RECENT NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
North Georgia – Get your flu shot to go at one of six public health Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics coming soon to North Georgia. Just roll in, roll up a sleeve and arm against the flu this season while helping prepare communities for disaster!
Since 2008, public health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties have conducted the annual Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics, serving residents safely, quickly and efficiently as they remain in their vehicles.
The four-in-one quadrivalent flu vaccine and the Fluzone High Dose vaccine for people sixty-five and older will be available at the clinics.
Quadrivalent flu vaccine protects people against four different strains of flu, including two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.
The Fluzone High-Dose flu vaccine is for people 65 years of age and older because it has four times the amount of protective antigen for immune systems that tend to weaken with age.
The cost of the quadrivalent flu shot is $25 and the Fluzone High-Dose flu shot is $65. Cash, Medicare, Medicaid, Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield Health and United Healthcare Insurance will be accepted along with other forms of payment and insurance, depending on the county.
The Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics are for people ages 18 and over.
While arming residents against the flu at the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics, public health staff and community partners test their plans for standing up a temporary Point of Dispensing (POD) to rapidly administer medication during a public health crisis. Participating community partners include local law enforcement, volunteers, businesses and first responders such as the county Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Medical Services and Fire Department.
This year, the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics are scheduled in each county, as follows:
Cherokee: Tuesday, September 26th, 9 A.M. – 2 P.M., *Woodstock City Church: 150 Ridgewalk Parkway, Woodstock, GA. Call (770) 928-0133 or (770) 345-7371 for more details.
*Please note this NEW Location for the Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic in Woodstock!
Pickens: Wednesday, September 27th, 8:30 A.M. – 3:30 P.M., Mt. Zion Baptist Church: 1036 North Main Street, Jasper, GA. Call (706) 253-2821 for more details.
Fannin: Thursday, September 28th, 9 A.M. – 3 P.M., The Farmers Market: East First Street, Blue Ridge, GA. Call (706) 632-3023 for more details.
Whitfield: Tuesday, October 3rd, 9 A.M. – 5 P.M., Dalton Convention Center: 2211 Dug Gap Battle Road, Dalton, GA. Call (706) 226-2621 for more details.
Gilmer: Thursday, October 5th, 8 A.M. – 3 P.M., Pleasant Grove Baptist Church: 115 Pleasant Grove Road, Ellijay, GA. Call (706) 635-4363 for more details.
Murray: Tuesday, October 10th, 8 A.M. – 6 P.M., Murray County Parks and Recreation Department: 651 Hyden Tyler Road, Chatsworth, GA. Call (706) 695-4585 for more details.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu vaccination can reduce flu illnesses, doctors’ visits, and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations. The more people who get vaccinated, the more people will be protected from flu, including older people, very young children, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions who are more vulnerable to serious flu complications.
The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination. The most convenient way to get that vaccination in North Georgia is at the nearest public health Drive-by Flu Shot Clinic.
For additional details about the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics, call the local county health department or log onto www.nghd.org. To learn more about influenza and flu protection, log onto the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/flu/.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PICKENS COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
PROPOSED RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING LOCATIONS AND TYPES OF MOBILE FACILITIES THAT MAY BE SERVED BY ON-SITE SEWAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Chapters 31-40-1 through 31-40-9, 31-5-1 and 31-3-5, the Pickens County Board of Health proposes to adopt rules and regulations governing locations and types of mobile facilities that may be served by on-site sewage management systems. The Official Code of Georgia Annotated 31-3-5 grants the power to Georgia County Boards of Health to specify the types of residences, facilities and buildings that may be served by onsite sewage management systems.
For the purposes of these proposed rules and regulations, “mobile facilities” means a wheeled vehicle designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable and designed not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use by the transient public. This definition includes recreational vehicles, motor homes, truck campers, pop-up campers, dependent trailers, travel trailers and similar units by whatever named called.
