Georgia Coastal Health District

The following press release was distributed by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

If you have not gotten a flu shot yet, do not wait any longer. Flu activity is widespread throughout Georgia, and the current flu report lists flu activity at the highest level.

“It is not too late to get a flu shot. Every individual over the age of six months should get a flu vaccine – not just for their own protection, but to protect others around them who may be more vulnerable to the flu and its complications,” says Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., DPH commissioner. “Even if the vaccine doesn’t completely prevent illness from flu, it can help reduce the severity and risk of serious complications and keep people out of the hospital.”

Flu symptoms and their intensity can vary from person to person, and can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people are at higher risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick. This includes people aged 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, pregnant women, and children younger than 5 years old, but especially those younger than 2 years old.

Flu vaccine is widely available at public health departments, doctors’ offices, grocery stores, neighborhood clinics and pharmacies. To find a location near you, click on https://www.vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.

In some cases, healthcare providers may recommend the use of antiviral drugs that fight against the flu in your body. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines and are most effective when taken within 48 hours of symptoms appearing.

There are other tried and true measures you can take to help prevent the spread of flu:

• Frequent and thorough handwashing with soap and warm water.
• Use an alcohol-based gel if you don’t have access to soap and water.
• Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or arm.
• Avoid touching your face as flu germs can get into the body through mucus membranes of the nose, mouth, and eyes.
• If you are sick, stay home from school or work. You should be free of a fever, without using a fever reducer, for at least 24 hours before returning to school or work.

For more information about flu and how to prevent it, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/flu. You can monitor Georgia weekly influenza reports at https://dph.georgia.gov/flu-activity-georgia. The reports are updated each Friday.

A CDC food safety alert regarding an outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to cantaloupes has been updated: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/sundsvall-11-23/index.html

Key Points:

• So far, 117 people from 34 states have been infected with this outbreak strain of Salmonella, including Georgia.
• Malichita and Rudy brand whole cantaloupes have been recalled. Many pre-cut cantaloupe products have also been recalled. New recalls include pre-cut cantaloupe products from Kwik Trip, Bix Produce, and Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Trader Joe’s.
• CDC is advising people not to eat pre-cut cantaloupes if they don’t know whether Malichita or Rudy brand whole cantaloupes were used.
• CDC is concerned about this outbreak because illnesses are severe with more than half hospitalized, and people in long-term care facilities and childcare centers have gotten sick. 14 people resided in long-term care facilities and 7 children attended childcare centers before they got sick.
• CDC advises facilities that care for people who are at higher risk for severe illness to not serve cantaloupes that may be contaminated. This includes recalled cantaloupes and cantaloupe that was supplied pre-cut if the brand of whole cantaloupes used are not known.

What You Should Do:

• Do not eat pre-cut cantaloupes if you don’t know whether Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupes were used. This includes cantaloupe chunks and fruit mixes with cantaloupes at restaurants and grocery stores.
• Do not eat any recalled whole or pre-cut cantaloupe products. If you have any, throw them away or return them to the store.
• If the whole cantaloupe does not have a sticker, check with the store to make sure it is not a Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupe.
• Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the cantaloupe using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.

Call your healthcare provider if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms:

• Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
• Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
• Bloody diarrhea
• So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
• Signs of dehydration, such as:
• Not peeing much
• Dry mouth and throat
• Feeling dizzy when standing up

What Long-Term Care Facilities, Childcare Centers, and Hospitals Should Do

• Do not use any recalled whole or pre-cut cantaloupes.
• Do not serve any cantaloupe that was supplied pre-cut if you don’t know whether Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupes were used.

What Businesses Should Do

• Do not sell or serve recalled cantaloupes or products made with recalled cantaloupe, even if they have been washed.
• Washing does not remove all germs and does not make recalled products safe to eat.
• Wash and sanitize items and surfaces that may have come in contact with recalled cantaloupes.

Salmonella Symptoms:

• Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
• Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.
• Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days.
• Some people—especially children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems—may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.

Your blood pressure and blood glucose numbers can tell you a lot about your health. Knowing your numbers is especially important if you are at risk for diabetes.

