DALTON (GA) JUNE 20, 2012 - According to Raymond King, Director of Environmental Health for the North Georgia Health District, a horse located in a pasture immediately adjacent to the Dalton Municipal Airport in Whitfield County, Georgia has been diagnosed with rabies by the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, and now a total of six local persons who had recent contact with the saliva or mucus of the horse are receiving post-exposure rabies treatments through area hospitals.
 
The horse started to show possible symptoms on June 9th and was examined by a number of persons and veterinarians that week before being taken to the University of Georgia Veterinary College for further examination and testing.
 

Brooke Walker of North Georgia WIC and Tom Pinson of the Gaston Community CenterThe public is invited to attend the Farmers' Market presented by North Georgia Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Dalton’s Gaston Community Center.

The Farmers' Market will be held at the new Gaston Community Center at 214 Fredrick Street in Dalton from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20 and Thursday, June 21, 2012.

Come purchase affordably priced, locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables, and receive free recipes for preparing healthy, nutritious meals. Participants will also be offered food storage guidelines.

Families on the WIC program in attendance will be provided $30 worth of produce.

Participating farmers are from Brown’s Produce of Tunnel Hill and R & A Orchards of Ellijay.

For more information about the WIC-Community Center Farmers' Market, call 706-272-2991, extension 1 or 706-529-8202.

The case of Necrotizing fasciitis, or "flesh-eating bacteria", that recently occurred to a young Georgia victim is a tragedy and it reminds us that there are always microbes in our environments to infect us. But some proportion and perspective are appropriate here.

Odds that you will be struck by lightning during your life are one in 10,000. The CDC estimates that only one of 400,000 people get necrotizing fasciitis in any one year in the U.S.

Most cases of necrotizing fasciitis occur in persons with health risk factors such as diabetes or compromised immune systems. The most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis is Group A Streptococcus (strep), about 725 cases a year in the U.S. Treatment consists of antibiotics and surgical removal of dead tissues. Around 20% of patients with necrotizing fasciitis caused by Group A strep will die.

Necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by at least six completely different bacteria.

Dalton (GA) May 8, 2012 - Red fox image courtesy of: U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceFannin County Environmental Health officials announced today that a fox which attacked a Morganton woman on May 4 has tested positive for rabies.

Environmental Health Specialist Shannon Bradburn reported that the fox attacked the woman last Friday morning as she walked her dog on Dennis Drive.

"She was suddenly hit from behind by the fox, which bit her leg before running away," said Bradburn.

Dalton (GA) May 8, 2012 - WIC Nutritionist Addie Crum instructs a mother and child on good nutritionGraduates of local schools are now giving back to their community with essential services that are available to thousands in Whitfield County, many of whom take advantage of these services. . . many more are eligible.

Addie Crum, 2005 graduate of Christian Heritage School, Maria Pimentel, 2006 graduate of Dalton High School, and 2007 Dalton High School graduate, Hannah Michaels, are all working through the local Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program to assist in supplementing the nutritional needs of young mothers and children.

WIC serves 7,000 young mothers and children in Whitfield County, and funds are available to provide services to many others.

Dalton (GA) April 27, 2012 - Whitfield County Environmental Health officials announced today that a raccoon found last week in Dalton has tested positive for rabies.

Odin Stephens of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services said he had retrieved the dead raccoon from the garage of a LaVista Road residence on April 16 and tested it for rabies. Stephens reported to county environmental health yesterday that the results were positive.

This testing was part of wildlife vaccination and surveillance in this area that is being done under the USDA/APHIS Wildlife Services and the National Rabies Management Program.

Dalton (GA) April 27, 2012 - Medical Access Clinic physician volunteer Dr. J. Sherwood Jones with patient Elizabeth Reid. Dr. Jones has volunteered with the clinic for over 10 years. Ms. Reid said, "Dr. Jones has been a wonderful friend who has coached me through to a much healthier weight and lifestyle. I couldn't have done it without him."A primary care clinic that is unique in Whitfield County is the Medical Access Clinic located in the Whitfield County Health Department.

The Medical Access Clinic, also known as MAC, is an Adult Primary Care clinic that focuses on low-cost, high-quality medical care and overall wellness for patients. The staff consists of Dr. Mark Elam, medical director, Debbie York, APRN, clinic manager, and advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, clinical and administrative support staff and community physician volunteers that are specialists in the areas of family medicine, internal medicine, urology, nephrology, pulmonology and general surgery.

"Due to the strong support of our community partners, including our medical volunteers, we are able to offer adult primary care and specialty care through public health," said Gayle Brannon, health department manager.

Click image to download poster (pdf)Dalton (GA) April 13, 2012 – Approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year in the United States – and almost half of these are among young people aged 15 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) pose a serious public health threat to Americans – particularly young women, African Americans, men who have sex with men (MSM), and individuals living in poverty or who have limited access to healthcare. STDs cost the United States’ health care system as much as $17.0 billion annually.

Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood with Cherokee County Health Department Manager Denise Bowman at left and Cherokee County Immunization Outreach Coordinator Nancy Stackhouse on rightDalton (GA) April 11, 2012 - Each year, thousands of children become ill from diseases that could have been prevented by basic childhood immunizations. Countless more miss time from day care and school because they are under-immunized or inappropriately immunized.

During the week of April 21-28, 2012 the North Georgia Health District and health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties will observe National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW). NIIW is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative designed to raise awareness about the importance of childhood immunizations. Each year during NIIW, state, regional and local public health officials highlight the importance of vaccinations for children under the age of two.

Cherokee County (GA) April 11, 2012 - Cherokee County Health Immunization Outreach Coordinator Nancy Stackhouse, LPN, is the 2012 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion for the state of Georgia.

The CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award is a new annual award that recognizes individuals who make a significant contribution toward improving public health through their work in childhood immunization.