Dalton (GA) -The holiday season is here, and as long as flu viruses are spreading and causing illness, you want to make sure it's not the flu you're exchanging with loved ones and friends for the holidays.

It's not too late to arm against the flu, and a flu shot can help provide protection.

According to the latest CDC Flu activity report, influenza levels are starting to increase across the country. And since flu activity doesn't usually peak until February in the United States and can last as late as May, it is important for anyone who has not been vaccinated to get a shot now.

Flu vaccine is available at all county health departments in the North Georgia Health District, including Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties. For office hours, call the health department nearest you (phone numbers are listed below) or log onto the North Georgia Health District website at www.nghd.org and click on the 'Locations' tab.

In addition to protecting yourself against the flu by getting vaccinated, the Georgia Department of Public Health urges you to also wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub. Avoid rubbing your eyes or nose with your hands, and cover your coughs and/or sneezes with a tissue or cough into your sleeve, not your hands.

If you do get the flu, get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, reduce fever with a non-aspirin pain reliever, and stay home to avoid spreading the flu to others.

For more flu information, log onto www.flu.gov.
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North Georgia Health District County Health Departments:
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
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A school kitchen once received USDA frozen turkeys for a meal just before Thanksgiving. The turkeys were left out of refrigeration at room temperature to thaw overnight. The turkeys were cooked but apparently did not reach a safe internal temperature of at least 165°F. There may also have been ‘cross-contamination’ between equipment used with raw turkeys and cooked turkeys. The result? Hundreds of children and school personnel sick with vomiting, fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Can you name the mistakes in this story which led to the illness outbreak?

Typical symptoms of foodborne illness are vomiting, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms, which can start anywhere from hours to days after contaminated food or drinks are consumed. The symptoms usually are not long-lasting in healthy people—a few hours or a few days—and usually go away without medical treatment. But foodborne illness can be severe and even life-threatening to anyone, especially those most at risk such as infants and young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with HIV/AIDS, cancer or any condition or medication that weakens the immune system.

As you prepare your favorite holiday dishes this season, avoid causing foodborne illness by following these food safety tips from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

Dalton (GA) – Public health officials consider immunization to be the best protection against vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza and pertussis, just to name just a few. Therefore, the Georgia Department of Public Health hosts an annual Immunize Georgia conference as a reminder of the importance of immunization and to give special recognition to public health immunization champions for their leadership and influence in getting Georgians immunized.

At this year’s Immunize Georgia conference, two of the 2013 Walt Orenstein Champions for Immunization Awards – which honor individuals, agencies or coalitions that demonstrate excellence in providing immunization care – were presented to recipients from county health departments within the North Georgia Health District.

Nancy Stackhouse, a licensed practical nurse and Cherokee County Health Department’s immunization outreach coordinator, was recognized for her collaboration and partnership in the community as a champion for immunization.

According to Cherokee County Health Department Manager Denise Bowman, “Nancy deserves this honor because she is truly outstanding in her field. Last year, she was named Georgia’s 2012 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion.”

The Whitfield County Health Department Children's Access Clinic was also recognized for ensuring that all recommended vaccines for children and adults are readily available to the community. In 2012, nearly 8,000 adults and children received a vaccine through the clinic, which totaled over 14,000 immunizations. Not only are immunizations provided in the clinic, but clinic staff administers vaccinations at churches, senior centers, schools, child care centers, businesses and physicians’ offices, as well.

Gayle Brannon, Manager of the Whitfield County Health Department, said, “The Whitfield County Health Department Children’s Clinic staff understands the importance of immunizations in preventing disease and they actively seek ways to assure access to preventive health care.”

For more information about the 2013 Walt Orenstein Champions for Immunization Awards and award recipients, go to https://dph.georgia.gov/blog/2013-09-23/vaccine-champions-honored-immunize-georgia.

I can name at least six personal friends who have been seriously injured in deer stand accidents. You probably can, too. By seriously injured, I mean that something got broken other than their pride. One friend broke both ankles and had to lie there all day until his family came looking for him that night. It rained and he was so cold he got hypothermia.

Surveys have shown that more than one-third of all deer stand hunters will fall from a stand some time in their lives. About half of those who fall will break a bone. About three percent of those who fall will suffer permanent injuries like paralysis. Doing something different and dangerous is part of the pleasure of hunting, but don’t be foolish. Here’s a typical real story of a hunter who was injured.

“I fell from a stand that I built in a tree four years before,” said the hunter. “I was climbing up into it to hunt, but had not checked to see if the steps were still solid. I was only about five feet off of the ground when one of the steps broke loose from the tree. The nails had rusted through. I ended up breaking my right arm at the elbow and it took eight weeks to heal. I also missed the entire hunting season. That’s the last time I ever used a homemade deer stand in a tree.”

Building your own tree stand from wood is a bad idea. And, okay, I’ve done it, too, but would not again. If you are going to build your own stand from wood, at least make certain that you only use treated wood. Don’t just nail steps up a tree made of pieces of two-by-four. This is by far the most dangerous way to get into a tree stand. And how will you know if wooden steps are still secure next year until you start climbing up?

Free and confidential Rapid HIV Testing is now available at the Cherokee County Health Department health centers in Canton and Woodstock. Testing is conducted on the second Tuesday of each month at the Woodstock Health Center at 7545 North Main Street and on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Canton Health Center at 1219 Univeter Road. Testing times at both locations are from 10 AM to 3 PM. Free prevention supplies are also available. The CDC recommends that everyone between ages 13 and 64 be tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime, and those at increased risk – such as gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, or persons with multiple sexual partners – should be tested at least annually. For more information, call the Woodstock Health Center at 770-928-0133 or the Canton Health Center at 770-345-7371.

