Make sure your emergency kit is stocked with the items on the checklist below. Most of the items are inexpensive and easy to find, and any one of them could save your life. Headed to the store? Download a printable version to take with you. Once you take a look at the basic items, consider what unique needs your family might have, such as supplies for pets, or seniors.
After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for at least 72 hours. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.
From the Georgia Department of Public Health website
Mosquito-borne Viral Diseases
Several mosquito-borne viruses circulate in Georgia each year and are capable of causing disease in humans and other animals. The most common mosquito-borne viruses in Georgia include West Nile virus, Eastern Equine encephalitis virus, and LaCrosse virus. Saint Louis encephalitis virus has also been detected in Georgia in the past. Mosquito-borne viruses are most active late spring through early fall in Georgia.
Mosquito-borne viruses can infect birds, horses, and other animals in addition to humans. If public health reports positive birds or horses in your area, or if you see large numbers of mosquitoes, you could be at increased risk of infection. Always take personal protective measures to avoid mosquito bites, especially when mosquito-borne viruses have been identified near you.
For more information on mosquitoes in North Georgia, click on the LOCATIONS tab above in the navigation bar and choose the County Environmental Health office for your county in North Georgia.
Information on Repellents:
The Georgia Department of Public Health recommends the use of products containing active ingredients that have been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use as repellents applied to skin and clothing.
Of the products registered with the EPA, those containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide longer-lasting protection.
EPA registration means that EPA does not expect the product to cause adverse effects to human health or the environment when used according to the label.
From DMV.org by Bridget Clerkin
A vehicle's interior can warm rapidly and prove fatal to children and pets.
With its longer days and warmer air, summer is a seasonal favorite of many. But the same things that make this time of year so pleasant can also make it potentially dangerous.
The hottest months of 2018 are here and already, many children have lost their lives this year to vehicular heatstroke. Most of the victims were infants, with a 3-year-old marking the year’s oldest casualty to date.
The statistics are undoubtedly tragic, but sadly, they’re nothing new. Since 1998, 754 children age 14 and under have passed away from vehicular heatstroke. At an average of 37 incidents each year, the scenario is the leading auto-related killer of children outside of roadway accidents.
Children under 1 are the primary victims.
And that’s to say nothing of the thousands of animals that lose their lives each year inside a hot car.
But the heartbreaking situation is nothing if not preventable.
Below are some tips, tricks, and facts to help make this summer as safe as possible for your smallest passengers.
Heat Rising
One of the things that makes vehicular heatstroke so dangerous is how quickly it strikes.
In 10 minutes, the interior of a car can heat up by 19 degrees. And cracking a window doesn’t help.
In 10 minutes, the interior of a car can heat up by 19 degrees.
The issue arises from the rays of shortwave radiation beaming down from the sun. The solar energy is absorbed particularly well by dark-colored objects, such as a dashboard, steering wheel, or car seat, which can reach temperatures of up to 200 degrees from exposure to the rays.
The heat-absorbed objects then, in turn, emit longwave radiation, which works quickly and effectively at warming the air inside of a vehicle.
Children and animals are particularly at risk in the superheated environment as it takes far less to bring up their core temperatures.
Even in a vehicle parked in the shade, a 2-year-old’s body can reach a potentially fatal 104 degrees in under 2 hours, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Arizona. (Cars parked in the sun could become deadly in just one hour, the study found.)
And while vehicles with light-colored interiors take slightly longer to reach dangerous levels, they aren’t immune to the lethal effects, which can take place on days with a temperature as low as 57 degrees.
Still, a number of technological solutions are being developed to help combat the problem—and they’re becoming more widely available (go to DMV.org to learn more).
Most mothers want to breastfeed but stop early due to a lack of ongoing support. Certain factors make the difference
in whether and how long infants are breastfed. For more information on why breastfeeding matters, what CDC is doing
to increase breastfeeding rates, and how we are making a difference, explore the options below.
Breastfeeding prevents malnutrition and has positive lifelong effects on both children and mothers. Learn more here and by calling your local County Health Department in North Georgia (click on your county name above) or by linking here to North Georgia WIC.
August 1 - 7, We Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week!
North Georgia Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health urges North Georgians to get vaccinated this August during
National Immunization Awareness Month
North GA – The month of August is about bringing awareness to immunizations, and North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) wants Georgians to think ahead and get the vaccinations they need at each stage of life and situation.
"Vaccinations are our best defense against vaccine-preventable diseases," said Sheila Lovett, director for the Georgia Department of Public Health Immunization Program. "During National Immunization Awareness Month, we urge residents to get themselves and their families up to date on their vaccinations."
August serves as a reminder that people of all ages require timely vaccinations to protect their health.
