Infant Recently Traveled from Overseas

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is confirming the state’s first reported case of measles since 2012. The infected infant arrived in Atlanta from outside of the U.S. and is being cared for at Egleston at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). DPH is working with CHOA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the patient and to prevent further spread of measles.

Measles is a highly contagious, serious respiratory disease. It is particularly dangerous for infants who cannot be immunized until they are at least six months old and young children who have only received one dose of measles vaccine.

Measles spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes and respiratory droplets travel through the air. Measles virus can live in the air and on surfaces for two to three hours. Almost everyone who has not been vaccinated will get measles if they are exposed to the virus.

Symptoms of measles include:

- Fever (can be very high)

- Cough, runny nose and red eyes

- Tiny white spots on the inner lining of the cheek – also called Koplik’s spots

- Rash of tiny, red spots that start at the head and spreads to the rest of the body (spots may become joined together as they spread)

Measles generally can be prevented through vaccination. The measles vaccine (MMR) is highly effective, in most cases about 97 percent effective.

Click here for the full article on DPH's website.

County will be the first in Georgia to hold such an event, which aims to help residents get better prepared in case of disasters

By MITCH TALLEY, Whitfield County Director of Communications

If a disaster hit Whitfield County tomorrow, would you be ready?

Less than a third of us could answer yes to that question now, based on a recent federal survey.

But that figure could change dramatically in the coming months, thanks to the Whitfield County Emergency Management Agency and several partners who announced today they will be sponsoring the first-ever Whitfield County’s PrepareAthon! in April.

In fact, Whitfield will become the first county in Georgia to hold such a PrepareAthon!, with three days of special events slated April 24-26 to increase community emergency preparedness and resilience through hazard-specific drills, group discussions, and exercises.

“The goal of Whitfield County’s PrepareAthon! is simple,” Whitfield County EMA Director Claude Craig said Monday morning during a press conference at the Dalton Fire Department on School Street to kick off the special event. “Build a more resilient community by increasing the number of individuals who understand which disasters could happen in their community, know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage, take action to increase their preparedness, and participate in community resilience planning.”

Also speaking at the press conference were Terry Thomas, Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IV Individual and Community Preparedness Division; Gary Kelley, Georgia EMA deputy director; Keith Stellman, meteorologist, National Weather Service, Peachtree City; and Patrick Core, chief meteorologist with Chattanooga’s WDEF-TV, which has agreed to partner with Whitfield EMA and promote the PrepareAthon! during its newscasts.

Innovative, community-wide Emergency Preparedness Campaign to be announced

Dalton (GA) – The Whitfield County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and Whitfield County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) remind members of the media they are encouraged to attend the Severe Weather Preparedness Week press conference on Monday, February 2, 2015 at 10:30 A.M. The press conference will be held at the Dalton Fire Department Headquarters at 404 School Street in Dalton.

Severe Weather Preparedness Week this year in Georgia is February 2 – 6, and the purpose of the press conference is to stress the urgent need for individuals and organizations to take action in preparing for emergencies. As a result, EMA director and LEPC chairman Claude Craig will announce an innovative, community-wide emergency preparedness campaign. Whitfield County will be the first county in Georgia to participate in this national campaign developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that encourages local communities to promote awareness to action among its citizens, businesses, faith-based organizations, schools and non-profit organizations.

Officials from FEMA, GEMA, and National Weather Service are expected to speak at the press conference.

For more information about Severe Weather Preparedness Week, visit the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) website at www.ready.ga.gov.

North Georgia- Have you had your flu shot yet? Flu activity is high in Georgia and the peak of the flu season is still ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend that unvaccinated people get vaccinated*. While some of the viruses spreading this season are different from those in the vaccine, vaccination can still provide protection and might reduce severe outcomes such as hospitalization and death.

North Georgia Health District public health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties have flu vaccine and no appointment is necessary. Please contact your local health department for more information (each county health department phone number, address and hours of operation can be found by clicking on our LOCATIONS tab up above).

The CDC also is reminding the public that people with high risk factors who get flu symptoms should contact their healthcare provider to be evaluated for possible treatment with flu antiviral drugs. It’s very important that antiviral drugs be used early to treat hospitalized patients, people with severe flu illness, and people who are at higher risk of developing flu complications based on their age or underlying medical conditions.

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*Reference: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2014-2015.htm

 "All six counties of the [North Georgia] health district participated and all met the objectives for each individual area of the plan." - Robby Westbrook, Deputy Director of Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management

Dalton, GA – The local Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Transportation Security Plan was tested on Thursday, January 8 in a functional exercise led by staff of North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health and Georgia State Patrol. Emergency Management Agency (EMA) officials, law enforcement agents, and public health staff in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties participated in the exercise by standing up each county's Emergency Operations Center (EOC). (Pictured: David Huskey of N. GA Health Dist. and GA State Patrol Lt. Don Stultz collaborate during SNS Transportation Security Plan Functional Exercise, Jan. 8, 2015.)

