Georgia Coastal Health District

The weather is getting warmer and that means more trips to the pool and water parks. And while the water looks inviting, it can harbor germs that may cause Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), RWIs can be caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs/spas, water playgrounds, lakes, rivers, or oceans. RWIs can be a wide variety of infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. There are steps we can all take to avoid RWIs.

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Want more information on safe and healthy swimming? Check out the CDC’s website.

The Long and McIntosh County Health Departments, in conjunction with the Susan G. Komen Coastal Georgia Affiliate and Southeast Georgia Health System (SGHS), will hold free breast screenings and mammogram events for women who meet eligibility requirements.

Breast exams and mammograms will be offered to women over the age of 40 who have not had a mammogram in the last year and who meet certain criteria, including those with no insurance or limited insurance coverage. Mammogram screenings will be provided by the SGHS Wellness on Wheels (WOW) mobile health vehicle. No appointment is necessary.

McIntosh County Health Department Mammogram Event
Monday, May 18
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Piggly Wiggly parking lot, 15759 U.S. Highway 17, Townsend
For more information on the McIntosh County event, please call the Health Department at 832-5473.

Long County Health Department Mammogram Event
Tuesday, May 19
8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
IGA located on Hwy. 84, Ludowici

Other agencies on hand that day include WellCare, Amerigroup, Peachstate, Right from the Start Medicaid, Georgia Families, Helen’s Haven, and Tricounty Protective Agency. Carolyn, “The Pink Fire Truck,” will also be there and there will be free giveaways for participants.
For more information on the Long County event, please call the Health Department at 912-545-2107.

According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases every year. As the weather starts to warm up and more families find themselves outside grilling, it’s important to know how to grill foods safely. The last uninvited guest you want at your barbeque is foodborne illness.

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Want some more great tips? Click HERE.

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 18 – April 25, 2015, and the Coastal Health District urges citizens Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh counties to speak with a health care provider or doctor to make sure their babies are up-to-date on vaccinations.

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. 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.

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 those who are under-insured or whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them, there is the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. The VCF 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.

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 Infant and Childhood Immunization Facts

FACT: Vaccines are safe, and scientists continually work to make sure they become even safer.
FACT: Most childhood vaccines produce immunity 90 percent to 100 percent of the time. Without vaccinations, your child is at greater risk of catching one of the vaccine-preventable diseases.
FACT: There are 10 vaccines recommended to protect infants from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases:

·  DTaP: Protects against Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis

·  MMR: Protects against Measles, Mumps & Rubella

·  HepA: Protects against Hepatitis A

·  HepB: Protects against Hepatitis B

·  Hib: Protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b

·  Flu: Protects against Influenza

·  PCV13: Protects against Pneumococcal disease

·  Polio: Protects against Polio

·  RV: Protects against Rotavirus

·  Varicella: Protects against Chickenpox

 FACT: Infants traveling abroad may need other vaccines along with the 10 recommended above, depending on the countries they are visiting. These vaccines could include Japanese encephalitis, typhoid, meningococcal or yellow fever.
FACT: One dose of the Tdap vaccine is now recommended for pregnant women during every pregnancy, optimal timing between 27 to 36 weeks gestation regardless of prior vaccination history.
FACT: Measles transmission has been interrupted in the United States through vaccination, but it is still common in many parts of the world, including Europe. Worldwide, there are estimated to be 20 million cases of measles and 197,000 deaths from measles each year.
FACT: Infants 6 months to 11 months of age should receive at least one dose of MMR before traveling outside of the United States.
FACT: Pertussis (whooping cough) in infants is frequently severe resulting in hospitalization and may be fatal.
FACT: Many infants who get pertussis are infected by older siblings, parents or caregivers who might not even know they have the disease. Vaccination with Tdap is particularly important for family members and caregivers of infants who are in close contact with young babies. In 2012, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended a dose of Tdap during each pregnancy for women regardless of prior vaccination history.
FACT: Influenza (flu) vaccine is recommended every August to May for infants 6 months of age and older.
FACT: Hospitalization rates for flu are high among infants.
FACT: Rates of hepatitis B have dropped significantly since vaccinating infants became prevalent in 1991.
FACT: Before the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, almost every child in the United States (about 4 million annually) contracted chickenpox.
FACT: Among infants less than a year old who get chickenpox, about 4 in 100,000 die.
FACT: Mumps in approximately 1 in 10 children can lead to meningitis. Occasionally mumps can also lead to encephalitis, deafness (about 1 in 20,000 children) or death (about 1 in 10,000 children).
FACT: Similar to national trends, the number of pertussis cases in Georgia increased in 2014 with 396 pertussis cases reported to DPH compared to the 269 cases reported in 2013. Of those 396 pertussis cases reported in 2014, 99 (26.8%) were infants < 12 months of age.
FACT: Of the 99 cases of pertussis reported among infants less than 1 year old, 23 (23.2%) were too young to be vaccinated with pertussis-containing vaccine because the first dose is given at 2 months of age. This statistic highlights the importance of pregnant women getting vaccinated during each pregnancy and the importance of fathers, grandparents, caregivers, siblings, etc. who surround the infant to receive the vaccine.
FACT: Thus far, in 2015 Georgia has had one measles case that occurred in a 9-month-old infant, who was too young to be vaccinated.

Half of all Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are in people under the age of 25. Regardless of age, anyone who is sexually active should get tested for STDs and all adults and adolescents from ages 13 to 64 should be tested at least once for HIV. All STDs are treatable and the sooner you know your status the sooner you can begin treatment. Left untreated, STDs can cause a lot of problems. Knowing your status is also the best way to cut down on spreading STDs.

GYT – Get Yourself Tested – is a campaign to encourage young people, in particular, to get tested and treated for STDs and HIV. Health departments in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh counties, along with CARE Centers in Glynn and Chatham Counties, offer confidential STD and HIV testing and treatment options. Other healthcare facilities also offer testing and treatment. To find an STD or HIV testing site near you, go to coastalhealthdistrict.org/hiv.

Want to know more about GYT? Click HERE.

The Low Down on STDs

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