The Coastal Health District of Georgia serves the counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long & McIntosh
On Friday, March 24th, at 5 p.m., join Cobb & Douglas Public Health for a virtual wellness event and learn more about PrEP, a daily medication that can greatly reduce your risk of HIV infection.
The Virtual Wellness Event is open to all, and is geared toward women in Georgia. Topics will include self-care, sexual wellness and health, dating, and PrEP.
Login information is in the graphic below.
Reckitt, one of the main formula manufacturers in the U.S., is recalling two batches of Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula because of possible cross-contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria. To date, no illnesses or adverse events have been reported.
ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula in 12.9 oz containers was manufactured between August 2022 and September 2022. The batches in question can be identified by the number on the bottom of the can. Recalled product batches are ZL2HZF and ZL2HZZ, both with a UPC code of 300871214415 and a “Use by Date” of “1 Mar 2024.” The products were distributed through retail stores in the U.S., Guam, and Puerto Rico.
This formula recall affects about 2,200 Georgia WIC families. WIC participants and caregivers of infants who have purchased this product should contact Reckitt at 1-800-479-0551 or by email at consumer.relations@rb.com.
Products identified as part of this recall may be returned to a WIC clinic for replacement benefits. Participants also have the option to return recalled containers of formula to the place of purchase for an exchange or refund. The alternative available for GA WIC participants is the 20.9 oz size of the Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant formula, which was not impacted by the voluntary recall.
Parents and caregivers of infants who have used this product and are concerned about the health of their child should contact their pediatrician or healthcare provider. To date, Reckitt/Mead Johnson indicates the batches in question have tested negative for Cronobacter and other bacteria.
For more information, visit dph.georgia.gov/WIC or consumer.relations@rb.com.
Car seats are life savers when used correctly, but sometimes parents need a few pointers. Be sure you’re using the right car seat in the right way at the Chatham County Health Department’s free car seat check event Friday, February 24, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the clinic at 1395 Eisenhower Drive.
According to Safe Kids Worldwide, more than half of car seats are not installed or used correctly. At this event, parents can find out if they’re using the correct car seat for their child’s age and size, if the seat is installed properly, and if the harness fits well. When used correctly, child safety seats can reduce the risk of death from road injuries by as much as 71 percent.
“Kids spend a lot of time riding in cars, and child safety seats have made car travel so much safer,” said Chatham County Health Department Nurse Manager, Dr. Sierra Peebles. “But as our kids grow and change, they need different types of seats installed in different ways. It’s not easy to keep up, but that’s how we can help.”
The car seat safety checks are the culmination of a training event being sponsored by the health department for Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Each technician must complete a one-on-one child safety seat inspection as part of their certification.
“We’re hoping for a great turnout at the car seat safety check event so our technicians can cement what they’ve learned in training,” said Dr. Peebles. “The more certified technicians we have the greater impact we can make on child safety, so this is a win for us and for the community.”
For more information about the car seat safety, view the Safe Kids Ultimate Car Seat Guide.
Update: the boil water advisory has been lifted.
Archive: Several areas of Chatham and Effingham County are under a boil water advisory as of 2/13/2023.
Food service facilities and tourist accommodations in the following zip codes may be impacted:
If you are unsure if your facility was impacted, please contact your local water provider.
All affected food service facilities, hotels, and motels MUST use boiled water or bottled water for cooking, cleaning food contact surfaces, dishwashing, and handwashing. Ice makers and post-mix soda machines should be turned off.
| Cooking | Use boiled/potable water only |
| Cleaning food contact services | Use boiled/potable water only |
| Dishwashing | Use 3-compartment sink with boiled or potable water only |
| Handwashing | Use boiled/potable water only |
| Ice making | Turn off machine until potable water is available; use commercially manufactured ice |
| Pre-mix soda machines (in bulk, packaged in kegs or bag-in-box and ready to use) | Acceptable to use |
| Post-mix soda machines (boxes of syrup and CO2, using the facility water source) | Turn off until potable water is available |
| Coffee/tea machines | If water is boiled as part of the brewing process, acceptable to use |
It is recommended to use disposable dishes and flatware.
Tap water can be used for flushing toilets and cleaning floors, walls, and ceilings.
If you cannot implement these measures, please contact your local environmental health office for further guidance.
The advisory will be lifted by the local water authority. Please note this could take up to 48-72 hours.
A CDC study published today provides further evidence that Tdap vaccination during pregnancy helps protect newborns from whooping cough during their first two months of life, when they are most vulnerable to the disease.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is highly contagious and can be especially serious for infants who aren’t old enough to be vaccinated. CDC scientists tracked reports of infant whooping cough cases between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019. They found an association between reduced rates of whooping cough in newborns younger than two months old and Tdap vaccination during pregnancy. These findings further support CDC’s recommendation for Tdap vaccination during weeks 27–36 of each pregnancy.
“Getting Tdap during pregnancy offers infants the best protection before they are old enough to receive their whooping cough vaccines,” said Dr. José Romero, Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “This protection is critical because those first few months are when infants are most likely to have serious complications, be hospitalized or die if they get whooping cough.”