"The Strategic National Stockpile, or SNS, is a federally maintained cache of medical assets that would be available to local health districts if assets needed to respond to a public health crisis become depleted within the state," said David Huskey, emergency preparedness director for the North Georgia Health District. "For years, we have worked with our community partners to develop our plan for receiving these assets and distributing them to local temporary points of dispensing. It’s necessary to actually exercise the plan to test its strengths and weaknesses."

It is important to exercise each part of a plan, according to Robby Westbrook, deputy director of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management and facilitator of the exercise. Westbrook said, “Each aspect of even the best written plan should be tested to make sure everything comes together in the way it’s spelled out. This exercise went very well. All six counties of the health district participated and all met the objectives for each individual area of the plan."

The holidays are here and gift exchanges are happening, but it’s not too late to consider giving gifts that help protect your family and friends in emergencies.

Here are some supplies for an emergency preparedness kit that would make unique — and potentially life-saving — holiday gifts:

• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert.
• A quality flashlight and extra batteries.
• Solar-powered cell phone charger.
• Smoke detector and/or carbon monoxide detectors.
• First aid kit.
• Fire extinguisher and fire escape ladder.
• Enrollment in a CPR or first aid class.
• Books, coloring books, crayons and board games for the kids, in case the power goes out.
• Personal hygiene comfort kit, including shampoo, body wash, wash cloth, hairbrush, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.
• A waterproof pouch or backpack containing any of the above items, or with such things as a rain poncho, moist towelettes, work gloves, batteries, duct tape, whistle, food bars, etc.

National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 7-13, 2014

North Georgia – The holidays are here, and that means decorating, cooking and vaccinating. What is commonly referred to as a “flu shot” is the single most important step for protecting yourself and others against influenza. National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 7-13, and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is encouraging all Georgians to get their flu vaccine.

Flu season can begin as early as August and could last through May, according to officials of the North Georgia Health District (comprised of Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties). It is important that Georgians understand the best way to protect against influenza is to receive an annual flu vaccine. As long as the virus is circulating, it’s never too late to vaccinate.

Influenza can be a serious disease that leads to hospitalization and sometimes death. On average, more than 200,000 people in the United States are hospitalized each year for illnesses associated with seasonal influenza virus infections¹, and it is estimated that more than 36,000 Americans die each year from influenza-related illness.²

You can quit smoking today. We can help.
It is never too late to quit using tobacco.

What is the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line?

The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line is a public health service funded by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) through the Georgia Tobacco Use Prevention Program (GTUPP). GTUPP partners with a national tobacco cessation vendor to provide telephone and web-based counseling services in accordance with the United States Public Health Service Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence Clinical Practice Guidelines. 

What are the benefits of calling the tobacco quit line?

• Receive FREE helpful quitting tips/techniques and support.
• Eliminate barriers of traditional cessation classes such as waiting for a class to be held or having to drive to a location in order to be in a class.
• Provide easy access for people who live in rural or remote areas. They can simply pick up the phone and call instead of having to drive long distances to attend a class.
• Empower callers who may feel uncomfortable with seeking help in a group setting.

Evidenced-based Intervention

The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line (GTQL) offers effective, evidence-based interventions to help Georgians quit smoking and using any other smokeless tobacco products (i.e., dip or snuff). For Georgians whose primary language may not be English, there are qualified interpreters available.

Dalton (GA)  – “Getting to Zero” is a rededication to the goal of entirely eliminating HIV transmission, and that is the vision for the World AIDS Day Celebration at First Baptist Church of Dalton on Monday, December 1, 2014 from 11:30 A.M. to 1 P.M.

“Getting to Zero”, the theme for World AIDS Day, held annually worldwide on December 1 since 1988, is about reducing new infections, increasing awareness of HIV and AIDS, decreasing prejudice against those whose lives are touched by this epidemic, and improving access to care and support for people living with the virus, including people who are infected with the virus and their loved ones.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 6 (15.8%) are unaware of their infection. In 2010, over 15,500 people diagnosed with AIDS in the U.S. died, and approximately 636,000 people in the U.S. with an AIDS diagnosis have died overall*.

The World AIDS Day Celebration in Dalton is an opportunity to show support for people in this community who are living with HIV/AIDS and to commemorate people who have died. Reverend Rodney Weaver will preside over the ceremony and Dr. Mark Elam will be the guest speaker. Deanna Baker of the Living Bridge Center will present a Time of Remembrance, and there will be musical performances and testimonials.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend. First Baptist Church of Dalton is located at 311 North Thornton Avenue, Dalton, GA 30720.

For more information, please call (706) 281-2370.

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*References: CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/basics/ataglance.html

 "My Life. My Health. My Decision."

- 2014 Healthy Youth Summit theme

Holly Springs (GA) – Cherokee Youth Council members James Lindsey, Jasmine Lewis and Caleb Ductant recently attended the 2014 Healthy Youth Summit with adult leader Kirby Lewis-Hobba to launch a tobacco-free environment partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health’s (DPH) North Georgia Health District 1-2.

Sponsored by DPH’s Chronic Disease Prevention Section and Georgia SHAPE, the Governor’s initiative to increase physical activity in Georgia schools, the 2014 Healthy Youth Summit was attended by over 130 teenagers on October 24 through 26 at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.