Dalton (GA) August 29, 2012 — Flu shots are now available at health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties, according to North Georgia Health District officials; and, each county will soon conduct Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics: the quickest, most convenient method for immunization against the flu. 

In addition to doses of the regular seasonal flu vaccine, health departments in five of the six counties within the district are offering high dose flu vaccine for people ages 65 and older. These counties include  Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens and Whitfield. 

The regular seasonal flu vaccine is $20 and the high dose flu shot is $50. At the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics, the health departments are accepting cash, checks, Medicare and Medicaid as well as State Cigna and State United  Healthcare Insurances.

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

21 Confirmed Cases, Including Three Deaths of WNV in Georgia
 
ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is calling on all Georgians to guard against exposure to mosquitoes. DPH has identified 21 confirmed cases of the West Nile Virus (WNV) in the state.  Three cases have been fatal.
 
Confirmed cases are in the following counties: 1 - Bartow, 3 - Cobb, 1 - Columbia, 7 - Dougherty (including 2 deaths), 1 - Fulton, 1 - Forsyth, 1 - Early (including 1 death), 1 - Lee, 1 - Mitchell, 2 - Muscogee, 1 - Richmond, and 1 - Worth.  
 
Mosquitoes from 54 West Nile Virus monitoring sites in metro Atlanta and another 20 in coastal and south Georgia have tested positive for the virus that can lead to brain or spinal cord swelling, or even death. DPH has deemed these areas at high risk for WNV transmission.  
 
“The problem of mosquitoes and West Nile Virus appears to be escalating in Georgia and across the country,” said J. Patrick O’Neal, M.D., DPH’s director of health protection. “More West Nile Virus cases have been confirmed by the third week in August than at any time in the last 10 years."
 
Dr. O’Neal urges residents to prevent water from standing in containers - where mosquitoes thrive - and to observe the “Five D’s of WNV Prevention.”
 

click image to view poster

Dalton (GA) August 13, 2012 - During the month of August, parents are busy enrolling children in school, older students are entering college and adults and the health care community are preparing for the upcoming flu season. Recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month is a great time for the community to focus on the value of vaccinations and remind them to stay up-to-date.

“Most of us remember to get vaccinated for diseases such as influenza, measles or chicken pox; but, we don’t always remember to get our booster shots for Tdap, meningitis or check our immunization history for protection against shingles and hepatitis,” said Steven Mitchell, director of the Immunization Office of the Georgia Department of Public Health." Vaccines are important not only to keep ourselves healthy, but also to protect those around us.”

According to the public health immunization study for 2012, immunization rates in the North Georgia Health District among children who are 2 years old and receive vaccines through local health departments was 97.1%.

However, August serves as a reminder that people of all ages require timely immunizations to protect their health.

Cherokee County Board of Health Chairman Russ Flynn and Nancy Stackhouse, Georgia's CDC Childhood Immunization Champion for 2012
Woodstock (GA) August 2, 2012 - Cherokee County Board of Health Chairman Russ Flynn has presented a letter of congratulations to Cherokee County Health Immunization Outreach Coordinator Nancy Stackhouse, LPN, on being named Georgia's CDC Childhood Immunization Champion for 2012.

In the letter given to Stackhouse at the quarterly Cherokee County Board of Health meeting on August 1, Flynn stated, "The Cherokee County Board of Health appreciates your leadership promoting childhood immunization through vaccination, education, and recognition of children in Cherokee County."

Stackhouse is involved in daily community promotion and education of childhood immunizations in her role with the Cherokee County Health Department. During the past twenty-nine years in public health, she has been a community leader in immunization issues while collaborating with schools, churches, businesses, and other agencies to foster childhood immunizations.

The CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award is a new annual award that recognizes one champion from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia who makes a significant contribution toward improving public health through his or her work in childhood immunization.

Awardees for this inaugural year were announced in conjunction with National Infant Immunization Week last April.

For more information about the new CDC Childhood Immunization Award, log onto http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/champions/childhood.html.

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We all need immunizations to help protect us from serious diseases. The North Georgia Health District and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is taking the month of August, National Immunization Awareness Month, to remind all Georgians the importance of being up-to-date with their immunizations.

For more information, log onto www.cdc.gov/vaccines or contact your local public health department:
Cherokee: Canton (770) 345-7371 / Woodstock (770) 928-0133
Fannin (706) 632-3023
Gilmer (706) 635-4363
Murray (706) 695-4585
Pickens (706) 253-2821
Whitfield (706) 279-9600

Health departments within the North Georgia Health District will soon conduct Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics. There is no easier way to protect against the flu because the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics are specially designed to process people quickly and conveniently as they remain in their vehicles.