The new study is the first time researchers have looked at U.S. population level trends in infant whooping cough cases since this maternal vaccination strategy began in 2011. Newborn whooping cough rates decreased significantly since the introduction of maternal Tdap vaccination. When given during the third trimester of pregnancy, Tdap vaccination prevents more than three in four cases of whooping cough in infants younger than two months old.
“Everyone who is pregnant should feel confident in knowing that the Tdap vaccine is safe and effective,” said Dr. Linda Eckert, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ liaison to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “Knowing that Tdap vaccination during pregnancy protects nine in 10 babies from being hospitalized with whooping cough, I strongly recommend this vaccine to all my pregnant patients for their peace of mind and for their family’s health and well-being.”
Women should get vaccinated during the third trimester of each pregnancy to boost their antibodies and pass those antibodies on to their infants. All people in close contact with infants should be up to date with their whooping cough vaccines.
CDC and partners are working to increase Tdap vaccination during pregnancy, which dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the CDC whooping cough website for more information.
This February, the Coastal Health District wants to help you love your heart, and that starts with knowing your blood pressure and blood glucose numbers. The Coastal Health District will be offering free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings at the following locations, with no appointment needed.
“Most people can’t tell if their blood pressure or glucose levels are high,” says Mecca Mason, a community health worker for the Coastal Health District who is leading the heart healthy campaign. “The only way to know is to get screened. Thankfully, the screenings are quick and easy, and once you know your numbers, we can help you come up with a plan for protecting your heart.”
These numbers matter. High blood pressure can lead to serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke. A high blood glucose level can lead to heart disease.
These problems may be more common than you think. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. One person dies every 34 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease.
But this is not an unwinnable fight. “There are small adjustments you can make in your daily life that will have a big impact on your heart health,” says Mason. “That’s where we come in. We have information, resources, and programs to help people in our community live longer, healthier lives.”
You can learn about these heart healthy programs at the screening events in February or on our Chronic Disease Prevention page.
Got a little one at home? Join the Coastal Health District’s Health Equity team for stories about wellness and equity at a library near you!
We’ll be reading from three great books for kids, touching on topics from germs, to emotions and anxiety, to social acceptance and diversity. We’ll also share resource bags with parents and caregivers, including at-home COVID tests, while supplies last.
Here’s the storytime schedule – we hope to see you there!
Public health in coastal Georgia has a new leader. Bonzo Reddick, MD, has been named health director of the 8-county Coastal Health District. Dr. Reddick steps into the public health leadership role following the retirement of Dr. Lawton Davis.
Dr. Reddick is no stranger to the community health needs of the coastal area. For the past 5 years, Dr. Reddick led an outpatient practice at the J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care Center in Savannah, a federally qualified health center and designated Healthcare for the Homeless site. Dr. Reddick served on the Health Equity Council for the Georgia Department of Public Health and was on the medical advisory committees for the Savannah public school system and for the Mayor’s Office during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Reddick received his B.S. degree from Morehouse College and his medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. After graduating from medical school in 2002, he left Georgia for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he completed a family medicine residency, two faculty development fellowships, and a master’s degree in public health (M.P.H.). After graduating from residency in 2005, he practiced full-spectrum family medicine – including delivering babies and inpatient medicine – for 17 years.
Dr. Reddick was named Top Family Physician in Savannah by South Magazine in 2016 & 2019, and he was recently named the Family Physician of the Year by the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians for 2021. He has published numerous articles in scientific and medical journals, and he recently finished authoring a book on achieving health equity.
Dr. Reddick will lead the Coastal Health District from offices in Savannah and Brunswick, overseeing all district and county public health programs in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh Counties.
Monday, Jan. 16, our offices and health departments will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
However, our 2 COVID testing drive-through sites in Chatham and Liberty will be open Monday. We have one site in West Chatham County at 210 Technology Circle and one in Hinesville at James Brown Park. Both sites offer free PCR testing, no appointment required. Get more information about testing.
We’ll be back to normal operations on Tuesday.
A raccoon in the Vernonburg/Windsor Forest area of Savannah has tested positive for rabies. The Chatham County Health Department’s Environmental Health office reminds all residents to avoid contact with wild animals and ensure pets are properly vaccinated against rabies.
The raccoon was picked up by Chatham County Animal Services for testing after the animal attacked two family dogs on a residential property in south Savannah. Fortunately, the dogs are current on their rabies vaccinations, and no humans were exposed to the infected racoon.
This incident is a reminder that several species of wild animals in our area can carry rabies, including raccoons, foxes, and bats. Rabies is a potentially deadly virus that is primarily spread by infected animals.
Following these tips can protect you and your family from rabies:
Symptoms of rabies in animals include a change in behavior, biting, aggression, showing no fear of natural enemies (such as humans), foaming at the mouth, and paralysis.
If an animal ever bites you, seek medical care immediately and contact Chatham County Animal Services at 912-652-6575 and the Chatham County Environmental Health office at 912-356-2160.
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