- Written by Jennifer King
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Foundation Recognize Whaley with Childhood Immunization Champion Award
Dalton, GA –– Joy Bernice Whaley, MSN, APRN-WHNP (retired), a volunteer for the Whitfield County Health Department Children’s Access Clinic in Dalton, Georgia, has been named CDC Childhood Immunization Champion for her outstanding efforts to promote childhood immunization in Whitfield County. Whaley is recognized for over 40 years of devotion as a public health nurse, working primarily in women’s health and prenatal care. Even after retiring in 1999, Whaley began volunteering for the Whitfield County Health Department and is currently assisting in the department’s Children’s Access Clinic, reviewing immunization records and contacting families whose children are behind on vaccines. (Please click here for more information from the CDC.)
“I am very humbled and honored to have won this award because I know I didn’t get there by myself,” said Whaley. “I’ve been assisted by a wonderful team at the health department, who help me with the job I need to do. It’s just a joy every day I’m here!”
Each year during National Infant Immunization Week, CDC and the CDC Foundation honor health professionals and community leaders from around the country with the CDC Childhood Immunization Champion awards. These awards acknowledge the outstanding efforts of those individuals who strive to ensure that children in their communities are fully immunized against 14 preventable diseases before the age of two.
“Ensuring that every child is vaccinated on schedule is critical to protecting our children, schools, and communities from outbreaks of serious diseases,” said Dr. Amanda Cohn, a pediatrician at CDC and the Executive Secretary of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “We could not achieve our goal of protecting children without those committed individuals who promote immunizations at the state and local levels.”
CDC Childhood Immunization Champions were selected from a pool of health professionals, coalition members, community advocates, and other immunization leaders. State Immunization Programs coordinated the nomination process and submitted nominees to CDC. One winner was selected in each of the participating states and the District of Columbia. “Through the Childhood Immunization Champion awards, CDC and Georgia proudly acknowledge Bernice’s passion, hard work, and commitment to children’s health,” said Marie Smith, RN, BSN, Immunization and Child Health Coordinator for North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Gayle Brannon, RN, BSN, Nurse Manager of the Whitfield County Health Department, said, “Mrs. Whaley is deserving of this recognition. Everyone at the Whitfield County Health Department appreciates her assistance in our work to promote the health of our community.”
For profiles of other CDC Childhood Immunization Champion award winners, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/champions.
About National Infant Immunization Week
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and to celebrate the achievements of immunization programs in promoting healthy communities throughout the United States. Each year, during NIIW, communities across the U.S. celebrate the CDC Childhood Immunization Champions. These award recipients are being recognized for the important contributions they have made to public health through their work in childhood immunization.
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National Infant Immunization Week is April 16 – April 23, 2016
North GA – Immunization is a shared responsibility. Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease and death. They not only help protect our children when we vaccinate them, but can also help protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases. National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is April 16 – April 23, 2016, and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and county heath departments in north Georgia urge residents to speak with a health care provider or doctor to make sure their babies are up-to-date on vaccinations.
Parents, caregivers and health care providers are all critical in keeping our children protected. It’s easy to forget that one of the best ways to protect children is to make sure they have all their vaccinations. When we protect our children, we are also protecting ourselves. Families and friends should think of their infants and ensure they are also current on their vaccinations to protect the little ones.
NIIW is a call to action for parents, caregivers and health care providers to ensure that infants are fully vaccinated against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases. Immunization is a shared responsibility.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
* Two doses given at least four weeks apart are recommended for children aged 6 months through 8 years of age who are getting a flu vaccine for the first time and for some other children in this age group.
§ Two doses of HepA vaccine are needed for lasting protection. The first dose of HepA vaccine should be given between 12 months and 23 months of age. The second dose should be given 6 to 18 months later. HepA vaccination may be given to any child 12 months and older to protect against HepA. Children and adolescents who did not receive the HepA vaccine and are at high-risk, should be vaccinated against HepA.
For those who are underinsured or whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them, there is the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. The VFC program helps children get their vaccines according to the recommended immunization schedule and has contributed directly to a substantial increase in childhood immunization coverage levels, making a significant contribution to the elimination of disparities in vaccination coverage among young children.
Vaccination is the best way to protect others you care about from vaccine-preventable diseases.
According to the CDC, the United States currently has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in its history. Scientists, doctors and health care professionals give vaccines to children only after long and careful review. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for most children.
For more information on vaccinations, visit http://dph.georgia.gov/immunization-section.