That’s why the Coastal Health District’s Chronic Disease Prevention Team is offering free blood pressure and blood glucose screening events in November during National Diabetes Awareness Month. These free, simple tests can give you vital information about your health, and we can give you resources and support to live a longer, healthier life.

Visit our team at one of these events, and check out our Diabetes Prevention Program page for more information about how we can be your health partner!

Free Blood Pressure and Blood Glucose Screenings

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As Hurricane Idalia makes its way across southern and coastal Georgia, the Coastal Health District encourages all residents and visitors to stay informed about the changing conditions and any recommendations from emergency managers. Here are some of the available emergency messaging services in our area:

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Bryan County – Code Red

Bryan County Emergency Management Agency uses CodeRED to send emergency notifications by phone, email, text and social media to keep citizens informed of emergencies such as an evacuation notices, utility outages, water main breaks, fire or floods, chemical spills, or other emergency situations.

Sign up: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFAE755A2AFA

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Camden County – Code Red

The Camden County Emergency Management Agency utilizes the CodeRED Emergency Notification System – an ultra high-speed telephone communication service.

Sign up: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/44E1E5C14827 or text CamdenCodeRED to 99411

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Chatham County – CEMA Alerts

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency uses CEMA Alerts to send text messages and/or emails directly to your phone during severe weather and other emergency events.

Sign up: https://chathamemergency.org/ or sign up by texting CEMA to 77295.

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Effingham County – WENS

Effingham County Emergency Management offers a Wireless Emergency Notification System, also known as WENS. This service allows you to sign up to get emergency and community alerts on your cell phone, work phone, text message, email, home phone, and more.

Sign up: https://entry.inspironlogistics.com/effingham_ga/wens.cfm

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Glynn County – Code Red

Glynn County Emergency Management utilizes the CodeRED Emergency Notification System. This system is an opt-in database of resident and citizen information for use only in critical and emergency situations.

Sign up: https://glynncounty.org/671/CodeRED

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Liberty County – Alert Liberty

In Liberty County, you can opt-in to Alert Liberty for emergency notifications. You can enter up to five different addresses (within Liberty County) that you wish to include in your profile.

Sign up: https://member.everbridge.net/1772417038942494/login

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McIntosh County – Code Red

McIntosh County Emergency Management utilizes the CodeRED Emergency Notification System – an ultra high-speed telephone communication service.

Sign up: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/3CC907D212DC

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Other Notification Resources

There are many additional options for staying informed of changing weather conditions:

• NOAA Weather Radio: Watches and Warnings issued by National Weather Service (NWS) air on these radios.
• Television Stations: Local or national news stations monitor and broadcast weather alerts.
• AM/FM Radio: Radio stations are required to air Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages.
• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA): WEA are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. The alert system requires no need to download an app nor subscribe to a service. The WEA message will usually provide the category and time, the agency issuing the alert and what action you should take.

The Coastal Health District’s top emergency preparedness official has achieved top status within FEMA’s Emergency Management Professional Program. Todd Wyckoff, the District’s emergency preparedness director, recently graduated from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy, one of only 380 individuals to receive this recognition in the past decade.

The Executive Academy is for senior emergency management executives at the pinnacle of their careers. Students enroll in four resident courses at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD. The challenging curriculum provides an opportunity to sharpen decision-making skills, work collaboratively, and participate in exercises with other senior leaders facing similar challenges.

Wyckoff has more than 15 years of public health emergency preparedness experience with over 200 certifications from FEMA, Homeland Security, and emergency management agencies. Throughout his career, Wyckoff has managed multiple tropical events on the Georgia coast, helping coordinate evacuation of vulnerable populations residing in six counties on three different occasions. He previously worked in the private sector industry of Disaster Response and Restoration for over six years and responded to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, as well as the Floods of 2008 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Most recently, Wyckoff led the 8-county Coastal Health District through the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including coordination of the district-wide COVID testing program. He continues to work with community partners around the district and throughout the state to facilitate emergency exercises, refine and coordinate emergency plans, and ensure the district is well prepared to protect the health of its residents in a future emergency response. 

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