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).

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.