Dalton (GA) – Just as October is a month that signals the beginning of fall in North Georgia, it is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month – and once again this year, public health departments in the North Georgia Health District have spent October placing special emphasis on the early detection and prevention of breast cancer.

Throughout the year, health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties provide breast exams, breast self-exam instruction and counseling, and mammogram referrals. During October, Murray County Health Department successfully petitioned Chatsworth Mayor Dan Penland to proclaim October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Chatsworth, and health departments in Cherokee, Gilmer and Whitfield Counties wore pink as a reminder that breast cancer awareness saves lives.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. In the U.S. in 2010 – the most recent year numbers are available – nearly 207,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and almost 41,000 died from the disease.

Excluding some types of skin cancer, the CDC says that breast cancer is the most common cancer in U.S. women, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Men are not immune to breast cancer, although it is less common. For every 100 cases of breast cancer, less than 1 is in men. However, both men and women should adhere to self-exams and regular physical check-ups. When breast cancer is found early, many people go on to live long and healthy lives.

For more information about breast cancer and its prevention, call the nearest county health department (find phone numbers by clicking on the LOCATIONS tab above) or log onto the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast.

Chatsworth, GA - Chatsworth Mayor Dan Penland has officially proclaimed October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Chatsworth. Murray County Health Department is participating in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by highlighting the event through the mayoral proclamation and by providing breast cancer awareness and prevention information at the health department, including:

• About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point during her life, but many women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.

• Women ages 40 to 49 should talk with their doctor about when to start getting mammograms.

• Women ages 50 to 74 need mammograms every 2 years.

• Talk to a doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if a close family member has had breast or ovarian cancer.

For more information about breast cancer and its prevention, call the Murray County Health Department at 706-695-4585 or visit them at 709 Old Dalton-Ellijay Road in Chatsworth. Information is also available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website at www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast.

Dalton, GA - Drive-By Flu Shot Clinics led by the six county health departments in the North Georgia Health District are now completed, and as a result, more than 1600 North Georgians are better prepared to face the flu season.

Gilmer County Health Department culminated the series of drive-by flu shot clinics on Thursday, October 3 in Ellijay, when 138 residents were vaccinated.

Previous drive-by flu shot clinics were most recently held by Cherokee County Health Department on October 1, in which 234 shots were provided, and by Fannin County Health Department, which administered 178 vaccinations on September 23.

Earlier, district health departments in Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties provided a total of 1107 flu vaccinations at drive-by flu shot clinics that they each conducted in September.

In addition to providing flu shots quickly, safely and conveniently at the drive-by flu shot clinics, North Georgia Health District county health departments and community partners, including EMA, fire and law enforcement agencies, utilized this as an opportunity to exercise well-prepared plans to rapidly mass dispense medications in times of public health crisis, such as widespread disease outbreaks.

Flu vaccine is available at North Georgia Health District county health departments while doses last. The cost of the regular seasonal flu vaccine through the public health departments is $22 and the high dose vaccine for people ages 65 and older is $50. Cash, checks, Medicare, Medicaid and Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, State Cigna and State United Healthcare Insurance will be accepted.

Arm yourself against the flu this season by getting your flu shot right away and by also avoiding people who are sick, by washing your hands often with soap and water, by not touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands and by disinfecting surfaces and objects that could be contaminated with germs like the flu.

For more information about influenza and how to avoid it, please contact your local health department (please click on above Locations tab) or log onto www.cdc.gov/flu.

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In above photo: Barbara Ann Burgess of Ellijay smiles after receiving a flu shot from Leigh Ann Dover, RN, at Gilmer County Health Dept's Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic

Dalton, GA - Over one thousand North Georgians, so far, have armed themselves against the flu at Drive-By Flu Shot Clinics in the North Georgia Health District!

In Chatsworth on Tuesday, 121 residents were vaccinated at Murray County Health Department’s drive-by flu shot clinic, and on Wednesday, Whitfield County Health Department administered 876 flu shots at their drive-by flu shot clinic in Dalton. Also on Wednesday, Pickens County Health Department vaccinated 110 people against the flu at the drive-by flu shot clinic they held in Jasper.

The next Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic will be conducted by the Fannin County Health Department this Monday, September 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Farmers Market in Blue Ridge.

Cherokee County Health Department will conduct a Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic on Tuesday, October 1 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Woodstock Health Center on North Main Street in Woodstock.

Gilmer County Health Department will hold their Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic on Thursday, October 3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Ellijay.

THE FASTEST, SAFEST AND MOST CONVENIENT WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE FLU THIS SEASON IS TO COME TO GILMER COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT’S DRIVE-BY FLU SHOT CLINIC ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3^RD! DRIVE-BY FOR YOUR FLU SHOT ANYTIME ON THE 3^RD FROM 8:00 A.M. THROUGH 4:00 P.M. AT THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ELLIJAY AT 75 MCCUTCHEN STREET IN ELLIJAY. REGULAR SEASONAL FLU SHOTS ARE TWENTY-TWO DOLLARS AND HIGH DOSE FLU SHOTS FOR PEOPLE AGES 65 AND OLDER ARE FIFTY DOLLARS. CASH, CHECKS, MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND AETNA, BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD, STATE CIGNA AND STATE UNITED HEALTHCARE INSURANCE WILL BE ACCEPTED. CALL 706-635-4363 FOR MORE INFORMATION. BEAT THE FLU BUG THIS SEASON – GET YOUR SHOT AT THE DRIVE-BY FLU SHOT CLINIC IN ELLIJAY!