On-site sewage management systems may not be installed for or serve mobile facilities unless such mobile facilities are in properly zoned and approved locations such as recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds constructed on a common piece of property and intended only for temporary use by their owners, tourists, travelers and guests. Mobile facilities are not permitted in mobile home parks and may not use mobile home park septic systems; existing mobile facilities in mobile home parks may remain but once moved cannot be replaced with another mobile facility.
Existing mobile facilities served by properly operating on-site sewage management systems are granted grandfather rights (acquired rights) but may not be replaced by a mobile facility once moved.
Nothing in this proposed ordinance shall be interpreted to prevent property owners from storing their own recreational vehicles and similar mobile facilities on their residential or commercial properties and dumping accumulated wastewater from travel trips into their own septic systems; however, such mobile facilities shall not be used for permanent residential occupation nor permanently connected to a residential septic system.
Exceptions include temporary occupancy for visitors to a residential property, temporary occupancy by owner on undeveloped properties, emergency housing following a disaster, construction of a single-family dwelling by property owner, and temporary construction workers on major projects.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PICKENS COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
Proposed Minimum Lot Size Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems
Pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Chapters 31-40-1 through 31-40-9 and 31-5-1, the Pickens County Board of Health proposes to adopt minimum lot sizes for on-site sewage management systems based upon the current Pickens County lot size requirements with some modifications. The Pickens County Board of Health has never adopted minimum lot sizes and lot sizes are subject to state regulations if not locally adopted. On-site sewage management system means a sewage management system other than public or community sewage treatment system and generally referred to as a septic system.
A copy of these regulations may be obtained via email by calling the Pickens County Environmental Health office at 706-253-0900 or viewed at this office located at 1266 East Church Street, Jasper, GA 30143 during regular business hours. Email copies may also be obtained by writing to
The Pickens County Board of Health solicits your comments for this proposed action. Comments can be made in writing by mail to the Pickens County Environmental Health Office at the above address if received by the public hearing date or orally at the hearing before the Hearing Officer from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on August 25, 2017 in the Pickens Room located at 1266 East Church Street, Jasper, GA 30143.
All comments received will be presented to the Pickens County Board of Health at its next regular meeting. This notice is issued pursuant to the Pickens County Board of Health By-Laws.
North Ga. – On Monday, Aug. 21, Georgia will be among 14 states to experience a total eclipse of the sun. The Georgia Department of Public Health reminds those who will watch the solar eclipse that it’s never safe to look directly at the sun, or eye damage may occur.
Viewing the solar eclipse should be done through “eclipse glasses” that meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. See the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers for a list of dealers of eclipse glasses. To find out which libraries near you are distributing free eclipse glasses, see the library map on the STAR_Net website.
Retinal damage to eyes may occur while attempting to stare at the sun. Solar retinopathy is a result of too much ultraviolet light flooding the retina. Never look directly at the sun without proper protection – using ISO 12312-2 lenses. If you damage your eyes trying to view the solar eclipse, please contact your healthcare provider.
NASA’s additional recommendations for safe eclipse viewing are:
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Stand still, and put on your eclipse glasses before looking up at the eclipse. Turn away to remove your eclipse glasses — do not remove them while looking at the sun.
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Do not look at the eclipse through a camera, a telescope or binoculars while using your eclipse glasses — the sun will damage the filter and your eyes.
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Always inspect your eclipse glasses before use; if scratched or damaged, do not use.
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Supervise children viewing the eclipse.
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Remove your eclipse glasses only when the moon completely covers the sun and it gets dark. Then, as soon as the sun begins to reappear, put your eclipse glasses back on.
The last time the U.S. saw a total eclipse was 1979. During this year’s eclipse, the moon will fully block the sun for two minutes and 40 seconds. Only the northeast corner of Georgia will experience this; the rest of the state will see a partial eclipse. The moon will pass between the Earth and the sun, blocking all or part of the sun, for up to three hours.
Learn more about safely viewing the solar eclipse at: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety.
