News Releases

The following press releases are arranged by date with the latest first. For more information about specific press releases call 586-4442.

  • DOH MONITORING EBOLA, HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAKS May 19, 2026 - HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) is actively monitoring an outbreak of Bundigbugyo virus, a strain of Ebola virus, that is occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. On May 16, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared a public health emergency of international concern due to the outbreak. This declaration enables the WHO and… Continue Reading
  • DOH WARNS PUBLIC ABOUT DANGEROUS EMERGING OPIOID-LIKE PRODUCT KNOWN AS ‘7-OH’ May 11, 2026 - HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) is warning residents about the growing availability of the substance 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as “7-OH,” a potent opioid-like substance. Considered dangerous, 7-OH is a concentrated and in some cases synthetic, form of a naturally occurring trace compound found in the kratom plant, sometimes marketed as “enhanced kratom.”… Continue Reading
  • PFAS DETECTED IN HALEAKALĀ NATIONAL PARK WATER SYSTEM May 11, 2026 - HONOLULU — PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been detected in water samples collected at the Haleakalā Park Rain Shed Chlorinator of the Haleakalā National Park water system (Public Water System HI0000222), which serves areas of Haleakalā National Park on Maui. The detection of PFAS at the Haleakalā Park Rain Shed Chlorinator was confirmed through… Continue Reading
  • DOH RECRUITS TEEN HEALTH AND MEDIA SURVEY PARTICIPANTS VIA MAIL May 8, 2026 - HONOLULU —The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) will conduct the 2026 Hawai‘i Teen Health and Media Survey over the next two months. Information collected will be used to develop and improve health programs and services for Hawaiʻi’s youth. In the coming weeks, some households across the state will receive a mailed letter from DOH with… Continue Reading
  • DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EMS BRANCH NAMED NATIONAL EMS AGENCY OF THE YEAR May 4, 2026 - HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) announced today that its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Branch has been named the 2026 National State EMS Office / Agency of the Year by the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials. This national recognition honors Hawaiʻi’s leadership in advancing innovative, community-centered emergency medical care and… Continue Reading

More news releases

Read more news releases online in the Newsroom.

 

Archived news releases

For archived news releases click here.

Press releases are issued by the Department of Health through its Communications Office. Releases are sent to all major media throughout the state unless the information is specific to a particular issue or island.

 

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