are no longer as widespread a threat. In many cases, this is due to vaccinations. The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) say that over the years, vaccinations have helped reduce the number of outbreaks of diseases such as measles, mumps, even the flu. Full Story

Get Hands on. Learn CPR. By: Hammond-Henry Hospital, 01 Apr 2009 Would you know what to do in a cardiac emergency? During the month of April, Hammond-Henry Hospital is teaching community members to know how to respond by offering a reduced cost cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) class. The class is being offered through a partnership with the American Heart Association. The class takes place on 4/5/2009 at Geneseo Community Center, 541 E. North Street Geneseo IL, from 1-3 PM. Residents interested in participating can call 309-944-5695 to register. Cardiovascular disease is the nation’s No. 1 killer and many deaths—about 250,000 per year—occur suddenly and without warning due to sudden cardiac arrest. A victim of sudden cardiac arrest is likely to die within minutes if CPR and defibrillation do not occur. CPR can add critical minutes to a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s life by pumping blood and oxygen to vital organs such as the heart, brain and lungs. The majority of all sudden cardiac arrests occur at home (75-80 percent) and only about 5 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims survive. The signs of sudden cardiac arrest include an abrupt loss of consciousness, collapse and the loss of normal breathing. Full Story

Stroke Awareness by Kurt Kruger By: Hammond-Henry Hospital, 12 Feb 2008 A stroke can happen to anyone at any time. A stroke, also called a "brain attack", occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happens, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs. Full Story