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The Health Department is responsible for permitting and inspecting businesses that provide services to the public to ensure compliance with local, state and federal law.
- Restaurants
- Body Art Establishments
- Tanning
- Retail Food
- Swimming Pools
- Tobacco/Nicotine Delivery Retailers
- Recreational Camps
Measles is a disease caused by a virus that spreads very easily from person to person. Symptoms of measles occur 10 days to two weeks after exposure and may resemble a cold (with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes), but a rash occurs on the skin 2-4 days after the initial symptoms develop. The rash usually appears first on the head and moves downward. The rash typically lasts a few days and then disappears in the same order. People with measles may be contagious up to four days before the rash appears and for four days after the day the rash appears.
The virus that causes measles lives in the nose and throat and is sprayed into the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks. It can stay in the air for up to 2 hours. Other people nearby can then inhale the virus. Touching tissues or sharing a cup used by someone who has measles can also spread the virus.
People with the potential for exposure should be watchful for symptoms of measles, and should call their healthcare provider, if they develop symptoms, before visiting a healthcare facility. Visiting a healthcare facility with symptoms of measles puts others at risk.
For information about measles go to the MA Department of Health Fact Sheet or call your primary care physician.
Norovirus (often called the stomach flu) Is On The Rise
Norovirus is a very contagious virus. You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and throwing up. Other symptoms may include fever, headaches and body aches.
Anyone can be infected with norovirus and get sick. Also, you can have norovirus illness many times in your life.
Norovirus illness can be serious, especially for young children and older adults. The best way to help prevent norovirus is to practice proper hand washing.
For more information go to the MA Department of Health Norovirus Fact Sheet.
At its March 20, 2014 meeting, the Northampton Board of Health adopted expanded Tobacco and Nicotine Delivery Product regulations. The regulations will go into effect June 1, 2014.
Changes include:
- Prohibiting smoking in municipally owned parks, municipally owned recreation areas and private clubs
- Prohibiting the sale of blunt wraps
- Verifying age, with government issued ID, at every point of sale
- Prohibiting the sale of tobacco and nicotine delivery products in establishments that have onsite pharmacies
- Capping the number of city tobacco and nicotine delivery product permits
- Disallowing the tolling of sales violations
Regulation Restricting the Sale of Tobacco Products and Nicotine Delivery Products
Appendix A: Evidence that tobacco smoking causes cancer, respiratory and cardiac diseases, negative birth outcomes, irritations to the eyes, nose and throat.