The Department of Health has just issued a warning stating that six rabid raccoons have been found in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx in recent weeks. As such, the DoH warns us all to stay away from not only the black-eyed beasts, but also skunks, bats, stray dogs, stray cats and other wild animals. more ›

You would think that living in the city with the highest herpes rate would put the fear in New Yorkers, but a new Dept. of Health report is calling NYC out on its unsafe sex practices...and promiscuity! The Daily News breaks down the report, which shows that 40% of residents (your friends, neighbors, colleagues!) with multiple partners didn't use a condom the last time they had sex. 11%--that's around 610,000--had more than one partner in the past year, and 17% of men listed multiple partners (compared to the ladies at 6%). These weren't just single folks either: 5% of married men and women had two or more partners in the past year. The DoH isn't saying we're the sluttiest city in the world, but they do suggest having fewer partners and using more condoms! (Their report was based on telephone surveys with 10,000 city adults.) more ›

The Dept. of Health is looking into why hundreds of New Yorkers were informed that they tested positive for HIV infection after an oral exam, when in fact they were HIV negative. The non-infected status was determined by a follow-up blood test that was administered immediately. Still--pretty scary. The State Health Dept. and the CDC are investigating why the OraSure mouth swab tests resulted in an approximate 50% false-positive rate (The FDA's allowable false-positive rate for HIV tests is 2%). The Health Dept. reported that it has suspended use of OraSure as an HIV-infection detector. more ›

An additional $1.25-a-pack tax on cigarettes goes into effect Tuesday, meaning that a carton of name brand smokes will cost a staggering $85. If the average cost of a box of premium brand cigarettes rises to $8.50, 50% of that cost is directly related to taxes ($2.75 to the State, $1.50 to the City). more ›

On the evening of April 3rd it was announced that Sound Fix, the record shop/cafe fixture on the corner of Bedford Avenue and N 11th Street in Williamsburg, was shut down. Since first mention the Dept. of Health has been blamed with locking the doors, but noise complaints are generally at the root of every establishment's demise. more ›

For the second time in as many years, the famous Stage Deli in Manhattan was shuttered by the Dept. of Health after inspections found the restaurant infested with vermin. The Times Square institution was last closed in mid-2006 after it accrued too many points during a health inspection (points are for violations and a score above 28 is a failure.) As reported in The New York Times, the DOH inspected the Stage last Wednesday and assigned it a failing score. The deli was allowed to remain open while it corrected major violations, but a subsequent inspection 48 hours later still resulted in insufficient cleanliness. more ›

It's the reproductive version of the subprime mortgage crisis! According to the NY Post, New York City's sperm banks are holding a lot of junk. more ›