- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Chatsworth (GA) – Murray County Environmental Health officials announced today that on Tuesday, December 24, 2013, a stray cat bit and scratched two persons who live in the 5700 block of Old Federal Road South, Chatsworth, Georgia.
One of the persons bitten took the cat to Murray County Animal Control where Jason Osgatharp, environmental health county manager, made the determination to have the cat tested because it exhibited abnormal behavior.
The cat was submitted to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory and positive test results for rabies were received today.
According to the persons bitten, the cat would “show up” at their home about once a month.
The rabid cat was black with a white chin, weighed about ten pounds, and appeared otherwise healthy. Those living in or near the 5700 block of Old Federal Road South should report any bites or scratches from stray cats which occurred within the past month, especially if the stray fits this description. Call the Murray County Environmental Health Office at 706-695-0266, extension 8.
The persons who were bitten will start post-rabies exposure treatment today or tomorrow.
Five other cats at the residence, all of which are unvaccinated, will be euthanized.
For more information about rabies and its prevention, log onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/.
- Hits: 3840
- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Dalton (GA) – During this joyous season of social gatherings and holiday cheer, it is easy to forget that hazards could happen at any moment. If a public health hazard such as a bioterrorism event or widespread disease outbreak were to happen in this area, delivery of vaccines, medications and antidotes to the public would be critical.
The North Georgia Health District, part of the Georgia Department of Public Health, has a public health hazard response plan for each county in the district.
David Huskey, health district Director of Emergency Preparedness, said, “In the event of a public health crisis that would require many people to rapidly receive preventive medication, our health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties are prepared to open a temporary Point of Dispensing, also called a POD.”
For years, the health district and county health departments have planned with community partners, first responders and volunteers to operate temporary Points of Dispensing, and since 2007, these plans have been exercised each fall when the county health departments conduct their drive-by flu shot clinics. Plans include the possibility that supplies from the federal Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) may be requested and transported to the POD if local and state supplies become depleted. The SNS has large quantities of medicine and medical supplies to protect the American public if there is a public health emergency (terrorist attack, flu outbreak, earthquake) severe enough to cause local supplies to run out (http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/stockpile/stockpile.htm).
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- Written by GaDPH Communications, customized by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 8-14, 2013
Dalton (GA) – You have lots of holiday plans. Don’t let coughing, sneezing, fever, chills and nausea ruin them this flu season. National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 8-14 and the Georgia Department of Public Health, including the North Georgia Health District, encourages you to get your flu vaccine.
Preventive actions such as covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and frequently washing your hands can help guard you from the flu. But the best way to protect against influenza is to receive an 
annual flu vaccine.
Influenza can be a serious disease that leads to hospitalization and sometimes death. Regardless of race, age, gender or ethnicity, everyone can get sick from the flu. Those especially at risk are adults 65 years of age and older, children younger than 5, pregnant women, people with certain chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or other long-term medical conditions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older receive their flu vaccine – whether that’s through a flu shot or the nasal spray. Getting a flu vaccine is more convenient than ever before. Vaccines are available, for example, from your doctor or local health department, and at many retail pharmacies. Many employers, schools, colleges and universities also offer flu vaccines.
National Influenza Vaccination Week emphasizes the importance of receiving an annual flu vaccination. Even healthy children and adults can get very sick from the flu. So this winter, the Georgia Department of Public Health encourages you to call your doctor’s office, local health department or pharmacy and get immunized.
For more information on immunization, visit http://dph.georgia.gov/influenza-what-you-need-know.
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Jasper (GA) — A Pickens County resident was exposed to rabies when bitten by a raccoon last Friday, November 29, according to Jan Stephens, Manager of Pickens County Environmental Health.
The incident occurred late that morning at a private residence just off E. Church Street in Jasper. The raccoon got into a fight with three dogs when it climbed into the dogs’ pen and then it bit the dog owner while the owner attempted to break up the fight.
Lonnie Waters of Jasper Animal Control was called to the scene. Waters euthanized the raccoon and, since it was a state holiday, the body was turned over to Stephens of environmental health the following Monday, December 2.
Stephens prepared the raccoon for shipment and sent it Monday to the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing. The lab reported the positive results late the next day on Tuesday, December 3.
The owner has received a tetanus shot and is receiving post exposure treatment for rabies.
Vaccination records for the three dogs are currently being evaluated and the dogs are being monitored by environmental health.
Health officials remind the public that the best way to prevent rabies exposure is to maintain rabies vaccinations in pets and avoid contact with all unfamiliar animals.
For more information about rabies and its prevention, please contact Pickens County Environmental Health at (706) 253-0900 or log onto www.cdc.gov.
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