The drive-by clinics will also be an opportunity for North Georgia Health District health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties to test their ability to quickly administer medications to the public in a widespread public health crisis, such as pandemic influenza. Therefore, residents who receive a flu shot at their local drive-by clinic will not only find the experience to be fast and efficient, but they also will be assisting in a mass emergency preparedness drill for their county.

Cherokee County Environmental Health officials announced today that yet another raccoon in the county has tested positive for rabies. This makes a total of seven confirmed cases of rabies for the county this year, including four other raccoons, a dog and a fox.

In this most recent case, Cherokee County Environmental Health Specialist Glendon Gordy reported that on August 10, two dogs attacked and killed a raccoon at a Sardis Circle residence in Canton. The head of the raccoon was sent to the Georgia State Laboratory for rabies testing, and the positive result was received by county health officials on August 12.

To help keep our local communities safe, the North Georgia Health District is proudly joining the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during August to participate in National Immunization Awareness Month.

National Immunization Awareness Month is the perfect time to catch up on our immunizations and to remind family, friends and coworkers to catch up on theirs.

Are you considering having a baby or are between the childbearing ages of 14‐50? Did you know that half of all pregnancies are unplanned? Whether you’re planning a new addition to your family or simply the age at which you could potentially become pregnant, think about adding a folic acid supplement to your daily routine.

The Adult Dental Clinic located at the Whitfield County Health Department in Dalton, GA provides WHITFIELD COUNTY RESIDENTS basic adult dental care such as dental extractions at REDUCED FEES! 

For more information or to schedule an appointment call 706-281-2369. 

The Whitfield County Health Department is located at 800 Professional Blvd, Dalton, GA.






En Español

Clinica Dental para Adultosen el Departamento de Salud del Condado de Whitfield en Dalton, GA ofrece a los residentes de Condado de Whitfield Cuidado Dental Basico para Adultos asi como Extracciones Dentales a Precios Rebajados!  Llame 706-281-2369 para una cita.

All middle and high school students are invited to our FREE Back to School Luau Bash.  Everyone will enjoy great food, fun, dancing, friends and even a live DJ taking your requests!  The Luau will be held on August 13, 2010 at the Boys and Girls Club from 7:00pm - 10:00pm. 

If you have any questions please call 706-281-2326 or 706-226-2582.  We look forward to seeing you there!

This event is sponsored by the North Georgia Health District Teen Health Program and the Boys & Girls Club

DCH Invites Public Comment on Babies Can't Wait Early Intervention Transition at Age 3 Opt-Out Policy

The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) Division of Public Health (DPH) invites the public to participate in a 60-day public comment period of Babies Can't Wait (BCW), a statewide early intervention system for infants and toddlers with special needs, ages birth to three, and their families. DCH has developed a Transition At Age 3 Opt-Out policy that will be effective after the review, pending approval. The review period is scheduled to run from August 3, 2009 to October 3, 2009. Those who are interested may view the Transition At Age 3 Opt-Out Policy online (http://health.state.ga.us) or at Babies Can't Wait offices throughout the state.

A female pit bull dog was potentially exposed to rabies in a raccoon found dead at a home on Rockingham Way in the Coosawattee River Resort Subdivision near Ellijay.

On the morning of August 18, the homeowner awoke to find her female dog in close proximity to the dead raccoon. Gilmer County Environmental Health officials later found puncture marks on the raccoon, which they believe were made by the dog in a confrontation with the animal. The raccoon tested positive for rabies on August 20, and since the pit bull was not current on its rabies vaccination, the owner was supposed to have decided whether to have the dog euthanized or placed in a state-mandated quarantine for six months. However, the dog has now been killed by lightning, so no further action is required.

THE NEW GILMER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER WILL CELEBRATE ITS GRAND OPENING BY OFFERING $10 RABIES SHOTS FOR CATS AND DOGS ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 FROM 12 TO 3 PM!

THE NEW GILMER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER IS LOCATED AT 4152 HWY 52 EAST (FIRST ROAD ON THE RIGHT JUST PAST THE JAIL).

RABIES IS A DEADLY DISEASE. IT IS CRITICAL THAT PET OWNERS VACCINATE AND KEEP THEIR PETS VACCINATED AGAINST RABIES.

THE APPALACHIAN ANIMAL HOSPITAL IS SPONSORING THIS REDUCED-COST RABIES SHOT CLINIC AND WILL BE ASSISTED BY GILMER COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH.

FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE CALL THE ANIMAL SHELTER AT (706) 635-2166.

A three year old male cat in Gilmer County was recently exposed to a bat that later tested positive for rabies, according to Gilmer County Environmental Health officials.

“The cat’s owner found it playing with the bat in their yard in the Craigtown Road/52 West area on July 30,” said Andrea Wheeler, Gilmer County Environmental Health Manager. “The owner contacted our department where the bat was shipped for rabies testing and it was found to be positive for rabies on August 5.”