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- Written by Jennifer King
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Ellijay, GA – Every year, more and more Americans travel internationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1 Some travel for business or to volunteer, while others visit loved ones or take vacations to faraway lands, each of which has varying degrees of health risks. These risks, whether visiting Monaco or Mozambique, are why the first destination before departure should be to a travel health clinic.
The Gilmer County International Travel Clinic is a member of the International Society of Travel Medicine established in 1991 and is centrally located in north Georgia within the Gilmer County Health Department in Ellijay.
"We serve travelers from this entire region,” said Krystal Sumner, nurse manager of the Gilmer County Health Department and supervisor of the Gilmer County International Travel Clinic. “Clients from Atlanta to Chattanooga and all areas in between, both far and wide, come to us for services. Very often, other travel clinics refer clients to us because it may be as long as six weeks before they can squeeze them in, but we can usually see them within a week.”
The travel clinic in Gilmer County provides comprehensive health services that travelers need before leaving the country. These services include an individual assessment of each client's health history, travel itinerary, travel risks and selection of the appropriate travel vaccines to ensure a healthy journey.
Additionally, staff offers recommendations for malaria medications and preventive treatment for travelers’ diarrhea and the clinic is certified to administer the yellow fever vaccine.
Travelers receive the latest information on outbreak alerts such as for Zika and chikungunya viruses, two mosquito-borne illnesses that are currently of concern in certain countries.
Health alert updates and recommendations for travelers are received daily from reliable sources that include the CDC and TRAVAX, a website that serves as a clinical support tool for travel medicine practitioners in helping clients make travel decisions. The site provides independently researched risk-mitigation recommendations.
“We have the ability to provide vaccine to people for many diseases they are less likely to encounter in the U.S. but may be exposed to in other parts of the world, such as polio, measles and even yellow fever,” said Sumner. “But for some diseases, there is no vaccine, and Zika and chikungunya are among them. In these cases, we educate travelers about who should go and who should not go to places where such outbreaks exist and if they do go, how to monitor themselves when they come back home, what symptoms to watch for and to contact their doctor if they develop those symptoms.”
Since opening in 2010, clinic staff has assisted several hundred clients traveling to all parts of the globe for everything from vacations to business to mission trips at affordable rates.
“Our goal for the traveler,” said Sumner, “is to ensure they can stay healthy and focused on the purpose of their trip and not suffer the terrible effects of an illness that could have been prevented. We want them to return as safe and sound as the day they left home.”
The Gilmer County International Travel Clinic is located in the county health department at 28 Southside Church Street in Ellijay. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. The clinic closes for an hour at noon each Monday through Thursday.
Although appointments can be arranged within days, travelers are encouraged to schedule a pre-travel clinic appointment at 1 to 2 months prior to any international travel departure. This would provide enough time to receive immunizations and to begin building immunity to diseases that may be encountered on a particular journey.
To schedule an appointment with the Gilmer County International Travel Clinic, call (706) 635-4363, extension 104 or 113. To download pre-travel forms from online, click on 
Int'l Travel Clinic Flier, Preparing for Your Appt, Pre-Travel Questionnaire and Survey of Satisfaction .
References:
1Your Survival Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel (CDC) -http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/survival-guide
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Ellijay (GA) – Health officials announced today that a dog in Gilmer County, Georgia was quarantined after potential exposure to a rabid raccoon.
Gilmer County Environmental Health Manager Andrea Martin said that on March 30, the owner of the dog submitted the dead raccoon to their office for rabies testing after finding the dog at the owner’s residence in the Boardtown Road area with blood on its mouth and then discovering the body of the raccoon on the property.
Martin sent the raccoon to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing and the positive results were reported on March 31.
No bites or scratches were observed on the dog; however, officials strongly suspected it fought with the raccoon. Since the dog was not vaccinated against rabies, it is being isolated under a strict six-month quarantine at the owner’s residence and will be monitored by Gilmer County Environmental Health staff.
There was no human exposure in this case.
Martin strongly advised residents to maintain rabies vaccinations in pets.
“By maintaining rabies vaccinations in our pets, we are not only protecting our animals, we are protecting ourselves, our family and our community,” said Martin. “If our pets are exposed to rabies and are not vaccinated, they can spread the deadly disease to us and to others.”
Martin said that an upcoming opportunity to get pets vaccinated for rabies at a reduced cost will be at the Gilmer County Vaccine Clinic hosted by the VCA Appalachian Animal Hospital on Saturday, April 23. (Click here for details.)
For more information about rabies and its prevention, contact the local county environmental health office. In Gilmer County, the phone number is (706) 635-6050. Information is also available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/rabies.
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