North Georgia – The North Georgia Health District office in Dalton and our health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties will close early to clients and visitors on Monday, August 21st in the interest of public safety during the solar eclipse. The health departments will close at 12 PM and the district office will close at 1 PM. This closing applies to all public health services in the district, including Environmental Health, WIC and Children’s Health services.
If viewing the solar eclipse, residents are urged to follow these safety precautions:
- Do not look directly at the sun
- Sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection
- Only look at the sun through an approved solar filter
- For even safer viewing, observe indirectly by projecting the sun’s image onto a blank sheet of white paper with a pinhole camera or with binoculars
For more safety information, log onto NASA’s website at https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety.
AUGUST IS NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION AWARENESS MONTH
Get more information from the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam.html
health officials advise vaccination for children and adults
North GA – Cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, are on the rise and state and local public health officials are working together to identify and notify students and residents that have possibly been exposed.
The best protection against whooping cough is the pertussis vaccine. Babies, teens, adults, and pregnant women need to be vaccinated according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended schedule. If you aren’t vaccinated, you aren’t protected.
For babies, protection against whooping cough can start before they are even born. During pregnancy, women should get the Tdap vaccine, a shot combining protection against whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria. Also, other people, including grandparents, siblings and babysitters, should get their pertussis vaccine at least two weeks before coming into contact with a baby.
Babies begin their series of vaccines against whooping cough at 2 months of age with their first dose of DTaP. Like Tdap, this shot combines protection against whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria. The series is completed by getting additional doses at 4 months, 6 months, 15 through 18 months, and 4 through 6 years of age. Since the protection the DTaP vaccine provides young children decreases over time, preteens need the Tdap booster shot at 11 or 12 years old. The CDC recommends one dose of Tdap for adults who did not get Tdap as a preteen or teen.
If you or your child has been around someone with whooping cough, you may become sick with it, as well. This is especially true when you or your child has not received all recommended pertussis vaccinations. Sometimes, even if your shots are up to date, you may still get whooping cough, but the symptoms are usually milder with a shorter illness and it is less likely to spread.
Pertussis is also called whooping cough because of the “whooping” sound that comes from gasping for air after a fit of coughing, making it difficult to breathe. Coughing fits due to pertussis infection can last for up to ten weeks or more. But even worse, pertussis can cause serious and potentially life-threatening complications in infants and young children who are unvaccinated or under vaccinated. Children younger than 1 who contract pertussis are more prone to hospitalization, acquiring pneumonia, convulsions, apnea, and encephalopathy, and 1 percent will die.
Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air by cough. Pertussis begins with cold symptoms and cough, which becomes much worse over 1 to 2 weeks. Symptoms usually include a long series of coughs (“coughing fits”) followed by a whooping noise. However, older children, adults and very young infants may not develop the whoop. There is generally only a slight fever. People with pertussis may have a series of coughs followed by vomiting, turning blue, or difficulty catching breath. The cough is often worse at night and cough medicines usually do not help alleviate the cough.
Takes 2 Shots to Beat Chickenpox!
N. GA Health District - Chickenpox is highly contagious and the majority of confirmed cases are in children who are not vaccinated. Chickenpox and shingles are both caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Chickenpox can be serious, especially in babies, adults and people with weakened immune systems.
The best way to protect against chickenpox is to get the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, and the CDC recommends two doses of chickenpox vaccine for children, adolescents, and adults. Children should receive the first dose at 12 through 15 months old and a second dose during ages 4 to 6.
The North Georgia Health District and County Health Department officials urge that if anyone or their children have not yet received the recommended doses of chickenpox vaccine, contact the local county health department (contact information is accessible by clicking the above LOCATIONS tab) or call a private healthcare provider.
Chickenpox spreads easily from infected people to others who have never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox spreads in the air through coughing or sneezing. It can also be spread by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters.
Just as with other vaccine preventable diseases, the best prevention of chickenpox is vaccination, and even though some people who have been vaccinated against chickenpox can still get the disease, their symptoms are usually milder with fewer blisters and with low or no fever. Before the vaccine, chickenpox was very common in the United States. About 4 million people would get chickenpox every year with over 10,000 hospitalizations and 100 to 150 deaths.