Each week of National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) this year, the focus will be on a different stage of life:
o Babies and young children (August 12-18)
o Pregnant women (August 5-11)
o Adults (August 26-31)
o Preteens and Teens (August 19-25)
o Back to School (July/August)
Safe and effective vaccines are available at your county health department to protect adults and children alike against potentially life-threatening diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, shingles, measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox).
Every adult in Georgia (19 years of age and older) should follow the recommended immunization schedule by age and medical condition. Vaccinations protect our families and communities; especially infants and those individuals who are unable to be immunized or who have weakened immune systems. This link is to the recommended adult immunization schedule:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-schedule-easy-read.pdf
Vaccines protect families, teens and children by preventing disease. Not only do vaccinations help avoid expensive therapies and hospitalization needed to treat infectious diseases like influenza and pneumococcal disease, but they also reduce absences both at school and at work and decrease the spread of illness in the home, workplace and community. Adults should check with their health care provider for their current immunization recommendations as well as parents to check for their children.
For the 2017-2018 season, CDC recommends use of the flu shot (inactivated vaccine or IIV) and the recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV) for everyone 6 months and older. The nasal spray flu vaccine (live attenuated influenza vaccine or LAIV) should not be used during 2017-2018.
Students born on or after January 1, 2002 and entering the seventh-grade need proof of an adolescent pertussis (whooping cough) booster and adolescent meningococcal vaccinations. Every child in a Georgia school system (Kindergarten -12th grade), attending a child care facility, or a new student of any age entering a Georgia school for the first time is required by law to have a Georgia Immunization Certificate, Form 3231. Below are the immunizations required for child care and school attendance:
- Diphtheria - Mumps
- Tetanus - Rubella
- Pertussis - Hepatitis A and B
- Polio - Hib disease (up to age 5 years)
- Measles - Varicella
- PCV13 (up to age 5 years) - Meningococcal Conjugate
Some schools, colleges, and universities have policies requiring vaccination against meningococcal disease as a condition of enrollment. Students aged 21 years or younger should have documentation of receipt of a dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine not more than five years before enrollment. If the primary dose was administered before the 16th birthday, a booster dose should be administered before enrollment in college.
"The focus of vaccinations is often on young children, but it’s just as important for teens, college students and adults to stay current on their vaccinations," said Lovett.
This August, protect your family by getting vaccinated. Check with your local county health department in North Georgia about current vaccination recommendations for you and your children (click on your county's name in the above toolbar to find health department contact information and location).
Call or visit your public health department and get vaccinated today.
For more information on immunization, visit http://dph.georgia.gov/immunization-section.
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website
For World Hepatitis Day, learn more about the different types of viral hepatitis that impact millions worldwide and what CDC is doing to help eliminate hepatitis.
Contact your local County Health Department in North Georgia for Hepatitis testing and treatment in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties. Click on the name of your North GA county (top of page) to locate your county health department information!
Viral hepatitis — a group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E — affects millions of people worldwide, causing both acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) liver disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) data show an estimated 325 million people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C. Viral hepatitis causes more than one million deaths per year, a number comparable to deaths caused by tuberculosis and HIV combined. While deaths from tuberculosis and HIV have been declining, deaths from hepatitis are increasing.
World Hepatitis Day is July 28th and is an opportunity to learn about the global burden of this disease and CDC’s efforts to combat viral hepatitis around the world. People can also find out if they should be tested or vaccinated for hepatitis A, B or C by taking CDC’s online Hepatitis Risk Assessment(https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/riskassessment/index.htm), which is based on CDC recommendations for the United States.
What is CDC doing to help combat hepatitis globally?
The vision of CDC is to eliminate viral hepatitis in the United States and globally. When resources permit, CDC collaborates with WHO and other partners to help countries experiencing high rates of infection prevent and control viral hepatitis. Activities include improving viral hepatitis surveillance and planning and evaluating programs that can expand access to prevention interventions, clinical care, and treatments that can potentially prevent and cure millions of infections. CDC’s viral hepatitis laboratory also serves as a worldwide reference lab, providing recommendations to improve diagnostic quality for clinical laboratories around the world, which help ensure reliable, accurate, and quality diagnostics in viral hepatitis.
