The number of people in Rockland coming down with the mumps is continuing to rise.

More than 300 people in Rockland have been diagnosed with the infectious disease as a cluster that started last summer at an upstate camp for Jewish boys has turned into the largest outbreak nationwide in years.

Just about all of the cases are among residents of Monsey and New Square, according to health officials, who are continuing to track the disease.

Read more about the outbreak here.

From the American Cancer Society:

Facing a cancer diagnosis is difficult enough; worrying about how to get to weekly or daily doctor’s appointments shouldn’t be a concern.

Road to Recovery is an American Cancer Society service program that provides transportation for cancer patients to their cancer life-saving treatments and home again.  Volunteer drivers are urgently needed in Westchester County.

The lack of transportation has become a major problem for thousands of cancer patients. Many need daily or weekly treatment, often over the course of several months and they don’t have transportation or are simply too ill to drive.

The American Cancer Society provides a straightforward training program and arranges for volunteers to meet with each other throughout the year. Road to Recovery volunteer driving requires no special skills or education – just a safe driving record, a valid Driver’s license, some free time, a vehicle in good working condition, and the desire to help.

Interested drivers should contact Alison Suggs, Manager of Patient and Family Services at the American Cancer Society, at 1-800-ACS-2345 or alison.suggs@cancer.org.

Helen Hayes Hospital is hosting a series of adaptive skiing workshops at Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, N.Y. The events, which are open to people with disabilities, are part of the Helen Hayes Hospital’s Adapted Sports and Recreation Program and are free of charge.

Instructors specializing in adaptive skiing will offer beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons. First time students will receive an overview of the equipment and fittings prior to getting out on the snow. Adaptive equipment will be available for skiers with disabilities. Participants should come attired in appropriate in winter/snow clothing.

Adaptive Skiing Workshops are scheduled for the following dates:

February 7, 21 & 28; March 7 & 21;

Two sessions will be offered on each day: from 8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

The workshops are free of charge but pre-registration is required. For additional information on the Adapted Sports & Recreation Program or the downhill skiing programs at Belleayre Mountain, or to register for one or more of the workshops, contact: Matthew Castelluccio, Adapted Sports Coordinator, 845-786-4950 or castellucciom@helenhayeshosp.org

The prestigious British medical journal The Lancet has retracted a controversial 1998 study linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism.

The journal retracted the study in its online edition published today.

The journal published the controversial paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues in 1998.

The study prompted many parents to abandon the vaccine, leading to a resurgence of measles. Subsequent studies found no proof the vaccine is connected to autism.

The retraction comes only a week after Britain’s General Medical Council that Wakefield had been dishonest and unethical in gathering data for his study.

Vaccines to protect against both the H1N1 and seasonal strains of flu will be available from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Feb. 5 at the Rockland County Department of Health, Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Center, Building A, Exhibition Hall, Ramapo. Appointment are required and can be made by calling 845-364-2633.

The H1N1 or swine flu vaccine will be provide free of charge to anyone over the age of 3. Proof of Rockland residency is required.

The seasonal flu vaccine will be given free to anyone age 60 or older. Residents between the ages of 9 and 59 will be charged $25.

Patients with Medicare and Medicaid must bring their cards. Proof of residency is required.

A new session of a program that helps older people learn how to avoid falling will start again in February.

A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns helps older people learn to develop confidence, set realistic goals to increase activity, make changes to reduce the risks of falls at home, and exercise to increase strength and balance.

The class is offered free of charge by the Rockland Department of Health. Classes will be held at different locations, including Sparkill, Spring Valley, West Nyack and Nanuet.

Advanced registration is required. For more information or to register for classes, contact the Rockland County Department of Health at 845-364-2501.

The New York Blood Center is offering scholarships for high school students who initiate and coordinate successful community blood drives.

At high schools willing to host two blood drives per school year, a $250 scholarship will be awarded to one student organizer. At high schools holding three drives per school year, two scholarships at $250 each will be awarded.  High school students who independently organize and introduce a new blood drive within their community may earn a $250 scholarship if the drive yields at least 30 blood donations and $500 if that blood drive yields 50 or more blood donations. In all cases, scholarships are made payable to the college or trade school of the student’s choice.

More than 7,780 units of blood were donated as a direct result of students who organized community blood drives in 2009, and more than 233 student blood drives were held regionally during times when need was most critical, such as peak summer and winter times.

To donate blood, call 800-933-2566 and to arrange a blood drive, call 914-784-4639, or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.

The program “Smart Brain, Strong Brain, Fit Brain” will start with a demonstration at 10:30 a.m., January 26 at in the Rockland Community College auditorium.

Participants will be given access to the CogniFit training program that sharpens fourteen areas of brain function including memory, hand eye coordination, and driving skills.

Participants may use the program at their home computer, a computer anywhere in the world they may travel, with family, at senior centers, or at any of several designated locations throughout Rockland. Computers will be provided at the designated sites. Plans are being made so that participants, who cannot travel to designated sights and have no computer at home, will be loaned a computer.

To register to attend the RCC meeting and learn about the program, call 845-267-2172 ext. 415, send an e-mail to aaronh@mharockland.org, or register on line at www.mharockland.org.

The brain fitness program is made possible by a grant awarded to the Mental Health Association of Rockland County by the New York State Department of Aging, and by CogniFit, www.CogniFit.com, a brain training company.

Counterfeit versions of the popular weight loss pill Alli are being sold on-line, according to the FDA. Tests conducted by GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the over-the-counter weight-loss product, revealed that the counterfeit version did not contain orlistat, the active ingredient in Alli.

The counterfeit Alli has:

Outer cardboard packaging missing a “Lot” code;

Expiration date that includes the month, day, and year (e.g., 06162010); authentic Alli expiration date includes only the month and year (e.g.,: 05/12);

Packaging in a plastic bottle that has a slightly taller and wider cap with coarser ribbing than the genuine product;

Plain foil inner safety seal under the plastic cap without any printed words; the authentic product seal is printed with “SEALED for YOUR PROTECTION”;

Contains larger capsules with a white powder, instead of small white pellets.

Consumers who think they have received counterfeit Alli are asked to contact the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations by calling 800-551-3989 or by visiting the OCI Web site (http://www.fda.gov/OCI).