Two doses of vaccine are about 90% effective at preventing chickenpox. When vaccinated, people protect themselves and others in their communities. This is especially important for people who cannot get vaccinated, such as those with weakened immune systems or pregnant women.
Chickenpox most commonly causes an illness that lasts about 5-7 days. The classic symptom of chickenpox is a rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters that eventually turn into scabs. The rash may first show up on the face, chest, and back then spread to the rest of the body, including inside the mouth, eyelids, or genital area. It usually takes about one week for all the blisters to become scabs. Other symptoms that may appear a day or two earlier are fever, tiredness, loss of appetite and headache. Children may miss 5 to 6 days of school or childcare due to chickenpox.
Find more information about chickenpox from the CDC at www.cdc.gov/chickenpox.
Two puppies and a kitten test positive for rabies
Dalton (GA) – North Georgia Health District officials announced today that twelve people are currently receiving post-exposure rabies treatment due to contact with domestic animals that have now tested positive for the disease.
Within the past two weeks, two puppies and a kitten have been confirmed by the Georgia Public Health Laboratory as having rabies. All three pets were too young to receive rabies vaccinations. One of the puppies was in Whitfield County and the other was in Gilmer County. The kitten was in Cherokee County. In each case, the pet was attacked by a rabid wild animal and bitten in the head, but it was not reported to veterinarians or health authorities until rabies symptoms developed in the pet.
The time between being bitten by the wild animal and onset of rabies symptoms was very short because the head bites were close to the brain. The rabies virus only travels through the nervous system to the brain, not through blood or other organs. The closer a bite is to the brain, the shorter time it takes to reach the brain.
Wild animals that transmitted rabies to the puppies and kitten were a skunk, a raccoon and, possibly, a coyote.
The fact that these unrelated cases occurred in separate areas of the North Georgia Health District within the past two weeks is a coincidence, and even more coincidental is that all pets involved were too young to vaccinate. Pets must be at least three months old to be vaccinated against rabies.
Parents are strongly cautioned to keep children away from wild animals, strays and unvaccinated pets that may have been in contact with wild animals. Vaccinate all dogs and cats at three months of age and no later.
Dalton (GA) – On July 12, the Georgia Public Health Laboratory reported to the Whitfield County Environmental Health office that a poodle-mix puppy from the 900-block area of Dawnville Road in Whitfield County was rabid.
Anyone who may have had contact with this cream-colored puppy should contact Whitfield County Environmental Health at 706-272-2005 or the North Georgia Health District at 706-529-5757, extension 1161. Because the rabies virus can be present in the saliva of an animal before it shows symptoms of rabies, health authorities need to talk to anyone who had physical contact with the puppy since June 27 to evaluate their need for preventative rabies treatments.
Once symptoms of rabies start to develop in a human, there is no cure and death is almost certain. If anyone thinks they may have been exposed to rabies, seek medical care at once.
The puppy was too young for a rabies vaccination when a skunk attacked it several weeks ago, biting it in the head and transmitting rabies. There have been three additional rabid skunks in Whitfield County this year.
The rabies virus is transmitted in the saliva of the rabid animal through bites that break the skin or by exposure of the saliva to mucous membranes of the nose or eyes. Puppies lick, gnaw and chew by their nature, so a lick to a fresh wound would also be an exposure to rabies.
Health authorities need to talk with persons who had these kinds of exposures to the saliva of the puppy within the two weeks before it started to become ill on July 7. Simply being around the puppy or handling it would not require rabies treatments. Contact with the saliva is the most important factor in transmitting rabies.
Children should be warned to avoid any contact with stray dogs, cats and wild animals such as skunks, raccoons, bats, bobcats, coyotes, foxes and other wild carnivores. Bites from any of these animals need immediate medical attention. Be certain all pets are currently vaccinated against rabies. Livestock are also susceptible to rabies and can be vaccinated by a veterinarian.
More information about rabies may be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html.