Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Construction of a new nursing facility will begin next week at State Hospital South in eastern Idaho.

Households that were approved or re-evaluated by Jan. 15 will receive benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program this coming Sunday, Jan. 20.

Public health officials say a 50-year-old north Idaho woman died recently due to influenza, the first reported flu-related death in the state this season.

In the US, there are more than 6 million cases reported in children between the ages of three and 11, according to CDC data.

There have been over 250 cases statewide so far in 2018, compared to 32 for all of 2017.

A cat in Elmore County is recovering from plague, public health officials say.

Public health officials say a confirmed case of plague has been reported in a southwestern Idaho community. It is the first confirmed human case pf plague identified in Idaho since 1992.

The peak period where most cases of infection occur is late June through September, with one in 150 infected persons developing severe illness, according to the department's data.

Public health officials are warning Idaho residents to not consume products that contain kratom due to the possible contamination of Salmonella.

Public health officials are saying that an E. coli outbreak that has affected people in 11 states, including Idaho, is linked to chopped romaine lettuce from Yuma, Ariz.

The IDHW is urging anyone with symptoms including a fever, sore throat and persistent cough, to stay home and contact a health provider.