Ready Carver, Informed, Prepared, Connected

Thousands of volunteers are now preparing to celebrate 10 years of the Minnesota Dental Association’s (MDA) annual charitable program, Give Kids a Smile! On Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, they will offer free dental care to children whose families face barriers to dental care. A variety of services will be available in about 200 locations throughout the state.

The MN Department of Health website allows you to search by your zip code to find a flu shot clinic near you.

A drug used to keep pigs lean and boost their growth is jeopardizing the nation’s exports of what once was known as “the other white meat.” The drug, ractopamine hydrochloride, is fed to pigs and other animals right up until slaughter and minute traces have been found in meat. The European Union, China, Taiwan and many others have banned its use, citing concerns about its effect on human health, limiting U.S. meat exports to key markets.

Mexico's newspapers are warning of an alarming increase in swine flu for the first time since a pandemic shut down much of the country three years ago, while the government insists there's no need for another international scare. Federal and state health officials agree there is an increase, but they say the number of cases is within the range of a normal flu season.

A study released this week suggesting a link between exposure to chemicals known as perfluorinated compounds and an impaired immune system in kids should prompt more research, Minnesota health officials said. The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association measured the effectiveness of vaccines among children living on the Faroe Islands between Scotland and Iceland. It found that children with elevated levels of perfluorinated compounds — or PFCs — were less likely to have a good immune response to vaccines.

Parents whose children are ill enough to spend time in an intensive care unit may have something else to worry about on top of that serious medical condition, according to new research published in Consumer Reports. The risk of a serious bloodstream infection contracted in hospitals, the report says, is 20 percent higher in pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) than in adult intensive care units.

He said his team's virus was treatable, pointing out its differences from a lethal form created by Dutch scientists

A Wisconsin virology team that created a more contagious form of bird flu did not produce a highly lethal superflu, as a Dutch team controversially did last year, said the leader of the Wisconsin team.

Researchers studying a potentially deadlier, airborne version of the bird flu virus have voluntarily suspended their studies for 60 days because of concerns it could be used as a devastating form of bioterrorism, according to a letter published in the journals Nature and Science on Friday.

The Minnesota Mobile Medical Unit is now in Duluth at the DECC, as part of the Arrowhead EMS Conference and Expo. Local doctors are being trained by the state on how to use this portable hospital. It's equipped with 8 beds, a pharmacy area, and a lab. The unit is actually a semi-tractor, that can be folded out to a 1000 square foot working space.

An annual report shows Minnesota hospitals, while disclosing more, still struggle with preventable mistakes.

Minnesota hospitals reported 26 incidents last year in which doctors performed the wrong procedures on patients — including 10 cases involving the wrong replacement joints, breast implants or cataract lenses.

Vietnam on Thursday confirmed its first human death from bird flu in nearly two years, a day after neighboring Cambodia also logged its first fatality this year as new cases of the H5N1 virus are reported in Asia and the Middle East.

Minnesota homes need to be tested for radon; winter is best time to test

Gov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed January "Radon Action Month" in Minnesota, urging residents to take simple and affordable steps to test their homes for harmful levels of radon gas. Radon, a colorless, odorless gas, is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon can seep into a home from underground and, if left to accumulate, high levels of radon can cause lung cancer.

Enter The Minnesota “What’s Your Winter?” Photo Contest On Facebook

Snow or no snow, winter is here — a time of beauty, activity and fun for adults and kids in Minnesota. So we’d like you to show everyone how you see and enjoy the season! The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) annually sponsors the “What’s Your Winter?” Photo Contest to feature the best digital images of Minnesotans enjoying winter. Entries in Adult and Youth (15 and under) divisions are judged in four categories: Mother Nature, Kids in Winter, Holidays and Outdoor Sports.

Grand prizes will be awarded in each age division along with first-, second- and third-place prizes in each topical category.

This year, for the first time, the “What’s Your Winter?” Photo Contest is hosted on the HSEM Facebook page. You don’t need to join Facebook to enter; just go to www.Facebook.com/MnHSEM and click “What’s Your Winter?” in the left menu.

Participants may upload as many as six of their own digital photos, and Facebook members can vote for their favorites. Prizes will be awarded to the top vote-getters at the end of the contest in March.

So along with your hats, gloves and boots, always remember your camera this year — and proudly show Minnesota “What’s Your Winter?”