To prevent(https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/immunization/othervpds/preventing_hepatitisb.html) hepatitis B infection, CDC provides financial and technical assistance to WHO and countries’ immunization programs like those in the Solomon Islands, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Pacific Islands, Lao(https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/immunization/stories/laos-hep-b-vax.htm), Colombia, Haiti, and other countries by:
- Implementing innovative interventions to increase hepatitis B vaccine coverage at birth(https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/stories/eliminate-hepatitis.html#_ftnref7)
- Documenting the burden of hepatitis B in children
- Supporting countries in verifying the achievement of hepatitis B control and elimination goals
To decrease the burden of all viral hepatitis types, CDC assists WHO in developing guidelines for surveillance, testing, and treatment and helps China, Georgia(https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/healthprotection/gdd/stories/georgia_eliminate_hepatitis.html), Pakistan, Vietnam, and other countries develop national programs to prevent and control viral hepatitis.
CDC’s international work helps reduce the disease burden for travelers and people migrating to the United States, while identifying best practices that may serve as models for other countries, including the United States.
What are the different types of hepatitis viruses occurring around the world?
The five hepatitis viruses – A, B, C, D and E – are distinct; they can have different modes of transmission, affect different populations, and result in different health outcomes.
- Hepatitis A is primarily spread when someone ingests the virus from contact with food, drinks, or objects contaminated by feces from an infected person or has close personal contact with someone who is infected. Hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease and is rarely fatal, but it can cause serious symptoms. Hepatitis A can be prevented through improved sanitation, food safety, and vaccination.
- Hepatitis B is often spread during birth from an infected mother to her baby. Infection can also occur through contact with blood and other body fluids through injection drug use, unsterile medical equipment, and sexual contact. The hepatitis B virus is common in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands, but also has increased rates in the Amazon region of South America, the southern parts of eastern and central Europe, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. The hepatitis B virus can cause both acute and chronic infection, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, chronic illness. If infected at birth or during early childhood, people are more likely to develop a chronic infection, which can lead to liver cirrhosis or even liver cancer. Getting the hepatitis B vaccine is the most effective way to prevent hepatitis B. WHO recommends that all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible after birth, followed by 2-3 additional doses. In many parts of the world, widespread infant vaccination programs have led to dramatic declines of new hepatitis B cases.
- Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood of an infected person. Infection can occur through injection drug use and unsafe medical injections and other medical procedures. Mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C is also possible. Hepatitis C can cause both acute and chronic infections, but most people who get infected develop a chronic infection. A significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. With new treatments, over 90% of people with hepatitis C can be cured within 2-3 months, reducing the risk of death from liver cancer and cirrhosis. The first step for people living with hepatitis C to benefit from treatments is to get tested and linked to care. There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C but research in this area is ongoing.
- Hepatitis D is passed through contact with infected blood. Hepatitis D only occurs in people who are already infected with the hepatitis B virus. People who are not already infected with hepatitis B can prevent hepatitis D by getting vaccinated against hepatitis B.
- Hepatitis E is spread mainly through contaminated drinking water. Hepatitis E usually clears in 4-6 weeks so there is no specific treatment. However, pregnant women infected with hepatitis E are at considerable risk of mortality from this infection. Hepatitis E is found worldwide, but the number of infections is highest in East and South Asia. Improved sanitation and food safety can help prevent new cases of hepatitis E. A vaccine to prevent hepatitis E has been developed and is licensed in China, but is not yet available elsewhere.
More Information
From left to right, Cindy Bailey of the Murray County Health Department and Maria Quintero, Krissy Harden and Isabel Barajas of the North Georgia Health District office are seated around Master Trainer Sarah Piper (in the middle) after their completion of the National Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle change program.
North Georgia – North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health is proud to announce that select staff members have completed Lifestyle Coach training with the Diabetes Training and Technical Assistance Center (DTTAC) at Emory University.
Cindy Bailey of the Murray County Health Department in Chatsworth and Maria Quintero, Krissy Harden and Isabel Barajas of the North Georgia Health District office in Dalton join over 2000 people representing more than 700 organizations nationwide trained by DTTAC to deliver the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program.
The National DPP is an evidence-based, yearlong program developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes through healthy lifestyle changes, focusing on healthy eating, weight loss and physical activity.
DTTAC Lifestyle Coach training is a highly interactive, two-day, in-person training that gives participants a full understanding of their role in the lifestyle change program. Lifestyle Coaches' ability to support participants, provide guidance, and facilitate the group is key to the success of the National DPP lifestyle change program so that participants can learn the skills they need to adopt life-long habits and prevent or delay type-2 diabetes. The North Georgia Health District Lifestyle Coaches will soon begin delivering the DPP lifestyle change program in our community by starting close to ‘home’ with public health co-workers in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties before they ultimately reach out to other organizations to offer the program.
Congratulations to Cindy, Maria, Krissy and Isabel for completion of the DTTAC Lifestyle Coach training and for moving forward with this valuable program in the district.
To learn more about DTTAC Lifestyle Coach training, visit www.tacenters.emory.edu.